Hometown pride fuels Greenhill grad heading into inaugural Dallas Pulse season
Grady Raskin didn’t have to look far to believe in the growth potential of women’s professional volleyball.
The Dallas native and Greenhill graduate sees enthusiasm for the sport at an all-time high in North Texas thanks to flourishing club programs, nationally ranked college teams, and a rapidly growing pool of elite talent.
Raskin’s latest venture is launching the Dallas Pulse, an expansion franchise in Major League Volleyball set to begin its inaugural season in Frisco in January.
“Volleyball in general is a behemoth worldwide. College women’s volleyball is just blowing up. It’s an amazing sport,” Raskin said. “It makes sense that this should be the next greatest thing.”
Raskin has almost three decades of experience in sports and entertainment management, including with the Texas Rangers and Dallas Stars, where he specialized in securing sponsorships.
Neighborhood Spotlight
Preston Hollow
Most recently, he was the original president of the Dallas Renegades, the football franchise that launched in 2019 as part of the fledgling XFL. When that league reorganized following a pandemic shutdown, Raskin turned to consulting.
Two years ago, however, he met with executives from the nascent MLV, which is a continuation of the previous Pro Volleyball Federation. The league agreed to add a Dallas team as its eighth franchise in its third season after Raskin recruited a group of investors led by Preston Hollow’s Armand Sadoughi.
Raskin and his staff began hiring a coaching staff in September, and in October unveiled the Pulse name and branding. They have since started to assemble a roster of players before the start of training camp in December.
“When you create a name and a brand and release it, there’s a bit of anxiety,” said Raskin, a former volleyball player at Greenhill. “I was pleasantly surprised with how people took our brand and our colors and our story. Every person I’ve talked to is excited about it.”
He knows the challenge of introducing a new franchise into a crowded market such as Dallas-Fort Worth. However, he points to the growth of the Dallas Wings in basketball and Dallas Trinity FC in soccer as proof that women’s franchises are viable.
Plus, in the case of the Dallas Pulse, there’s no men’s alternative in town. At the pro level, they will have volleyball all to themselves when the 28-match regular-season slate begins on Jan. 10.
“I’m excited with what we’ve achieved, but there’s so much more to be done to be successful. We need people to just get on the bandwagon,” Raskin said. “Our goal isn’t just to be part of the league. Our goal is to set the standard. We want to be the leader in how we represent women’s sports.”
