“Why is this so hard?”
The interviews had been transcribed. We read them, analyzed them, extracted certain statements that we wanted, and we organized them on a whiteboard to give us a preliminary sense of structure for the evolving documentary narrative. All of that took about five hours on a Saturday afternoon in early September 2019.
It was still easier than trying to conceive and settle upon a name.
It had to relate to volleyball … but not be too cliché or overused. It had to hint at the Olympics … but not be too close to anything used by NBC (which has broadcast rights with the International Olympic Committee through 2032). It had to be compelling and brand-worthy … but not so unique that it became unrecognizable.
An Olympic Orchestra: Passing the Torch
This was our first attempt at a title. It seemed catchy and compelling; the “orchestra” part came from Micah Christenson’s interview: an analogy he offered in his description of volleyball. In retrospect, though, it was deemed too Olympics-centered, especially with the “passing the torch” phrase.
Back to the drawing board.
High Flyers: The Rise of Men’s Volleyball
This was our second attempt. It definitely addressed men’s volleyball, but upon a quick Google search, “High Flyers” is a common name for club teams, and even though it’s a volleyball phrase, we thought it might not be clearly connected to volleyball. So while we liked the subtitle, we needed a more exclusive, on-point phrase before “The Rise of Men’s Volleyball.”
So. Many. Ideas! Some had merit; others deemed too punny:
“Net Results.” “Block & Awe.” “Major Carriers.” “Flying Higher.” “Game of Gravity.”
In the end, you know the final verdict: We finally agreed upon “Match Point,” but it took us more than 10 days to reach this conclusion. By the way: We have a short video circulating on social media that explains why we went this route. Please follow and like our channels!
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