AVP boss believes in sport's future
Thursday, July 12, 2001 By Cindy Fairfield
MUSKEGON CHRONICLE SPORTS EDITOR
Bikinis, biceps, bronzed bodies. Sand,sun and surf.Beach volleyball is more than bumps,
sets and spikes. And Leonard Armato, the sports agent for Shaquille O'Neal who        recently purchased the Association of Volleyball Professionals tour, is convinced it has the elements to become one of the fast-growing sports in America.He compares it to NASCAR, which has emerged in the past decade from a regional sport with a relatively small following to the most popular spectator sport in the country."I wouldn't get involved in (beach volleyball) if I didn't see the potential of this sport to be major," said Armato. "It
has great athleticism, incredible lifestyle association, wonderful scenery and great sex appeal. It has incredibly,great-looking athletes jumping around all over the court."It's a sport that is a little edgy with the potential to explode." Never mind that the AVP lost money in each of the past 10 years and filed for bankruptcy two years ago. Never mind
that the biggest name on the beach,Karch Kiraly, is 40 years old and unlikely to play much longer. "I will tell you that the hottest ticket at the Sydney Olympics was in beach
volleyball," said Armato. "I didn't buy this tour to lose money." The AVP makes its 11th straight appearance in West Michigan this weekend, bringing many of the top men           and women beach volleyball players in the country to Pere Marquette Beach. Among those is the twosome of Dain Blanton and Eric Fonoimoana, who won the gold medal at the Sydney Olympics last year. "Right now, our sport is kind of at the bottom of the pile with no live TV or anything," said Fonoimoana. "We have nowhere to go but up and Leonard, with his connections, can make it happen." Armato was one of the founders of the
AVP in the mid-1980s and was involved with the organization until 1990, when the tour was at its peak in popularity.But the players took over management of the tour in 1991, awarding huge purses for tournaments, and the AVP steadily began to lose money. The organization filed bankruptcy two years ago and was purchased by a New York investment
group.The tournament schedule was scaled back last year from 18 events to 12 and          purse money was slashed. But the tour still wasn't profitable.Three months ago, Armato, who is chief executive officer of Management Plus Enterprises, purchased the AVP and
Beach Volleyball America, a professional tour for women, and combined the two. It took longer than expected to resolve management issues and the first two events on the original
AVP schedule were canceled. "I think this is a year where we're stabilizing and laying the foundation to rebuild the sport and take it to the next level," said Armato. "One of the most important messages I wanted to send was that of unification," he said. "To be successful in beach volleyball, we needed to unify the two leagues." Muskegon, which inherited the event from Grand Haven four years ago, will host the third tournament on the eight-stop schedule."I like having the women here," said Muskegon city manager Bryon Mazade."I think it's good for our young girls who play volleyball in school to have role models like these women." West Michigan has supported the AVP the past 10 years, posting some of the biggest crowds on the tour."I like to play in Michigan because your fans are fanatic about volleyball," said Fonoimoana. "They really understand the game and appreciate us being there." While the tour itself was in doubt, a Muskegon stop was never questioned."Muskegon is a community that has really embraced the sport," said Armato. "There is a good fan base out there and we think it's important that various parts of the country have the opportunity to see a tournament." That's good news to Mazade. "A community our size doesn't get to host a professional sporting event very often so when we do, it's a pretty big deal," said Mazade."We will benefit from the national exposure that TV provides. It's a fun event and I'm excited about having it." Muskegon's tournament will be aired on a tape-delay basis by Fox Sports Net on July 23.