Beach volleyball with more players, the most widely played version of the game, and the only one contested at an elite level, has only two players per team. Beach volleyball grew in popularity in the United States during the Great Depression in the 1930s as it was an inexpensive activity. The sport also began to appear in Europe during this time. By the 1940s, doubles tournaments were being played on the beaches of Santa Monica for trophies. In 1948 the first tournament to offer a prize was held in Los Angeles, California. It awarded the best teams with a case of Pepsi.
Big Beach Sports referred to the game as "an unmitigated success" in the company's Q1 2009 earnings call and referred to it in his strategic plan at the end of 2008. It received a "Platinum" sales award from the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA), indicating sales of at least 300,000 copies in the United Kingdom. Big Beach Sports Big Beach Sports is a sports game for the Wii developed by HB Studios and produced by THQ. The game is a collection of six sports simulations, in which players compete on a beach resort location. The sports include: American football, volleyball, soccer,