When you think about volleyball the first picture that probably comes to mind is “a female spiking the ball” or something like that. Isn’t it?
This is because volleyball is considered by many as a female sport! But why so?
This is mostly related to sponsors who prefer having women as ambassadors for the sport rather than men. For them, this increases significantly the watch time and brings more interest to the sport as women show more passion during games. This is also justified by men who express slightly less interest in volleyball.
In this article, I provide other relevant reasons why this is the case. I also breakdown how women volleyball is generally compared to men volleyball for players and for coaches as well.
4 Other Reasons why volleyball is considered a female sport?
Females are more flexible
Yes, females are more flexible and tend to fit well for volleyball moves! It was proven that women have less muscle mass, and with that their bodies can “flex” more easily.
They can also reach the ground faster and reach their arms out more than men can.
Low interest rates of men
It is a common fact that many schools in the US do not offer men the possibility of playing volleyball. That is mainly because of men who are generally not interested much in volleyball. They are mostly interested in other sports football or basketball.
However that does not mean that men are not interested in volleyball at all! Men of prominent height are often present at girl volleyball practices.
Funny enough, volleyball is a sport where players hug each others a lot even for men!
Scholarship statistics
There is a scholarship statistic that states the following …
… Males get four and a half full ride Division 1 scholarships per year, and women get 12 scholarships at the Penn State University.
This probably says it all!
False Claims …
From a young age we are taught that volleyball is girly and football or soccer is a boy thing, and that’s obviously a false claim that unfortunately shapes our future choices.
That is the reason why many high schools and colleges do not have a men’s volleyball choice!
Does this mean female players are paid more?
No, this does not mean female players are paid more than men, there are some indications that there are gaps in payments in the US.
In fact there is evidence that volleyball is paid more fairly in Europe than the US. In the US players are paid by making winning streaks or let us just say they are paid when winning. In Europe, players are paid on a monthly basis.
In the US besides winning, players earn by placing high on the ranks, they get paid for the first three prizes.
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The statistic for the salary of a professional volleyball player male or female in 2010 in the US by the Bureau of labor is 107,470$ annually, while in Europe, players get professional contracts and a monthly salary that can range from a few hundred dollars up to 10,000$ a month.
There are also a few benefits when playing in Europe, besides the salary, the player may get a car, an apartment and a language tutor if needed.
You can learn how much money do volleyball players generally make …
Did the sport start with men or women (little history)?
The founder of the sport was a man named William G. Morgan, physical director of the young man’s Christian association in Holyoke, Massachusetts.
To add more spice to the irony it was named volleyball by a professor from Springfield College when he noticed the volleying nature of the sport.
Volleyball was „invented“ in 1895 as an alternative to basketball and was first named „mintonette“ by William G. Morgan
The first rule book was written two years later in 1897 by Morgan dubbed „Official Handbook of the Athletic League of the Young Men’s Christian Associations of North America (1897)“
As soon as volleyball was invented it was widely accepted as a sport that could be played by both sexes, and that is mostly credited for the quick expansion across the US. It was brought to Europe by US forces during WWI.
It had more appeal in the female public and was widely accepted by it, That’s why it has grown rapidly in the 20th century, although it is a sport for both sexes.
After WWI the sport quickly expanded across Europe and has gradually become dominated by females during the 20th century
Why is men volleyball not so popular?
Lack of opportunity
Men volleyball clubs and college teams do not exist in every town, school or college.
Simply there is no interest in schools, municipalities or colleges to have men volleyball teams, which is followed by little to no opportunity for men to shine in that sport.
Gender stereotypes
Many spectators view the sport as a „girls sport“. I have already addressed that earlier. Volleyball is perceived as a „girls sport” from a young age, by simply teaching children that there are standards to boys and girls sports. This is obviously a mistake!
Lack of „Legends“ of inspiration
There are few volleyball male players that are perceived as legends…
No Lebron’s, no Ronaldo’s that young boys can look up to. There are prominent players yes, but you would need to watch every league and game of volleyball in order to say that you want to be like a given player one day.
Is volleyball coaching dominated by males or females?
Volleyball is a sport played by women and dominated by men some would say, and that is not far from the truth. Male coaches dominate the numbers when it comes to coaching volleyball.
However that does not mean that there are no female volleyball coaches out there, they just do not have „what it takes“, well sort of.
Here the dice roll differently, while women outnumber men on the field and have more opportunities, men outnumber women in coaching and have more opportunities.
N.C.A.A. Division 1 women’s volleyball tournament has been established in 1981, and this year it celebrates 40 years of existance, and in those 40 years no female coach has won one title.
The statisitcs of the US N.C.A.A. Division 1 women’s volleyball tournament state that Women compose 46% of the coaches, 10% less than a decade ago, but it seems they just cant get to the title.
It might seem that women coaches are not up to the task when it comes to coaching, and that is not the case in just volleyball, in nearly all sports women coaches are less represented so to say.
Coaching and a coaching career are all about skill and knowledge, it is competitive, and the women who fight their way up to first class teams are real fighters, but it seems like there is no luck for female coaches.
By the rate that female coach numbers are plummiting, there might be an even bigger domination of male coaches in the future!
When the N.C.A.A. season starts there are female coaches present, but when it nears its end there are no female coaches left in the semi finals, that is a clear indication that male coaches are dominant in the coaching business, and that female coaches need to fight harder for that!
Is this the same for beach volleyball?
Beach volleyball unlike indoor volleyball is not considered a female or girly sport out of a few reasons. It is mainly a summer sport, played outside on a sandy court.
Being a summer sport beach volleyball attracts the attention of many people, male and female alike, and by doing so, it is mainly viewed as a recreational activity.
That however does not mean that beach volleyball is only played for recreation, it is a serious sport and it is played mainly by women.
Like its cousin beach volleyball is played mostly by women out of the same reasons, less opportunity for men and more for women.
Final Thoughts …
If you are a young boy or a man reading this article, then I highly invite to remove this idea that volleyball is a girl sport from your head (Funny enough, some boys think it is embarrassing that a boy plays volleyball even for fun!!) …
The reality probably reflects that, but the truth says that this is not the case!
Volleyball can be played by men and women alike! Both genders should benefit from playing the sport and both should enjoy it.
So if you are hesitant about getting started, then you probably should just Get Started asap and forget those false claims!
Finally, if you want to learn whether or not you can use make-up in volleyball, then you have to check this useful guide! You will find it really interesting …