I have said it for a while now.
Women’s volleyball needs a major professional league in the USA on the scale of major men’s professional leagues such as the NBA, MLB, NFL, NHL and MLS. And on February 27th, the first steps to that dream league are becoming a reality.
Introducing: Athletes Unlimited
The new league, in partnership with USA Volleyball, will feature 44 of the world’s best volleyball players competing in a league that is the first of its kind in both men and women’s sports. Why? Let’s take a look at the format and scoring.
SCORING/FORMAT
The league will contain an interesting format that will turn the focus away from team championships and instead put the focal point on the performance of the individual athletes. Athletes can score or lose points throughout the season in various ways including:
Serving Ace: +12
Serving Error: -8
Attack Kill: +8
Attack Error: -12
Set Assist: +1
Set Error: -12
Dig: +5
Good Pass: +2
Error on Pass: -12
Block: +12
Players will also be awarded points if they are voted one of the three MVPs (+60, +40, +30) or their team wins a set (+30) or a match (+40). Matches will also be unique in their format, with teams playing three sets and the OVERALL SCORE determining the winner of the match. But there is a catch to team design…you never play with the same teammates twice.
That’s right! Every week, captains of the four teams (Gold, Blue, Orange, Purple) will redraft their teams for next week’s competition; maximizing the opportunities to highlight star athletes. Again, travel will not be necessary for the athletes, because all players will be competing in Dallas from February 27th to March 29th. Now the only question that remains: Will it work?
WILL IT WORK?
Let’s be honest, the United States needs a domestic league that rivals those across the world. Too many of the collegiate stars are moving overseas where casual fans forget and miss out on outstanding careers. By creating a unique team format that keeps individual athletic performance at the forefront, Athletes Unlimited will hopefully keep the major stars here in the United States.
And by highlighting individual player performance, Athletes Unlimited will lead to better athlete exposure and could become a stepping stone for a traditional professional league in America. Then again, overwhelming success of a league that focuses on individual play could be a groundbreaking development and change the sporting world forever.
However, there are a few points of interest that I’m worried could lead to a slow development. With the unique format, fans will be required to follow the individual athletes more closely than in other major sports. But it is a well-known fact that individual athletes tend to outperform teams in social media engagement. By creating a league focused on the players themselves, Athletes Unlimited could have very well unlocked the key to social media growth and will allow the athletes to reach a global market.
The only other concern I had was the scoring system. Fans tuning into games halfway through the season may be confused on how players score points. However, as with any new rule changes in any of the major leagues, announcers and reporters will be sure to reiterate the scoring system to fans.
So after going through the various concerns and compliments of the new league, do I believe it is going to work? Most definitely!
This new league will showcase some of the best athletes in the world and allows fans in the United States to better track and understand the game. I suspect that this new league will be a cornerstone of major athletics for quite some time, if done successfully, and I’m excited to witness the first season!
This article was written by TK. To contact TK, email digitalzsports@gmail.com or find TK on Twitter @tyler_kozeal