League One Volleyball (LOVB) is adding another major name from the sports world to its ownership ranks.
NFL’s Houston Texans Chair and CEO Cal McNair and his wife, Hannah McNair, the vice president of the Houston Texans Foundation, have acquired LOVB Houston through their company, Lone Star Sports & Entertainment, marking their first foray into professional volleyball. The financial details of the transaction have not been disclosed.
“The more we learned about LOVB, it was a natural fit for us to invest and be a part of what they’re building,” Hannah McNair said. “It’s been a priority for us to elevate sports opportunities in Houston, especially for women and youth. This falls right in line with that initiative, like our investment in flag football, and we think it’ll have a major impact on our community.”
Launched in 2020, LOVB, the largest volleyball organization in the United States, with divisions ranging from youth/grassroots to a pro league, operates on a “community-up” model that connects club, collegiate and pro levels within one ecosystem. The organization now serves more than 25,000 junior athletes and 3,000 coaches in 28 states.
In Houston, that includes Houston Skyline, a nationally ranked junior club with more than 1,300 athletes citywide. The Houston franchise is part of an LOVB pro league lineup that already includes Atlanta, Austin, Madison, Nebraska and Salt Lake, with venture capitalist Alexis Ohanian backed Los Angeles franchise slated to debut in 2027.
The league aims to add at least four new teams for season three and 14-16 teams by season five.
LOVB Houston will kick off its 2026 campaign on January 8 at the Berry Center, one of two home venues, alongside the Fort Bend County Epicenter. The roster features marquee names, including two-time Olympic medalist Jordan Mackenzie Thompson, setter Micha Hancock, and NCAA Champion Jess Mruzik.
LOVB’s debut season delivered proof of concept, generating 191 million impressions, a 10 percent engagement rate on TikTok and more than 38.9 million views of match content across its platforms. Its championship final between Omaha and Austin drew over 1.1 million viewers, underscoring the sport’s growing commercial appeal.
The Texans’ move into professional volleyball reflects a broader market trend: women’s sports have become a compelling business investment, not just a social initiative. Beyond the McNairs, LOVB’s ownership group includes prominent figures across sports, entertainment, and finance who view women’s sports as a scalable, long-term growth sector with untapped media and sponsorship upside.
For Rosie Spaulding, president of LOVB Pro, the growing investor interest is not just a trend.
“We are an early-stage organization with upside,” she told The Athletic. “Volleyball is the #1 girls’ team sport in the U.S., with 46 million Americans who play or have played and with 700 million global fans. We’re tapping into one of the largest, fastest-growing global sports.”
It is no surprise LOVB raised $160 million last year, including a $100 million round led by Atwater Capital, with continued backing from Ares Management and Left Lane Capital.
“We’ve built fandom from the ground up by serving a unique audience, 12–18 year-olds and their families, creating the largest youth volleyball community in the U.S. today,” she added. “Our core audience is Gen Z— the largest generation yet, and the fastest-growing in spending power.”
The league had 30 partners and a distribution deal with ESPN before even launching the pro league in 2025. Since then it has also signed blue-chip sponsors, including apparel partners such as Adidas, Skims, Spanx and Revolve, as well as official ball supplier Mikasa. For the 2026 season, the league will add six new jersey partnerships, including a national collaboration with Dry Water and with YETI.