USA-Athletes Unlimited League

  • How do you play internationally and not know who sheilla is? jfc

    About half of the players by my count started their professional career after Rio. They never faced her/she only played in Brazil.


    I don't see it as some absurd thing. Internationally volleyball is not popular here. Partly why a professional league needs to happen, to generate that market for professional volleyball

  • About half of the players by my count started their professional career after Rio. They never faced her/she only played in Brazil.


    I don't see it as some absurd thing. Internationally volleyball is not popular here. Partly why a professional league needs to happen, to generate that market for professional volleyball

    idk, it's pretty shocking to me. i don't even play soccer and I know about Beckham, for example.

  • About half of the players by my count started their professional career after Rio. They never faced her/she only played in Brazil.


    I don't see it as some absurd thing. Internationally volleyball is not popular here. Partly why a professional league needs to happen, to generate that market for professional volleyball

    I know they don't watch other national teams, but other than the Olympics do you think the young players actually watch some of USA's matches from VNL, World Cup, World Championship, etc?

  • idk, it's pretty shocking to me. i don't even play soccer and I know about Beckham, for example.

    I'm sure not every collegiate hockey players outside of NA who doesn't get to see any of the NHL superstars outside of the Winter Olympics knows all the legends of the sports....same apply here. Its really not that shocking that they dont know anything about her. Out of sight, Out of mind is a thing after all.


    The name Sheilla might ring a bell for some of them but shes far removed from their generation so the appeal of researching more about her is just not that compelling. Now that they've met her and practiced with her they'll probably be more interested in learning more about her and her accomplishments.

  • I know they don't watch other national teams, but other than the Olympics do you think the young players actually watch some of USA's matches from VNL, World Cup, World Championship, etc?

    Who knows...I remember during the VNL seeing Cinci, Wis and BYU players on twitter cheering for JT, Rettke and Mary Lake. For most of them that's probably their first introduction to high level international volley.

  • Who knows...I remember during the VNL seeing Cinci, Wis and BYU players on twitter cheering for JT, Rettke and Mary Lake. For most of them that's probably their first introduction to high level international volley.

    That's definitely a start. USA Women's should bid to host more VNL pools or even the finals so that college schools/athletes are more inclined to tune in.

  • idk, it's pretty shocking to me. i don't even play soccer and I know about Beckham, for example.

    Tbf soccer has much more exposure and Beckham it's also very famous for reasons that go beyond sports (many international campaigns, he married one of the Spice Girls etc). You don't need to play or follow soccer to know who Beckham is, there's no volleyball player with that kind of fame

  • What really shocked is that this player Holly said that in a live streaming. I would have kept this information to myself. :lol:

  • I have no words for this

    So even the players are not following AU instagram?

  • Look how many soccer/football players, basketball/American football players that say they hate watching/don't watch their own sport... Volleyball is definitely in the same boat... you play it for a living/to pay for your college.... why would you want to spend the little free time you have watching it more (obviously not the case for everyone)

  • But on a side note, the first matches start tonight.


    Team Sybeldon will play Team Bastienelli at 5:00 PM ET (10pm UK time) This match will be streamed on Twitter, Facebook, Dailymotion, Youtube, and Twitch.

    Team Clark will play Team Cruz at 8:00 PM ET (1am UK time) This will be on Fox Sports 2 (I might have a link) or ESPNplayer

  • Looking forward to seeing the match that will be shown for free. I hope the unknown player Sheilla gets to play at least in a couple of points:super:

  • Looking forward to seeing the match that will be shown for free. I hope the unknown player Sheilla gets to play at least in a couple of points:super:

    It'll be interesting. In the scrimmages, players were guaranteed to play at least a minimum number of points... but in the games that count they're not guaranteed any.. I wonder if we'll see some strategy or gamesmanship from captains

  • It'll be interesting. In the scrimmages, players were guaranteed to play at least a minimum number of points... but in the games that count they're not guaranteed any.. I wonder if we'll see some strategy or gamesmanship from captains

    Which is bad because obviously bench players will have 0 extra points added to their score. And this will be accumulated to the next round and so on. I do not dislike the system but there are many flaws.

  • Which is bad because obviously bench players will have 0 extra points added to their score. And this will be accumulated to the next round and so on. I do not dislike the system but there are many flaws.

    Well not completely. Bench players still get points from sets won/matches won. They just won't accumulate stat points (set/match points are a lot greater from what I've seen)

  • Well not completely. Bench players still get points from sets won/matches won. They just won't accumulate stat points (set/match points are a lot greater from what I've seen)

    Yes, that's what I was talking about "extra points" (individual stats).