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.”
Winning Medals—and Building a Movement
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.”
But medals alone won’t define success.
Volleyball’s Bigger Challenge
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.
Why Women’s Volleyball Could Become America’s Next Major Sports Business
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 women’s sports over the past several years as leagues such as the WNBA and the National Women’s Soccer League continue posting record attendance and television ratings. Speraw believes volleyball deserves to be part of that same national conversation.
“I think volleyball should be right there,” he said. “We’re not yet.”
Anaheim Could Become Volleyball’s 1999 Moment
Before Los Angeles hosts the Olympic Games, another milestone awaits. The 2027 FIVB Volleyball World Championships will come to the United States for the first time, with Anaheim serving as host for the quarterfinals, semifinals and championship matches. Speraw views that event as much more than another international tournament. He sees history repeating itself. He compares the opportunity to the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup—a tournament widely credited with launching women’s soccer into the American mainstream.
“We hope that’s analogous to women’s soccer hosting the World Cup in 1999,” Speraw said. “How can we have a similar impact with the World Championships?”
If that vision becomes reality, Anaheim could serve as the perfect dress rehearsal for LA28 just one year later. Millions of new fans could discover elite international volleyball just before the Olympic spotlight arrives. For sponsors, broadcasters and investors, it represents a rare opportunity to establish relationships before global attention reaches its peak.
Building A Commercial Engine
“We need to build this commercial engine so we can reinvest in the sport and give access to more kids,” Speraw explained.
The flywheel of the commercial engine works this way: Revenue creates opportunity. Opportunity means greater participation. Participation ultimately creates Olympic champions. The formula is straightforward. Increase sponsorship. Increase media visibility. Increase youth participation. Increase Olympic success. Then repeat the cycle. For Speraw, none of those goals exist independently.
Southern California’s Moment
During our conversation, I asked Speraw whether Southern California—with its unmatched volleyball culture, growing professional leagues and decades of Olympic history—might eventually support an even larger, more modern USA volleyball venue capable of becoming the sport’s commercial showcase. The question reflected my own years spent watching youth tournaments at Anaheim’s American Sports Centers alongside thousands of volleyball families.
Speraw smiled thoughtfully.
The conversation itself underscored how dramatically the sport has evolved. What once occupied converted warehouse gyms now fills major arenas. Professional leagues are emerging. Television audiences are expanding. Corporate sponsors are beginning to take notice. And Los Angeles is preparing to host an Olympic Games unlike any before it. For Speraw, the opportunity extends well beyond a few weeks in the summer of 2028. It is about creating a sustainable future that lasts decades after the Olympic flame leaves Los Angeles.
His coaching career has already produced NCAA championships, Olympic medals and lasting influence on generations of athletes. Now his focus has become something even larger: Building the future of American volleyball.
If his vision succeeds, LA28 will not simply crown Olympic champions.
It may also be remembered as the moment volleyball secured its rightful place among America’s premier spectator sports.
