The Greatest Sport

Volleyball. I know, I know, this is long overdue. For those of you who don't know me, volleyball is my career, my obsession and one of my great passions. But why? Because it is the greatest sport. 

Here are some of the things that make volleyball great:

- it is reactive. The pass responds to the serve, the set to the pass, the hit to the set, the block and dig to the hit, the set to the dig . . . see where this is going? All those open skills flowing into one another forms a beautiful chain of execution that you just don't see in any other sport.

- it requires a broad skill set. Even specialized players need to be have all the basic skills. The big hitter/blocker still needs to be able to pass and set and the Libero to be able to play the ball over. And frequently a player will have to use multiple skills in a single rally.

- it is a game of rebounds and deflections. The only time you can hold the ball is before you serve. The rest of the time you are just changing its path to the next player so they can do the same thing. Again, the only sport like that. Even in soccer you can settle the ball before you need to kick it again and the "one-touch" is remarked on and admired. In volleyball everything is a one-touch.

- it is so varied. In even the average play you get the subtle precision of the pass, the soft offering of the set, and the power and fury of the hit and block. The ebb and flow between such contrasting elements is exciting and beautiful.

- it ain't over until it's over. Even with rally scoring the potential for a team to come back from even the biggest deficits is great. You gotta love sports with no clock.

- it is a great balance between continuous action and mind-numbing boredom. I love the flow of soccer and rugby, but it can be nice to be able to look away. On the other end of the spectrum, the ball being in play for less than 10% of the time you watch (baseball and football) is just silly.

- it takes a team. There is very little room for individual dominance in volleyball. In most team sports it is still possible for a dominant player to act independently and succeed. Not in volleyball. The vast majority of points in volleyball are scored by a combination of three different players touching the ball. Even in doubles both players play the ball almost every time.

- it is unique. I put this last because while many of the things listed above can be found in other sports, I cannot think of any other sport of which all those things are true.

While this is a nice pile of evidence in support of volleyball's greatness, it is only the facts of the game and only the beginning of why I love it so much. But it will have to do for now as not only do I still need to explain why it is better than other sport - and I will! -  I have not yet begun to expound on its beauty and poetry.

But it really is the greatest sport.