THE BEST OF TIMES AVP REBOUNDS FROM FINANCIAL WOES TO FLOURISH.Byline: Sean Martin Sean Martin may refer to:
Five thousand fans stood Saturday, furiously clapping and banging Thundersticks as Karch Kiraly Charles Frederick Kiraly, better known as Karch Kiraly (born November 3, 1960 in Jackson, Michigan), is an American volleyball player who is the only person to have won Olympic gold medals in both the indoor and beach versions of the sport. and Mike Lambert rode into center court on the back of pickup trucks before the final match at the Association of Volleyball Professionals The AVP (Association of Volleyball Professionals) was founded in 1983 by Leonard Armato. The organization started its own American beach volleyball mens tour in 1984. By the late 80's, the tour was experiencing tremendous growth, in part through the promotion of the sport by Huntington Beach Huntington Beach, city (1990 pop. 181,519), Orange co., S Calif., on the Pacific coast, across from Santa Catalina Island, in an oil-producing area; inc. 1909. It manufactures aerospace vehicles, aircraft parts, optical instruments, and heat transfer equipment. Open. Kiraly rose, doffed his trademark pink hat, then jumped to the sand as he and Lambert prepared to play for their first title in 11 months. Kiraly's wasn't the only comeback on display Saturday. The AVP AVP arginine vasopressin. appears to be regaining the popularity it enjoyed in the early `90s, culminating with the sport's Olympic debut in 1996. After Atlanta, the AVP - largely by its own device - fell on hard times, filing for bankruptcy in 1998. ``I think (the AVP) forgot that they were, indeed, and probably always will be, a minor sport.'' said Paul Sunderland Paul Benedict Sunderland (born March 29, 1952) is an American sportscaster based in Los Angeles, California. Over his broadcast career, Sunderland has covered almost every major sport played in Southern California. , a member of the U.S. indoor volleyball team that won gold at the 1984 Olympics, who broadcast beach volleyball For the ball used in this sport, see . Beach volleyball is an Olympic team sport played on sand. Two teams, positioned on either side of a net which divides a rectangular court, hit a volleyball, usually using the hands or arms. for NBC NBC in full National Broadcasting Co. Major U.S. commercial broadcasting company. It was formed in 1926 by RCA Corp., General Electric Co. (GE), and Westinghouse and was the first U.S. company to operate a broadcast network. in the 1980s and `90s. ``It got back to me that, as an organization, the AVP got very difficult to deal with. They alienated (their major sponsors). ``When you're in that position, ... you just can't do that.'' Corporate support has returned to the AVP. The league will earn $12.7 million in sponsorship revenue this year, nearly $3 million more than last season. The sport's sponsors were in full view at center court Saturday in Huntington Beach. Kiraly and Lambert entered on Nissan trucks, one of the AVP's biggest sponsors. The Thundersticks were marked with product logos. Center court wasn't just flanked by scantily scant·y adj. scant·i·er, scant·i·est 1. Barely sufficient or adequate. 2. Insufficient, as in extent or degree. scant clad dancers, but 28 rotating advertising signs. The U.S. flag blew along those of international brands such as McDonald's. Luxury suites, which might seem ironic for sport in which the dress code includes sandals and optional shirt, sat atop the stadium. More than 15 sponsor booths awaited fans as they poured out of the stands. The AVP now conducts 14 events annually, up from seven in 2002, thanks to the increased sponsorship. The tour will be televised 111 hours this season - 14 hours live on NBC. The AVP was aired only for 16 hours, four live, in 2002. The average purse for each event is more than $100,000 for the first time since the mid-1990s. The turnaround began when Leonard Armato and his company, Management Plus, acquired the AVP in 2001. Armato, the former agent for Shaquille O'Neal Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal (pronounced "shak-KEEL") (born March 6, 1972 in Newark, New Jersey), frequently referred to simply as Shaq, is an American professional basketball player, generally regarded as one of the most dominant in the National Basketball Association (NBA). , helped form the AVP in 1983 and served as its executive director for six years. He is married to 2004 beach volleyball bronze medalist Holly McPeak Holly McPeak (born May 15, 1969 in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California) is an American beach volleyball player. As of 2005, McPeak has 72 career beach volleyball titles and $1. , like Kiraly a UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX product. ``I thought the sport had universal appeal and could grow rapidly with the right business model,'' Armato said. ``I embraced the challenge because I thought it would be exciting and ultimately rewarding.'' The AVP still has not matched its presence in the 1990s, when it conducted at least 25 events per year from 1990 to 1996. It paid its players a record purse of approximately $4 million, including four $250,000 tournaments, in 1994, when it had its biggest television presence. Beach volleyball became an Olympic sport in 1996, when Kiraly and Kent Steffes Kent Steffes (born June 23, 1968 in Pacific Palisades, California) is an American beach volleyball player. He was a gold medalist in the 1996 Summer Olympics along with Karch Kiraly. He attended Stanford, and later transfed to UCLA. He graduated with a degree in Economics. , another former Bruin, won the gold medal. But things turned sour for the league soon after the Atlanta Games. According to Kiraly, the players ran the AVP, putting an emphasis on larger purses instead of making sure the organization was on a strong footing for the future. The AVP also gained a reputation for being difficult to work with, and eventually its major sponsors decided to pursue other opportunities. The AVP filed for bankruptcy in 1998, drastically cutting prize money and events. Kiraly remembers playing tournaments with no bleachers surrounding the courts. The women also struggled. The Women's Professional Volleyball Association folded in 1997, and the women's-only Beach Volleyball Association went under after losing $2.1 million in 2001. When Armato bought the AVP, he added a women's division to ensure the genders weren't competing for sponsors and fans. He also had to convince sponsors, fans and television to give the sport, which many viewed as a ``damaged property'' in 2001, a second chance. The AVP went public this year, and Armato is the commissioner. Today, the AVP's players are mindful of the past and don't want to repeat the mistakes that led people to hold their league in such a negative light. ``Most of the players (playing) now started when there wasn't enough money to make a living,'' said Mike Lambert, the 2004 AVP Most Valuable Player. ``The tour is like a growing plant to us, so we don't carry any baggage or any ego. We're starting from ground zero and growing it one fan at a time.'' Sean Martin, (818) 713-3607 sean.martin(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 3 photos, box Photo: (1 -- 2 -- color) Former UCLA standout Karch Kiraly, above and right, one of the legends of beach volleyball, has been around long enough to see the AVP's rise, fall and recent resurgence. Bob Daemmrich/Getty Images (3) Thanks to players such as Karch Kiraly, the AVP has managed to rebound from financial troubles to enjoy success again. Holly Stein/Associated Press Box: AVP MANHATTAN BEACH OPEN |
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