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Author Topic: Bowling gets the shaft again  (Read 4178 times)

Scolai

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Bowling gets the shaft again
« on: January 05, 2007, 04:58:58 AM »
So bowling isn't considered a difficult sport.  OK, I'll concede that players at the league level and below - and even some tournaments - don't need a whole lot of skill to score.  But at the elite level, bowling is just as mentally and physically grueling as any other sport.

The guys at espn.com don't think so.  They rank bowling at #57 on the list of 60 most difficult sports.  That ranking puts it behind badminton, table tennis, and cheerleading.  Not saying those sports aren't tough, just that I don't think bowling is evaluated fairly.

People just don't get this sport.
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Edited on 1/5/2007 2:03 PM
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9andaWiggle

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Re: Bowling gets the shaft again
« Reply #16 on: January 05, 2007, 02:28:12 PM »
Poker is intense.  Especially when she doesn't want you to...

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230-n-up-or-bust

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Re: Bowling gets the shaft again
« Reply #17 on: January 05, 2007, 02:59:30 PM »
quote:
I suppose Rome helped come up with the numbers.  What a joke.  Pin-nut said it best, people just don't get it.
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DerHornen

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Re: Bowling gets the shaft again
« Reply #18 on: January 05, 2007, 03:49:13 PM »
Bowling is a sport, but there's no way it should be ranked above most of the other sports out there in terms of difficulty.  Sure, it's difficult to be truly great at it, but it's just not that athletically demanding.

Take Norm Duke for example.  He is truly a great bowler, but would you pick him for any other sport that's athletically difficult.  Basketball, football, baseball, track, swimming, even cheerleading?  I don't know this for sure, but I imagine he's not very fast, quick, or strong.

Bowling requires a good mix of form, coordination, mental toughness, knowledge, and skill.  That's still not enough to make it tougher than even cheerleading, which these days requires a good bit of athleticism and gymnastic ability on top of all those other things.


Edited on 1/5/2007 4:52 PM
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a_ak57

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Re: Bowling gets the shaft again
« Reply #19 on: January 05, 2007, 04:00:27 PM »
quote:
quote:
What other sport besides pool can you be fat and unfit and still do relatively well? Pin-nut says badminton, table tennis and cheerleading should not be ahead of bowling. Well, I'd love to see a fat person doing well in those three. Especially in cheerleading.


Fat and unfit.

How about Golf?

True, but golf still uses more effort.  Ever go to the range and hit balls for a solid two hours?  I have and felt far worse than after bowling solo for two hours.  Not to mention, if you man up and actually walk the course you're getting considerably more exercise than bowling.  The only walking we do in bowling is for a few seconds at a time, and in a league setting you then wait several minutes before repeating.
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Re-Evolution

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Re: Bowling gets the shaft again
« Reply #20 on: January 05, 2007, 04:23:12 PM »
quote:
Another argument for the lack of difficulty in bowling is luck. Take any of the sports on the ESPN list and compare it to bowling. In which one of the other sports are you more likely to luck it out? I'm not saying it's likely to win with luck, but the possibility of it occurring is much more likely with regards to bowling.


Just to name a few that have an equal amount of luck involved.
Baseball: One team can pound the ball all game but always hit is right at someone, while the other team gets bloopers to fall all game.
Boxing: You could be giving the other guy a clinic for 9 rounds and then he lands that 1 lucky punch to end it in the 10th.
Football: The coach calling the right plays at the right times.

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Re-Evolution

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Re: Bowling gets the shaft again
« Reply #21 on: January 05, 2007, 04:29:07 PM »
quote:
Take Norm Duke for example.  He is truly a great bowler, but would you pick him for any other sport that's athletically difficult.  Basketball, football, baseball, track, swimming, even cheerleading?  I don't know this for sure, but I imagine he's not very fast, quick, or strong.


You single him out because of his small stature.
Last time I checked smaller guys are generally quicker, faster in short distances, and the only person in olympic history to ever press 3 times his weight (305#) was a small guy (135#) so I don't see where you say he can't be strong. Can you lift 305# over your head?
Strength is a relative term IMHO.
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DerHornen

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Re: Bowling gets the shaft again
« Reply #22 on: January 05, 2007, 05:55:15 PM »
quote:

You single him out because of his small stature.
Last time I checked smaller guys are generally quicker, faster in short distances, and the only person in olympic history to ever press 3 times his weight (305#) was a small guy (135#) so I don't see where you say he can't be strong. Can you lift 305# over your head?
Strength is a relative term IMHO.



I only singled him out because he is a very good bowler who happens to not be athletic in the traditional sense.  He's not the only one.  I'm not saying small guys can't be fast and strong.  Look at the average cornerback or safety in the NFL.  A lot of those guys are under 180 lbs and shorter than 5'10", but they're quick as lightning and they're probably all stronger than I am.
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BOWL119

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Re: Bowling gets the shaft again
« Reply #23 on: January 05, 2007, 06:00:04 PM »
quote:
I just wish there was a way that we as bowlers could go out and compete against other sports enthusiasts/amateurs/whatevers and prove ourselves in the athletic world.


I say we challenge Berman, Ditka, Irvin, Jackson, The Schwab and all the other people at ESPN to a tournament in RENO and see how they do. After all, they would have to bowl 100+ games and then try to make it to the Championship round.

Lets see what kind of catch phrase Berman can come up with when he shoots a 100...
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Mvpbowler

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Re: Bowling gets the shaft again
« Reply #24 on: January 05, 2007, 06:10:30 PM »
This from the same group of people who put baseball/softball together for one!! And two have you tried to hit a 90 MPH fastball!??! It isn't easy folks!!

How do you put baseball and softball in the same category?!?! Alot of equipment isn't even the same.. I don't understand..

And then they put boxing #1.. HAHA!! Right
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Jzero

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Re: Bowling gets the shaft again
« Reply #25 on: January 05, 2007, 06:10:31 PM »
Guy, look at all the sports ahead of bowling and compare them to bowling.  In all the sports you have to physically fit, remember golfers play six round of golf over the course of a week whih means they walk over 30 miles, have good to great hand eye co-ordination or foot eye co-ordination, and just have a natural talent for the sport.  Bowling all you need is some co-ordination and some talent, you don't need to be in that good of shape for it.

A sport that would be on there is for the golf caddies.  They carry bags up to 50 pounds for 30 miles or more a week.  Now that takes so strong and stamina.  Also, referees have it harder than bowlers, they have to run around the court or field the whole game with no brakes. I doubt many people on this site could do that.
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Edited on 1/5/2007 7:10 PM
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Rabiddog135

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Re: Bowling gets the shaft again
« Reply #26 on: January 05, 2007, 06:24:34 PM »
have you ever been on a 2000 Lb bull ? I doubt it, well I have thats probably the roughest sport going.
Anyone that thinks bowling is not a sport needs to think about this you use more muscle groops to bowl than any other sport there is,and you have to be able to use your brains a little bit also so I myself do consider it to be a sport. Just my two cents

quote:
quote:
According to George Carlin Cheerleading is NOT a sport. Reason being: no ball.


That is a good assesment and would eliminate other "activities" from the list.  I look at it this way, anything where you are "judged" is not a sport.  If you win because somebody's "opinion" is that you performed better, it's not a sport.  Look at what happened in figure skating with the judging scandal.  To be a sport you have to be able to go out and beat your opponents by scoring better than them.  Not by somebody deciding that you did.  That would eliminate Figure Skating, gymnastics, some rodeo events, surfing, freestyle skiing, diving, skateboarding and cheerleading.  Now I am not saying that people that participate in these events aren't athletes.  What I am saying is that they do not compete in a "sport".  These events are mere entertainment and nobody can truly "win".
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Jzero

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Re: Bowling gets the shaft again
« Reply #27 on: January 05, 2007, 06:34:55 PM »
quote:
To be a sport you have to be able to go out and beat your opponents by scoring better than them. Not by somebody deciding that you did. That would eliminate Figure Skating, gymnastics, some rodeo events, surfing, freestyle skiing, diving, skateboarding and cheerleading



Then by going by this you would also have to eliminate boxing, UFC fight, Karate, other marshal arts, wrestling, etc...  Also, by this definition, poker, chess checkers, video games, and all other board games are considered sports.  So look some sports have to be judged, thats just the way they work.
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Dynoboy

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Re: Bowling gets the shaft again
« Reply #28 on: January 05, 2007, 07:01:53 PM »
jb74 your wright, atlethes trading places to proof if bowling is a difficult sport is an incorrect perseption of the issue discuss here. What makes bowling difficult to be considered a sport at the same level of our everyday sports like baseball, basketball etc,etc, is that bowling has a factor that cannot be controlled by the bowler and that is the pin placement. You as a bowler can hit the mark with extreme accuracy an loose the game with an opponent that barely hit the mark. In this case how can you evaluate the quality of the competition, luck ?
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