Are Trends in Basketball Beginning to Take Hold in Volleyball Fashion?

                 Many of my friends are avid volleyball players and aspire to one day play in college. Spending countless hours with them while hanging out and sometimes playing a little pick-up game in our backyards here and there has led me to hear the latest gossip in the volleyball world. From the ribbons all the way down to the kneepads, I learn all about what’s hot and what’s not. Lately as I have gone and watched a few of my friends’ games I have realized that a new trend in volleyball fashion has begun and it seems to have stemmed from volleyball’s sister sport: basketball.

In the past year Nike has revamped its original design of their volleyball shoes and taken an entirely new approach. But the thing about this new design approach, is that the new shoes resemble a basketball shoe. Nike’s Zoom Volley Hyperspike seems to take on the same type of design as the Nike Zoom Kobe Venomenon 4 basketball shoe. When I first saw my volleyball friends wearing the Nike Zoom Volley Hyperspike, I was confused as to why they would be wearing basketball shoes, when I know that companies such as Asics make great volleyball shoes. Then I realized that a majority of volleyball girls were wearing these new Nike shoes, so it must be the new trend in volleyball. I think that a reason for the similarity between the volleyball and basketball shoes can be attributed to the fact that in both basketball and volleyball ankle support is a big issue, so by creating shoes that use the same type of sport technology, it has led to a similar design.

 

 

Left: Nike Zoom Kobe Venomenon

Right: Nike Zoom Volley Hyperspike

 

 

 

Other trends that are also beginning to rise in popularity in the volleyball world that have also been seen in basketball, are the accessories worn by players. In basketball, wearing long socks up to your calves is like an unspoken rule of what MUST be worn during the game. For volleyball this rule seems to be taking hold. When I went to watch my friends play their high school volleyball match last week, I noticed how every player on the team wore matching black Nike Elite socks, which is a trend you see with basketball teams across the country. Another trend with accessories that is beginning to ignite in the volleyball world as well as basketball, is the “Skylar Diggins” headband. This headband is worn by and named after one of the best women’s basketball players of the past 5 years.  The “Skylar Diggins” headband has just began to gain popularity in the world of girls basketball and it seems as if almost simultaneously the same boost of popularity of the headband is happening in volleyball. I think that the reason for this heightened popularity of the headband in both sports is due to the fact that girl athletes want to be taken seriously; and how could that happen when you are wearing ribbons in your hair? This headband still provides the same functions of that of a ribbon, but gives an edgy more sophisticated look to the girl athlete.

I think it is interesting how trends that seem to be associated with a specific sport begin to take hold and grow into another, which has been seen here with basketball and volleyball. By no means am I trying to say that volleyball has copied what trends have occurred in basketball, I just think it is interesting that even though two sports may be completely different, there are still some similarities in what the athletes find to be the popular fashion trend in their particular sport.