I see a lot of guys wearing compression sleeves and even see them being sold at tournaments now. Do these things actually help or are they more of a fashion statement to be cool?

Fashion statement.

One that I don't care for....

People can wear whatever they want to wear but I can most assuredly say it's not for me.

MAYBE if you're a national touring pro and are on payroll for a company, and in that case MAYBE.

I don't see it as "cool".....

Since there are so few, it is my subjective OPINION that if you wear one you're a loser (figuratively speaking) and pretty much everyone thinks that except those wearing one....

Cue: "but your shoes say Dexter....." semantics time.......

I just started to wear one.  Not by a ball manufacturer. I have major elbow issues and it helps me to be able to last a full league set.  Haven't bowled more than that in about 6 years. Mines not a fashion statement.

I started wearing one once I began getting a lot of elbow pain.  I did not necessarily want to wear any type of brace, so I started to use a compression sleeve.  Once I started wearing it, I can tell that it worked for the better because my elbow pain during and after a set diminished greatly.  Saved me from also having to continuously pop Advils or Tylenols for elbow discomfort.

I went to a store and bought the cheapest ones I could find (about $8 for a pair).  Think it was a Sports Authority.  I was not about to pay someone $20 to $30 just so they could put some design on it.

99% of them are a fashion statement because Belmo wore one on TV.

I want him to wear an eyepatch one week just to see how many copy him.

Ha! I can picture it now. Bowling alleys all over America filled with league bowling pirates. Love it!

Matt

I forgot to add......

I stop wearing my sleeves before it started to popping up on TV when I got tired of washing it too many damn times and forgetting it at home.

I don't care if someone wears a sleeve or a patch on their eye. There's always a trend out there that fades away. Bowlers used to wear what many golfers (still) wear. Qlink, then those balance bracelets or necklaces.

Fashion statement.  Placebo--think about it.  What possible medical benefit can it
offer?

My nephew wears one and he says it helps relieve his elbow pain, so maybe it does have some effect.  I personally can't understand how, but he says it works.