Voyeur Sport

With the first weekend of the Olympics wrapped up, I am left to wonder: why is beach volleyball part of the Olympics?

Two days into the Beijing Games, I've watched fencing, archery, rowing, gymnastics, swimming, water polo, basketball, soccer, indoor volleyball, cycling, diving, and...dare I admit it??..beach volleyball.

I used to not be a fan of volleyball. I found the game confusing and it did little to stimulate the sports fan in me. After I began working in the collegiate sports information field, where I was paid to witness all of the school's sports, I have grown to better understand the game and, to some degree, have become a fan.

I love to watch the exciting and long-lasting volleys that accompany indoor volleyball. I admire the athleticism of those who play the game. However, the beach version of the game does nothing for me as a sports fan and should not be a part of the Olympics.

I have watched beach volleyball before and have found it not to be very athletically entertaining. The volleys are VERY short lived and, with only two players per team, the game is usually about the serve and first or second volley.

I'm not really sure whether it's because there's only two players on a beach volleyball team or not, but the way the game is played is kind of a slap in the face to its indoor and much more entertaining counterpart.

On the surface (and that is probably all there is to this game), I think beach volleyball's attraction is the human body. The women are clad in bikinis and the camera angles show these women's physical attributes in all their glory with numerous and extensive close-up shots. If it weren't for these women's attractive bodies, what other reason could there be to watch?

There are other sports where the participants' physical attributes are accentuated (swimming, diving, gymnastics, etc.), but at least those are legitimate sports that have athletic value for its spectators.

As for men's beach volleyball, perhaps it's the same thing, though I doubt it because women spectators are not as visually driven as men spectators are. But, there are beach bunnies who love the sight of an attractive male in beach attire, so maybe, to some extent, that is the allure of men's beach volleyball as well.

Maybe you think this blogger's gone off his rocker, and maybe I have. All I can say is that when I'm flipping through the channels looking for my Olympic fix, I won't stop on beach volleyball because I find its athleticism entertaining.