Second Most Popular Sport
Volleyball has plodded along since 1895 and it’s now touted as the 2nd most popular sport in the world. William G. Morgan actually is the one to thank for this awesome sport; he thought that it would be a great game for young businessmen. It would be a great diversion for a young hard workingman and keep him physically and mentally fit.
Mr. Morgan didn’t completely finish the job he started, because he didn’t see any reason to have a lot of hard and fast rules. There wasn’t any limit to the number of players for each team and players could hit the ball as many times as they wanted before sending it over the net to their opponents. But, over the years rules were established much like the ones today and volleyball started spreading throughout the world.
An exciting innovation occurred when the Philippines invented the “spike” or overhand maneuver which drove the ball hard in to the opponents territory. This “spike” became an intricate part of the game and is used today.
Beach tournaments started in the 40’s in sunny California, thus offering a new twist to the game of volleyball. Beach volleyball hit the US like gangbusters and in 1996 it made it to the Olympics. 2008 summer Olympics in Beijing should be another great competition – the US team will have their work cut out for them this year.
Take time to check this great sport out, if you’re looking for great physical and mental exercise - give it a try. Once you get hooked, you be amazed how quickly your body and mind get healthy. It’s a great past time for families or friends and an exciting spectator sport.
Junior highs, high schools and colleges have embraced the game of volleyball and promoted it as one of the healthiest sports with minimum injuries to players. Volleyball is here to stay!