Beach Volleyball Dazzles at The Olympics, But Struggles on Its Homeland
Santa Monica, California (PRWEB) August 1, 2008 -- Beach Volleyball will rule at the Beijing Olympics -- no ifs, ands, or butts. The fast action, sexual energy, and beach party vibe will be featured on NBC's prime-time lineup of Olympics coverage from August 8 - 24. All eyes will certainly be focused on the American bikini babe and bronzed beefcake teams favored to win gold medals, including Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor who return to defend their Athens 2004 title.
Despite this captivating attention on the world stage, the sport of professional beach volleyball, with its sun, fun, and buns image, is getting burned in its U.S. homeland. Lacking the notoriety of the big boys - football, basketball, and baseball - pro beach volleyball continually strives to survive in the competitive sports entertainment industry.
Born on the beautiful beaches of Santa Monica, CA in the 1920s, the sport has weathered a wave-like history - encountering more downs, than ups, in recent years. The pro sport, which peaked with its debut in the Atlanta 1996 Olympics as players became millionaires, is now struggling to keep afloat in turbulent waters. What's going on behind the scenes?
Tom Burke, a well-recognized Olympics and beach volleyball journalist whose coverage of the sport has been featured within international, national, and regional publications, uniquely uncovers this provocative world in the new groundbreaking book, Order On The Court.
The sport's superficial layer of glistening tanning oil is stripped away to reveal the pro tour's management turmoil, corporate partner impatience, player frustration, and fan cynicism.
This benchmark tell-all not only dives deep into the sport's stormy and amusing times, but also traces its rich history and projects its uncertain future. The stakes could not be higher than in this Olympics year, as the pro sport once again faces pressure to ride the tide of momentum and popularity that will hopefully return it and its star players to prosperity.
Asked to preview the book, noted volleyball historian and author Art Couvillon said, "From the minute I began reading Order On The Court, I could not set it down. The author captures your attention as he shares extraordinary information on both the history and current state of the Association of Volleyball Professionals beach volleyball tour."
Order On The Court, scheduled for release on August 8, 2008, is being published through Olympic Proportions Press and is to be available at Amazon.com, bookstores, and directly at www.orderonthecourt.com.
For Press Kit materials, visit http://www.orderonthecourt.com/Media_Beach.html
For other information, including interviews, please contact the author at 301-741-7831.
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