Jason Derulo is famous for his mega hit single “Talk Dirty to Me.” But he may want to do a remix called “Talk Spikin’ to Me”—because he just became a team owner in a new women’s pro volleyball sports league based out of Frisco.
Derulo and Omaha businessman Danny White, founder and CEO of City+Ventures, announced today that they’re launching a Pro Volleyball Federation franchise in Omaha, Nebraska. Omaha is the second city to get a team for the league, which is serving up its first season in February 2024. The first city was Grand Rapids, Michigan, with other markets expected to be announced “in the coming days.”
Dallas Innovates wrote about the new league in November. It’s just one of many sports leagues and businesses—from pickleball to the PGA to esports to high-tech soccer entertainment—that are proving the future of sports is in North Texas.
Derulo identifies with the new league’s players
The Pro Volleyball Federation is slated to take the court in February 2024. [Photo: PVF]
After striving for his success, Derulo says he identifies with the passion of the federation’s pro women athletes.
Derulo has sold over 250 million singles worldwide—15 of them platinum—and has more than 57 million TikTok followers. Along with Taylor Swift, Elton John, Janet Jackson, Michael Jackson, Britney Spears, Maroon 5, and Christina Aguilera, he’s one of the only music artists to have a No. 1 single on U.S. pop radio in three different decades.
“I’ve learned and grown so much as an entrepreneur through my friendship with Danny, and this opportunity to spread my wings within a new industry drives me professionally and creatively,” Derulo said in a statement. “I’m a passionate creator, and by being able to help these world-class athletes who are also passionate about their craft further their careers, build their own brands, and establish themselves as true superstars within their sport and their community—that’s what truly excites me.”
Why Omaha? It’s a volleyball hotbed
Of all cities in the U.S., Omaha seems primed to grab fans for women’s pro volleyball. The University of Nebraska women’s volleyball program has led the nation in attendance since 2013, the federation noted. Omaha hosted the 2022 NCAA Division I Volleyball Championships. And one game between Nebraska and Creighton drew 15,797 fans last season, setting the record for the highest-attended regular-season women’s volleyball match in NCAA history.
“From the first day we were approached by Pro Volleyball Federation, we knew this was exactly what we were looking for, not only to bring something special and impactful to Omaha, but also because it’s an opportunity to dig in creatively and help transform the way people consume sports and entertainment content,” co-owner Danny White said in a statement. “We have a lot of ideas and can’t wait to get started.”
Get on the list.
Dallas Innovates, every day.
Sign up to keep your eye on what’s new and next in Dallas-Fort Worth, every day.
R E A D N E X T
-
Women's pro sports in North America just got a new attraction to cheer for with the launch of the Pro Volleyball Federation. The indoor women's volleyball league is based locally out of Frisco as well as Columbus, Ohio, and will feature eight to 10 initial teams playing in "volleyball hotbeds" across the U.S. But the dinks, spikes, digs, and sets are still more than a year away from happening. Slated to take the court in February 2024, the federation has founding partners including former Baltimore Ravens quarterback and Super Bowl champion Trent Dilfer, with involvement from volleyball legends Dr. Cecile…
-
If the future of sports has one home, it’s right here in North Texas. A big brag, we know. But consider this: From high-tech advances to the hottest sports trends to startups on the edge of fitness science, it’s all kicking off in Dallas-Fort Worth.
-
The "Transforming Communities"-themed event on October 6 features America’s most decorated track and field athlete, Allyson Felix. While the athletic legend may be retiring from competitive athletics, she's amplifying her voice for women’s rights. She'll also talk about launching her new brand for women, led by women.
-
“It's not a feminist exhibition, but I think there's a lot of taking the power back when women paint women.” Andrea Karne Chief Curator The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth .…on the museum's "Women Painting Women" exhibition, via Forbes. "Women Painting Women" is an exhibition at The Modern featuring 46 female artists who choose women as the subject of their artistry. Spanning works from the late 1960s to the present, around 50 portraits basically show a woman's gaze of a woman gazing back—something long underrepresented in art history. “I talked to all the living artists in the exhibition to…
-
Slated to break ground next year, Firefly Park will add "a significantly different, cool vibe to Frisco," says the city's mayor. Developer Kyle Wilks of Wilks Development hired Amsterdam-based UNStudio to develop the master plan in collaboration with Sasaki Associates. That European influence is showing up in the 230-acre project's walkable, park-laden layout—and in the architecture's future-forward look. The Dream Hotel will be designed with hints of the region, with a design philosophy “both surreal and contemporarily chic."
