Adam Anagnostopoulos: It takes a village

Adam Anagnostopoulos was a star for the TMU men’s volleyball team.

In 2015-16 he helped lead the university to its first nationals berth in program history. He followed it up with being named an OUA first-team all-star in both 2016-17 and 2017-18, leading to an offer to play professionally in Switzerland after his time with the university was done.

It’s an impressive career for someone who started playing the sport at fourteen, long past the age when most professionals begin.

But for Anagnostopoulos, his success on the court came from the people supporting him off of it. In talking with him, “support systems” have played a key role in his playing career as well as the transition to life after the game.

Immediately after graduating from TMU, Adam got the job opportunity of a lifetime to work for Disney. With a degree in Media Production, it seemed like a perfect fit. But after a few months in the role another opportunity came up, the chance to play volleyball professionally. Initially, there were some reservations on Adam’s end about uprooting his life.

“It was actually kind of hard for me to make that decision (to pursue a professional volleyball career),” said Anagnostopoulos. “I actually talked to my boss and she said, ‘I know too many 30-year-olds that are unhappy in their workplace’. She really pushed me to go to do it which was nice.”

Speaking with his support system gave Anagnostopulos the approval he needed to move across the globe to German-speaking Luzern, Switzerland. The language barrier proved difficult – with a Serbian roommate and Swiss teammates that didn’t speak much English, there was a period of adjustment. However, Anagnostopoulos still seems happy to talk about living abroad.
 

“It was a good way to see the different walks of life,” said Anagnostopoulos of his experience playing abroad. “It was an eye-opening experience for sure.”

Still, the transition from amateur to professional athlete was difficult. No longer a hobby, results became demanded. Anagnostopoulos talked about the imposter syndrome, having felt pressure to perform at a high-level or risk being cut. The game that he played with friends slowly turned into a job, with the same (or perhaps greater) pressures as a 9-5. Playing professionally, he’d need to grind out single season contracts for multiple years in the hopes of building a career. 

“You’ve been flown out across the world to do a job in a different country where there’s going to be lots of people who think they can do it,” said Anagnostopoulos. “There’s a lot of pressure to perform.”

However, Adam looks at the positives, viewing the experience as a lesson in executing when people are counting on you. Despite the challenges, Anagnostopoulos also appreciates the ability to focus solely on one task, which allowed for flexibility to start envisioning what life could look like after volleyball. 

As the season wound down towards the end of his time in Switzerland, Adam began writing the next chapter of his career, doing freelance work in media. It didn’t take long for him to dive back into a world he was familiar with – video production for various companies. This career shift gave him a different insight into the importance of having a strong team to surround yourself with.

“It’s important that whatever you do, you do it to your fullest,” said Anagnostopoulos. “Without these backup plans, without these support systems, it’s really hard to fully go in one direction.”
 

This view has helped him become a support system to others, now off the court. When asked, Agnanostopoulos says the camaraderie and teamwork is what he misses most about his playing days, but he gets his fix in a new way. Helping with the TMU men’s volleyball team on occasion, he’s been able to get back into the game and give back with lessons he learned overseas.

“(It’s incredible) seeing what you can accomplish with the proper support system around you.”

Having these support systems has continued into the traditional workplace for Anagnostopoulos. After being a setter during his playing days, Adam has found success in a similar role in the office assisting his company in building something bigger. He mentions that when evaluating workplaces, he’s focused on the team and where his role is within the group.

It’s clear the impact that volleyball has had on Anagnostopoulos’s personal development. Volleyball is a sport predicated on each player having a job to do, and relying on their teammates to help them do that job. A set is only as good as the dig preceding it, and a hit is only as good as the prior set. Adam Anagnostopoulos’ story is an example of how others help us, and we help others. Whether in life or volleyball, we owe a part of our success to the support systems around us and ultimately we have a responsibility to pay it back.