What does every league or tournament need? Donators. What does everyone who bowls in a league or tournament not want to be? A Donator
There in lies the problem. How you do attract donators? The answer is handicap.
How else does do you get teams of five 180-185 average bowlers to bowl in a mens league against a team stacked with five 210+ average bowlers. The 180 guys have to believe at the start of the year that they have some chance of competing. Why else would they spend $720 (36 weeks @ $20) if they knew up front they had no chance to win?
Make it scratch you say? Well then, you just lost the 4 teams of 180 averages, and the 6 teams of 190-195 as well because they know they cannot beat the five 210+ guys. So your big money league is now a small money league because it's only the 4 scratch teams left, and now they don't want to bowl because there is no money.
You always have to have donators. But you also have to make it seem like at the start of the yearthat there are no donators. Otherwise, the donators leave, and either you become the donator, or you don't have a league.
