It’s been less than a week since the second Professional Volleyball Federation season got off the ground, and it’s already breaking records. The PVF already set an attendance record of 12,090 in their inaugural season. However, the fact that the popularity of the league has only grown became apparent when the volleyball league arrived in Omaha on January 10.

On that day, 13,486 showed up to support the Omaha Supernovas, smashing their previous U.S. Pro Volleyball Attendance Record. However, there’s a lot more behind this success than the growing popularity of women’s volleyball. Former Olympian Sarah Pavan and husband Adam Schulz drew comparisons with other prestigious leagues as they directed the secret behind PVF’s success.

How the Professional Volleyball Federation has taken the best parts from the big leagues

Sarah Pavan and her husband Adam Schulz started by highlighting the similarities with other established sports leagues. While women’s pro volleyball may be something new, they had decades upon decades of data to decipher what works. “PVF has a very individual team design; you get a feeling that the team is created unto itself… It’s (got) a very kind of NFL, NBA, baseball, feel to it,” explained Pavan’s co-host.

“They talk about the general managers, they’re talking about the draft, they’re talking about trading players. It feels very professional,” added Adam Schulz. However, simply adapting the general structure of the NBA, MLB, or NFL isn’t the only thing the PFV did right, according to the Volley Talk hosts. Professional Volleyball Federation also built each team’s unique identity.

It’s no secret that fans owe their elegance to the teams they support even more than their favorite players. For example, all a person needs to say is they’re a Lakers fan for most sports fans to understand what they’re talking about. The PVF has done the same. “They all have completely unique uniforms. They have their own unique team name, a really cool logo like everything is very specific,” added Pavan.

The Volley Talk host argued that it’s not just one element, but everything combined alongside each team’s identity building that’s contributed to the Professional Volleyball Federation’s popularity. “I think that’s really important and one of the keys to why people watch sports,” Schulz argued. However, they also explained how the new pro league in town could learn from the PVF.

Why League One Volleyball got off to a rocky start

When looking at the Professional Volleyball Federation’s rival league, the LOVB, things have been a mixed bag. While fans have enjoyed watching thrilling games such as the clash between LOVB Austin and Omaha, broadcast-related issues have plagued the league so far. However, Schulz and Pavan argued that LOVB’s lack of individualism could be a much bigger problem in the long run.

While it’s possible to iron out broadcasting woes, it’s quite different to change your branding. “If we look at LOVB, there’s not really any individuals that are being prioritized. I mean that both athletes, other than the founding athletes, but the teams as well,” said the volleyball coach. “It’s all “about the LOBV brand,” he added.

And Schulz has a point!

Unlike the Professional Volleyball Federation, even the team names contain nothing more than the state’s name with the LOVB branding. In fact, fans have already complained about having difficulties, distinguishing the teams, both during the broadcast and at a symbolic level. This became apparent when one fan couldn’t identify any of the teams during the broadcast.

“I am watching Houston vs. Atlanta. Or is it Atlanta vs. Houston? Not sure because the team name is not visible. Why? Make it easy for the casual fan. Great game going on! Just not sure who is who,” commented the fan.

While the fan was talking about the Austin vs. Houston game, the ATX and HTX abbreviations on TV, with similar jerseys, confused the volleyball fan. So it’s safe to say the Volley Talk hosts and some fans would want LOVB to take a page out of the Professional Volleyball Federation’s book.