John Speraw Says Volleyball Is Poised For A Breakthrough Before LA28

PARIS, FRANCE - AUGUST 05: Head coach John Speraw of Team United States poses for a photograph pinch his family pursuing his team's triumph against Team Brazil successful a Men's Quarterfinal lucifer connected time 10 of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 astatine Paris Arena connected August 05, 2024 successful Paris, France. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

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USA Volleyball's Director of National Teams explains why women's sports, younker information and commercialized finance are converging astatine precisely the correct infinitesimal earlier the Los Angeles Olympic Games.

(This is portion 2 of a two-part communicative based connected a Forbes exclusive question and reply pinch John Speraw connected July 10, 2026. All quotes are taken straight from a transcript of the interview.)

When John Speraw accepted the recently created domiciled of Director of National Teams for USA Volleyball pursuing the Paris Olympics, he knew his responsibilities would go overmuch larger than preparing 1 squad to pursuit Olympic medals.

Today, Speraw oversees each U.S. nationalist squad program—from men's and women's indoor volleyball to formation volleyball and sitting volleyball—while helping style the early guidance of 1 of America's fastest-growing sports. It is simply a domiciled that blends Olympic performance, business development, younker information and semipermanent strategical planning. And pinch the LA28 Olympic Games little than 2 years away, Speraw believes American volleyball stands astatine possibly the astir important crossroads successful its history.

"We really person 2 missions," Speraw told Forbes. "We're present to support grassroots maturation and springiness opportunities for group to play the game. And past we're present to triumph medals."

Winning Medals—and Building a Movement

Olympic medals stay the nationalist measuring instrumentality for each National Governing Body.

USA Volleyball expects to contend for podium finishes successful indoor volleyball, formation volleyball and sitting volleyball each Olympic cycle. Speraw believes those programs are positioned good heading toward Los Angeles. He praised caller men's caput coach Karch Kiraly for inheriting a patient indoor programme while emphasizing that sustained excellence requires continuous improvement.

"Our opportunities for america to beryllium connected podiums is simply a priority," Speraw said. "We'd for illustration to fig retired each bully thought we tin to support those athletes."

The formation programme has go an early example. After making structural changes complete the past respective months, Speraw says USA Volleyball is already opening to spot encouraging competitory results, peculiarly connected the men's side. Meanwhile, America's women proceed to group the world standard. Thanks mostly to the explosive maturation of NCAA formation volleyball, the United States now possesses singular extent entering the LA28 cycle.

"We had 3 teams classed among the apical teams successful the world," Speraw noted. "Taryn (Brasher) and Kristen (Cruz) are a ascendant squad connected the world shape correct now and person a awesome opportunity for america to badge going into LA."

But medals unsocial won't specify success.

Volleyball's Bigger Challenge

Ask Speraw what concerns him most, and his reply has small to do pinch Olympic brackets. Instead, he talks astir children. Specifically, the increasing number of American families who tin nary longer spend organized younker sports. Across the country, information progressively depends upon costly nine systems that require travel, tourney fees and year-round financial commitments. The inclination isn't unsocial to volleyball. Youth soccer, shot and hoops person each knowledgeable akin challenges.

Speraw believes volleyball has an opportunity to go portion of the solution.

"Our semipermanent domiciled is to person much kids play and person amended access," he explained. "The younker sports scenery is mostly club-based now, and it costs money. That's boxing kids out."

For Speraw, expanding opportunity isn't simply a societal responsibility. It is besides a competitory necessity. The broader the information base, the stronger the early Olympic teams become. It is simply a accuracy that aligns people pinch LA28's accent connected organization engagement and younker information passim Southern California.

Why Women's Volleyball Could Become America's Next Major Sports Business

Perhaps Speraw's astir compelling study centered not connected Olympic competition, but connected the quickly changing economics of women's sports. In caller decades volleyball has softly go America's largest girls' squad sport. Yet commercially, it remains dramatically underdeveloped compared pinch basketball, shot aliases moreover softball.

"This is the first athletics that tin beryllium commercially led by the women," Speraw said. "Women's volleyball is our spot correct now. It's the largest squad athletics successful America for girls. It's bigger than basketball. It's bigger than soccer."

That connection carries tremendous implications.

Participation numbers already exist. Television audiences proceed growing. Professional leagues are expanding. Olympic occurrence has created recognizable stars. Yet sponsorship gross has not caught up. Speraw believes that disconnect represents 1 of volleyball's top opportunities.

"We don't really person an anchor sponsor portfolio," he said. "Where is Ford? Where are Microsoft, Google and Apple? We request the expertise to leverage greater taste relevance."

It is an study that extends good beyond volleyball. Corporate America has dramatically accrued finance successful women's sports complete the past respective years arsenic leagues specified arsenic the WNBA and the National Women's Soccer League proceed posting grounds attendance and tv ratings. Speraw believes volleyball deserves to beryllium portion of that aforesaid nationalist conversation.

"I deliberation volleyball should beryllium correct there," he said. "We're not yet."

Anaheim Could Become Volleyball's 1999 Moment

Before Los Angeles hosts the Olympic Games, different milestone awaits. The 2027 FIVB Volleyball World Championships will travel to the United States for the first time, pinch Anaheim serving arsenic big for the quarterfinals, semifinals and title matches. Speraw views that arena arsenic overmuch much than different world tournament. He sees history repeating itself. He compares the opportunity to the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup—a tourney wide credited pinch launching women's shot into the American mainstream.

"We dream that's analogous to women's shot hosting the World Cup successful 1999," Speraw said. "How tin we person a akin effect pinch the World Championships?"

If that imagination becomes reality, Anaheim could service arsenic the cleanable dress rehearsal for LA28 conscionable 1 twelvemonth later. Millions of caller fans could observe elite world volleyball conscionable earlier the Olympic spotlight arrives. For sponsors, broadcasters and investors, it represents a uncommon opportunity to found relationships earlier world attraction reaches its peak.

Building A Commercial Engine

"We request to build this commercialized motor truthful we tin reinvest successful the athletics and springiness entree to much kids," Speraw explained.

The flywheel of the commercialized motor useful this way: Revenue creates opportunity. Opportunity intends greater participation. Participation yet creates Olympic champions. The look is straightforward. Increase sponsorship. Increase media visibility. Increase younker participation. Increase Olympic success. Then repetition the cycle. For Speraw, nary of those goals beryllium independently.

Southern California's Moment

During our conversation, I asked Speraw whether Southern California—with its unmatched volleyball culture, increasing master leagues and decades of Olympic history—might yet support an moreover larger, much modern USA volleyball venue tin of becoming the sport’s commercialized showcase. The mobility reflected my ain years spent watching younker tournaments astatine Anaheim's American Sports Centers alongside thousands of volleyball families.

Speraw smiled thoughtfully.

The speech itself underscored really dramatically the athletics has evolved. What erstwhile occupied converted storage gyms now fills awesome arenas. Professional leagues are emerging. Television audiences are expanding. Corporate sponsors are opening to return notice. And Los Angeles is preparing to big an Olympic Games dissimilar immoderate earlier it. For Speraw, the opportunity extends good beyond a fewer weeks successful the summertime of 2028. It is astir creating a sustainable early that lasts decades aft the Olympic occurrence leaves Los Angeles.

His coaching profession has already produced NCAA championships, Olympic medals and lasting power connected generations of athletes. Now his attraction has go thing moreover larger: Building the early of American volleyball.

If his imagination succeeds, LA28 will not simply crown Olympic champions.

It whitethorn besides beryllium remembered arsenic the infinitesimal volleyball secured its rightful spot among America's premier spectator sports.