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SportsMoney John Speraw Says Volleyball Is Poised For A Breakthrough Before LA28 By Tim Genske ,
Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I have had a lifelong love of both history and the Olympics. Follow Author Aug 07, 2026, 08:00pm EDT --:-- / --:-- This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more . This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more . Summary USA Volleyball's Director of National Teams, John Speraw, views the LA28 Olympics as a pivotal moment for American volleyball. His dual mission involves winning medals and expanding grassroots participation, addressing the rising cost of youth sports. Speraw highlights women's volleyball as America's largest girls' team sport, yet commercially underdeveloped, presenting a huge opportunity for growth and major sponsorship. He hopes the 2027 World Championships in Anaheim will mirror the 1999 Women's World Cup for soccer, boosting the sport's mainstream appeal. Building a commercial engine is crucial to reinvest, increase access, and ensure long-term success, solidifying volleyball's place among top US sports.
USA Volleyball's Director of National Teams explains why women's sports, youth participation and commercial investment are converging at exactly the right moment before the Los Angeles Olympic Games. (This is part two of a two-part story based on a Forbes exclusive interview with John Speraw on July 10, 2026. All quotes are taken directly from a transcript of the interview.)
When John Speraw accepted the newly created role of Director of National Teams for USA Volleyball following the Paris Olympics, he knew his responsibilities would become much larger than preparing one team to chase Olympic medals.
Today, Speraw oversees every U.S. national team program—from men's and women's indoor volleyball to beach volleyball and sitting volleyball—while helping shape the future direction of one of America's fastest-growing sports. It is a role that blends Olympic performance, business development, youth participation and long-term strategic planning. And with the LA28 Olympic Games less than two years away, Speraw believes American volleyball stands at perhaps the most significant crossroads in its history.
"We really have two missions," Speraw told Forbes . "We're here to support grassroots growth and give opportunities for people to play the game. And then we're here to win medals."
Olympic medals remain the public measuring stick for every National Governing Body.
USA Volleyball expects to contend for podium finishes in indoor volleyball, beach volleyball and sitting volleyball every Olympic cycle. Speraw believes those programs are positioned well heading toward Los Angeles. He praised new men's head coach Karch Kiraly for inheriting a healthy indoor program while emphasizing that sustained excellence requires continuous improvement.
"Our opportunities for us to be on podiums is a priority," Speraw said. "We'd like to figure out every good idea we can to support those athletes."
The beach program has become an early example. After making structural changes over the past several months, Speraw says USA Volleyball is already beginning to see encouraging competitive results, particularly on the men's side. Meanwhile, America's women continue to set the international standard. Thanks largely to the explosive growth of NCAA beach volleyball, the United States now possesses remarkable depth entering the LA28 cycle.
"We had three teams ranked among the top teams in the world," Speraw noted. "Taryn (Brasher) and Kristen (Cruz) are a dominant team on the world stage right now and have a great opportunity for us to medal going into LA."
Ask Speraw what concerns him most, and his answer has little to do with Olympic brackets. Instead, he talks about children. Specifically, the growing number of American families who can no longer afford organized youth sports. Across the country, participation increasingly depends upon expensive club systems that require travel, tournament fees and year-round financial commitments. The trend isn't unique to volleyball. Youth soccer, baseball and basketball have all experienced similar challenges.
Speraw believes volleyball has an opportunity to become part of the solution.
"Our long-term role is to have more kids play and have better access," he explained. "The youth sports landscape is mostly club-based now, and it costs money. That's boxing kids out."
For Speraw, expanding opportunity isn't simply a social responsibility. It is also a competitive necessity. The broader the participation base, the stronger the future Olympic teams become. It is a philosophy that aligns naturally with LA28's emphasis on community engagement and youth participation throughout Southern California.
Perhaps Speraw's most compelling observation centered not on Olympic competition, but on the rapidly changing economics of women's sports. In recent decades volleyball has quietly become America's largest girls' team sport. Yet commercially, it remains dramatically underdeveloped compared with basketball, soccer or even softball.
"This is the first sport that can be commercially led by the women," Speraw said. "Women's volleyball is our strength right now. It's the largest team sport in America for girls. It's bigger than basketball. It's bigger than soccer."
That statement carries enormous implications.
Participation numbers already exist. Television audiences continue growing. Professional leagues are expanding. Olympic success has created recognizable stars. Yet sponsorship revenue has not caught up. Speraw believes that disconnect represents one of volleyball's greatest opportunities.
"We don't really have an anchor sponsor portfolio," he said. "Where is Ford? Where are Microsoft, Google and Apple? We need the ability to leverage greater cultural relevance."
It is an observation that extends well beyond volleyball. Corporate America has dramatically increased investment in...
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