Major League Volleyball was a women's professional volleyball league in the United States. It was established in 1987 and disbanded during its third season on March 20, 1989.
The league launched in 1987 with six teams consisting of nine players per team, most of them former Olympians or college All-Americans. According to Commissioner Steve Arnold, each MLV player made a base salary of $5,500 a season. Bonuses were awarded to teams for each victo...
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Major League Volleyball was a women's professional volleyball league in the United States. It was established in 1987 and disbanded during its third season on March 20, 1989.
The league launched in 1987 with six teams consisting of nine players per team, most of them former Olympians or college All-Americans. According to Commissioner Steve Arnold, each MLV player made a base salary of $5,500 a season. Bonuses were awarded to teams for each victory and for finishing in the top three, and to players for excelling in one of six statistical categories. For example, the team that won the first league championship got $25,000. A player who was best in serving aces got an extra $3,000. The egalitarian pay scale made contract negotiations unnecessary.
In addition, there were no independent team owners during the first two years of competition. There was what amounted to six major shareholders. "It was a concept I developed through having operated pro sports leagues and teams," says Arnold,...
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