Volleyball is a sport underserved by the media, and it’s especially lacking on the men’s side of the sport.
Aside from Olympic coverage or a women’s beach volleyball tournament or the NCAA tournament, the “bright lights” of an entity such as ESPN do not shine on volleyball quite like they do on football or basketball, especially at the men’s collegiate level.
However, thanks to Off the Block, a men’s college volleyball website, there may be a new way for the sport to gain some traction.
On Jan. 7, Off the Block streamed the first Facebook Live video of a men’s college volleyball match when No. 2 UCLA took on No. 13 Penn State during the AVCA Showcase and Big Ten/Pac-12 Challenge at Ohio State University.
Surely the process might seem time-consuming to the average individual, but Off the Block founder, Vinnie Lopes is an anomaly. After creating the site in 2011, Lopes still continues to serve as the website’s primary editor. But the biggest goal is creating some buzz for the sport.
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That was where Ohio State came into play. For any sporting event on campus, Ohio State’s internal partner, Buckeye Vision, gets first dibs on showing a match once the big cable networks pass on it. If Buckeye Vision decides not to cover the event, other media sources can push for it.
Since Facebook Live’s capabilities are relatively new, most departments are oblivious to the opportunity.
Take Ohio State’s Athletic Communications assistant director Kyle Kuhlman. He was in the same boat as the rest of us. Streaming the match via Facebook Live had not even crossed his mind, but when Lopes contacted Ohio State, the light bulb flickered.
“If we are not going to show it, why would we stop someone else from doing it?” Kuhlman said.
So while UCLA had Facebook Live coverage of the national anthem and starting lineup introductions, Off the Block streamed the actual match. The live stream was smooth, like icing on a cake. The sprinkles on top? Lopes’ live commentary of the match.
“Vinnie knows both teams, inside and out,” said Kuhlman. “Instead of appointing one of our social media or communication department members, why not have someone that knows the game better than anyone else?”
What is unique about Facebook Live is the ability to begin a live stream just about anywhere with a strong internet connection. All you need is a device.
“All he had was his iPhone, headphones with a microphone and his voice,” Kuhlman said.
If streaming men’s volleyball matches is this simple, perhaps anyone can do it – even Kuhlman himself.
Last week, he streamed another match-up not covered by Buckeye Vision. It featured No. 4 Long Beach vs. Saint Francis (Pa.) in a match held at Ohio State.
Kuhlman, like Lopes, brought only his iPad in order to stream the match off of Ohio State’s Facebook page. To his surprise, around 2,600 viewers tuned into the match that Ohio State was not even playing in.
“It is amazing to me, it really is,” said Kuhlman. “In fact, before Ohio States recent match last week I decided why not stream the warm-up before Buckeye Vision took control. The warmups even got 800 views.”
In this day and age, media streaming is the next big thing. For men’s volleyball, it could be the push needed to get that sought-after media spotlight.