Volleyball: Shedding Light on Why its so White Bethany Yeager

How many African American volleyball players do you see on a daily basis? Destinee Hooker, pictured on the right, is one of the few. According to the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) study, only 20.1 percent of the women who played collegiate volleyball were minorities in 200809. And only 28.1 percent of the men who played volleyball were minorities based on research conducted by the NCAA in the AVCAs report. Three key barriers that have led to this underrepresentation of African Americans in this suburban, country club sport are the lack of exposure, accessibility, and money. When African Americans have the exposure, access, and money to play volleyball, they are often racially stacked. What can be done to diversify this up and coming sport? Volleyball is only second to soccer in worldwide popularity and it has been exposed to many people over the 118 years that it has existed. But African Americans make up only a small percentage of those exposed to the sport. Volleyball is often left out of media and rarely shown on television, mainly during the Olympics every four years. Unlike football, baseball, basketball, and other popular sports, volleyball is not regularly shown on television; therefore people are not exposed to it. When it is shown on television, many African American families are not able to view it because it is shown on special channels that their parents must purchase. Kids are unaware of the sport of volleyball, especially in African American communities due to low income. Most work to provide basketball programs or track and field programs to the kids, not country club sports like volleyball. Because African American females are exposed to basketball and track at a young age rather than volleyball, they are overrepresented in those sports and underrepresented in volleyball. Even when African Americans are exposed to volleyball, they do not always have access. In African American communities, it is common to play sports like basketball or track and field because they are easily accessible. There are typically free basketball hoops, courts, or programs that African Americans have access to in their neighborhoods and communities. Because of the access African Americans have to play basketball throughout their lives, they typically stick to that sport. African American volleyball player, James Worthy indicates that African Americans do not play volleyball because they are in the NBA in this Youtube video. Along with basketball, it is typically possible for African Americans to participate in track and field with access to open

tracks, trails, or other forms of free access open to the public. But, volleyball is not usually readily accessible in these communities. There are not easily accessible nets, volleyballs, courts, programs, or coaches in these communities. If African Americans do have access to play volleyball, the expensive cost becomes an issue. After reading a number of articles, it is evident that the costly price to play volleyball plays a large role in the lack of African American volleyball players. In most communities, it costs money to participate in recreational volleyball or any other volleyball programs because of the need for a gym, court, nets, and volleyballs. While these recreational programs can be costly, club programs are even more. If a volleyball player wants to be elite, he/she has to be willing for fork out quite a bit of cash to play for a club team, not just a school team or recreational team. As the sport has evolved over the years, club volleyball teams have become more prominent and more important for players to be seen by scouts. As a current collegiate volleyball player, I am familiar with how costly it is to participate in club volleyball. Many African Americans cannot readily pay all of this money, especially when they can pay less to play basketball, track, or other cheaper, readily accessible sports. In Diversify the Sport Lisa McCormick stated pay-to-play clubs are expensive. Fees often start around $1,000 and can soar thousands of dollars higher. Many minorities simply cant afford to play. The price not only blocks initial access to the sport, but also entrance into higher levels of play. The costly price to play volleyball has helped lead to the underrepresentation of African Americans in the sport. When Africans Americans do play volleyball, they are often victims of racial stacking, which is the placing of athletes in certain positions based on racial stereotypes. In volleyball, there are not many African American setters, because that is the position associated with leadership, intelligence, emotional control, and the ability to handle pressure. White individuals have been associated with these characteristics all throughout history based on stereotypes, so coaches often choose white individuals to be setters. In turn, African Americans are underrepresented at the setter position because they are not racially stereotyped to fit those white characteristics. African Americans have been racially stereotyped as physically gifted throughout history, so they are overrepresented at the hitting and blocking positions, which require jumping, agility, reaction, and explosiveness. In Racial Bias in Womens Collegiate Volleyball, Stanley Eitzen and David Fursts performed one of the few studies done on stacking in womens sport. They proved that racial stacking is evident in volleyball with over 90% of setters being white in collegiate volleyball, and blacks being underrepresented at the setter position and overrepresented as hitters. Numbers show that more African Americans are starting to play volleyball, but how can we continue to diversify the sport? Awareness of the sport to African Americans at a young age can help expose them to the sport and give them the option to play volleyball. By providing free opportunities to play volleyball to young African Americans through public schools and parks/recreation departments, African Americans would have a greater opportunity to be represented in volleyball. And as McCormick suggests, scholarships or work-study programs for low-income families help to provide African Americans the opportunity to play volleyball if their families are financially struggling. For example, former U.S. Mens National Team player Byron Shewman began the Starlings Volleyball Clubs in 1996 to give girls from low socioeconomic backgrounds the opportunity to play volleyball. Also, Ruth Nelson, legendary coach

and former national team member, founded the non-profit Louisiana Volleyball Club to fund inner-city volleyball clubs for girls. It is time for volleyball to be diversified!

Ruth Nelson with Louisiana Volleyball Club

References Furst, D., & Eitzen, D. S. (1989). Racial Bias in Womens Collegiate Volleyball. Journal of Sport and Social Issues, 13, 46-51. doi: 10.1177/019372358901300104 McCormick, L. (2013, May 20). Diversify the Sport. Volleyball Magazine. Retrieved from http://www.volleyballmag.com/articles/43017-diversify-the-sport Nelson, R. Louisiana Volleyball Club. Retrieved from http://lvclub.org TMZ. (2013). Why Black Guys Dont Play Volleyball. Youtube. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hc0x2XMy9S8 Welge, Joshua. (2011, Sept 15) Volleyball would be stronger with diversification. Daily Herald. Retrieved from http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20110915/sports/709159644/