Beach Volleyball Gets a Boost

Bondi Beach was one of the most bustling, frenetic venues at the Sydney Olympics, but the only place you’d have found beach volleyball during NBC’s coverage was right before the late-night test patterns.

That will change, however, for the Athens Olympics. It won’t approach the attention given to track and field, but NBC’s coverage could be on par with that of -- gasp -- basketball, sources said.

Part of the reason is age-driven: NBC wouldn’t mind tapping into the youthful exuberance found at beach volleyball events. Another reason is purely financial.

NBC and the U.S. domestic tour, the Assn. of Volleyball Professionals, began a three-year partnership last month in which NBC became a minority shareholder in the AVP in return for broadcasting AVP tournaments free of charge. In the past, the AVP paid the network annual six-figure broadcasting fees.

Olympic hopefuls are experiencing an arduous 13-month qualifying process that includes about 20 tournaments worldwide before the Olympics begin next August. The international tour touches down at the Home Depot Center in Carson beginning today.

The event, the Nissan Grand Slam, has its championship matches on Sunday and is worth double the usual number of qualifying points because it is one of two grand slams on the tour this year.

NBC’s interest in Olympic beach volleyball solidified before the ink dried on the AVP deal.

“Obviously, we’re committed to the sport of beach volleyball in part because of our commitment to the AVP,” NBC spokesman Mike McCarley said.

NBC lost the TV rights to the NFL in 1998 and the NBA last year. Beach volleyball is far less costly, has potential for growth, and cross-promoting the sport during the Olympics and as part of its AVP tour coverage makes economic sense.

McCarley said it was too early to determine how much of a coverage boost beach volleyball would get in Athens, but others have noticed the sport’s resonance with younger fans since its debut at the Atlanta Olympics.

“Starting back in 1996, it was one of the more popular venues from a spectator standpoint to be at,” said Steve Roush, director of sports partnerships for the U.S. Olympic Committee. “There’s excitement and crowd involvement in it. The quickness of it has a lot to do with it. Watching a match doesn’t involve half a day. The speed of play and scoring of points is very spectator-friendly.

“I think it is emerging. I think it is on track to get even stronger and build a stronger base.”

Misty May, a top player who will contend for a gold medal in Athens, had a disappointing trip to the Sydney Olympics for two reasons: She finished fifth with former beach partner Holly McPeak and, she said, none of her friends saw her on TV.

“I think with the time difference, people would have had to catch our games at like 2 in the morning,” May said. “It’s a different atmosphere. You have people singing and dancing in the crowd. It’s like a concert. It’s not a quiet game.”