Post by: johns811 on January 23, 2007, 02:34:20 AM
I was looking at what the PBA players earnings are for this season. Only the top 14 bowlers have made over 40K. Most of them under 20K. Don't these guys have to pay their own travel? Do they have to pay to enter tournaments? After taxes and expenses I don't see how they can afford it. Do they get any endorsements or salary from the ball companies?
Post by: Ragnar on January 23, 2007, 10:37:31 AM
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Post by: BrooklynSlop on January 23, 2007, 10:46:26 AM
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Post by: shelley on January 23, 2007, 10:53:48 AM
They also pay for their own travel and accomodations, which is why most have roommates. Some of the more successful guys travel in a motor home to save on housing costs or to bring their families with them. WRW and PB3 both do that, I think.
They also pay for storage and transportation of equipment on the trucks, drilling from player services (there was an article on the website from one of the PS guys a few weeks ago). Of course, they don't have to use the storage on the truck if they don't want to. They also have to buy equipment unless they're on staff, albeit at a reduced cost. Staffers get equipment for free plus a salary, though few make the kind of money that Barnes, TJ, Malott, and PA (when he was with Track) make.
I've heard that it's about $30K to go out on tour for the year for travel, housing, equipment, food,... On the upside, a lot of it should be tax-deductible.
There's also the off-season which lasts about 6 months. A lot of them work in the industry in some capacity, and many own or work in a pro shop. Doug Kent owns two bowling alleys. They also give lessons and clinics, both during the off season and while touring (Jeff Carter mentions giving lessons while he's home in his blog).
They also have to pay for their own health insurance, income and payroll taxes, retirement,... It's possible that the PBA handles things like tax witholdings for them, I don't know. I would think that they'd try to get group health insurance, at least the 58 exempt guys, but I haven't read anything that indicates that's the case.
It's not particularly good money, and I wouldn't want to try to support a family
without a working spouse. If you were single without a lot of strong roots, it's doable financially, though you may not be living high on the hog.
SH
Post by: smash8-10split on January 23, 2007, 02:54:53 PM
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hold my hammer, while i NAIL your girlfriend.
Post by: pate08 on January 23, 2007, 03:30:20 PM
quote:
Alot of them have decent contracts.
Barnes signed a 3 yr(not sure about how many yrs) $1,000,000 contract. Healthy to live on. Also.. most get equipment for free, and some get money for the random crap.
Also.. they all own a shop. Some own bowling lanes.. Doug Kent owns 2 in NY.
I think they make enough money for a family and all.. but in the end as long as they can stay above water.. it's not about the money.. but about the feeling of winning.
-Chris
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Not all of them own a shop.
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Post by: Pinbuster on January 23, 2007, 03:47:25 PM
Mika, Bohn, Barnes, Duke, Weber get some money but I beleive Barnes contract was an anomaly.
I believe Walter Ray signed with Morich lately but no idea of value.
You get out of the top ten I would doubt they get more than $500 a month endorsement money. And the ball money for making a show is a drop in the bucket comared to what it was 10 years ago.
The ones I know do odd jobs during the off season. Wifes provide insurance and a stable income.
Post by: demo40 on January 23, 2007, 03:52:51 PM
I for one don't feel bad about how much they make.
They only bowl on the tour for 5 months. $40,000
in 5 months is very good. Plus add on whatever
their significant other makes. Not too shabby
from my view. I make $50,000 a year, not five
months. Plus, I have a house, two kids, two cars,
and two student loans to pay off. I get sick of
hearing that they "only" win $25,000 for a tournament.
That's half my yearly pay.
Post by: demo40 on January 23, 2007, 05:12:24 PM
any I have for a week is the cost to get into a
tournament (if it is not covered by a sponser). Their
gas might be higher than mine also, because I only have to
put in about a tank a week. I don't feel bad for them.
They are also making $1800 a week. They probably take home
$1200 after taxes. I bring home about $1300 every two weeks.
Post by: J_L_B on January 23, 2007, 05:26:59 PM
Entry fee - $500
Last Check - $1800
Gross Profit - $1300
Estimated Expenses
Hotel for week - $300
Gas for week - $100
Food for week - $200
Equipment for week - (+ -) $100
Net Profit - $600 x 17 weeks = $10,200
The reason I use 17 weeks is because there is no guaranteed check for the Masters, Dick Weber, U.S. Open, World Championship.
That is poverty level income. I sure as hell hope the guys near the bottom of the points and money list have decent jobs during the off season....
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"You don't score, until you score......"
Edited on 1/23/2007 6:27 PM
Edited on 1/23/2007 6:28 PM
Post by: Bowler19 on January 23, 2007, 05:28:03 PM
Sure if they place and make TV it is a bonus and extran money. But they don't do that every week. there are 58 bowlers out there trying to make a living.
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Bowler19
But be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.-W. Shakespear
Post by: michelle on January 23, 2007, 05:29:37 PM
quote:
Net Profit - $600 x 17 weeks = $10,200
The reason I use 17 weeks is because there is no guarantee check for the Masters, Dick Weber, U.S. Open, World Championship.
That is poverty level income. I sure as hell hope the guys near the bottom of the points and money list have decent jobs during the off season....
No it's not...$10.2K for roughly 4 months is not poverty level, even when you back out taxes that will be owed on that income (and schedule C is not kind in situations like this). You have another approximately eight months to account for other income.
Post by: J_L_B on January 23, 2007, 05:41:06 PM
Post by: UpTheLeftGutta on January 23, 2007, 05:44:58 PM
He works for the PBA setting up the tv sets every week. Now it makes sense. Apparently a few pros work for the PBA. Tim Criss? What does he do. Do they make a primo living with this?
Post by: BirwinJR on January 23, 2007, 06:03:13 PM
Post by: DerHornen on January 23, 2007, 06:18:35 PM
Example, WRW's career earnings are less than 4 million. How many years has he been bowling, and he's the all-time career money leader? He's made enough money to be comfortable, but he's the exception. I'll take my earnings from engineering and be happy with what I've got.
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Post by: DP3 on January 23, 2007, 07:11:54 PM
Then when you have players that will bowl leagues in their off season, tournaments, and action matches here and there, they can make enough money to rival their income in that 20 weeks of the tour. Hell I've seen many instances in some of our leagues in the area where a guy might nut 30 brackets, a few high game pots, cash 10 times in mixed doubles and walk out on a league night with close to 2,000-3k cold cash. In the bigger bowling cities where alot of these guys reside, look how easy it would be to walk into a 40 team mens league and make that kind of money just bowling 3 games.
Now, I do think that it's a shame that you can be in the top 64 in the world at what you do and not even earn a quarter million per year to do it. Take a look at your daily job/career, now imagine that you are known throughout the world for being in the top 50 in the world at what you do, and you still make your same salary that you are making now.
I went to high school with a kid who is now playing professional basketball for the Bulls and he's played maybe 18 games in 2 seasons for no more than 10 minutes per game. Wanna take a wild guess at how much he's made in the league in 2 years just to sit on the bench and practice? More than your doctor and lawyer combined. And oh yeah, the team pays his car/house note too. Now that's what I call the life of a professional athlete. Ain't life grand?
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Experience, Shot Making, Wise Decisions......The best arsenal.
Post by: Jeff Carter on January 23, 2007, 08:34:42 PM
Entry Fee - $500.00
Hotel - $300.00 ( some weeks more, some weeks less / and thats with Priceline )
Gas - $100.00 and up on average
Food - $200.00 as a minimum
Drilling / Transport Fees - $45.00 per ball drilled & $60.00 per week for my shelf
That doesnt include clothing, vehicle expenses ( oil changes, maintenance ), laundry fees, and other misc living expenses ( haircuts, entertainment, etc.. )
Total all of that up and you are looking at a minimum of $1200.00 per week. Having a roommate helps split lodging and gas, but the biggest chunk is in the entry fee ( note : PGA golfers pay $100.00 entry fees and play for a little more than we do ).
Equipment contracts vary from player to player ( i dont disclose the terms of my contracts ), but they arent as much as you might think. Most guys have a minimum salary if that.
The Prize Fund Breakdown is as follows :
1st Place - $25,000.00
2nd Place - $13,000.00
3rd Place - $6500.00
4th Place - $5500.00
5th - 8th staggers from $3500.00 - $5000.00
9th - 16th staggers from $2500.00 - $3000.00
17th - 32nd - $2200.00
33rd - 64th - $1800.00
I for one am very fortunate for the fact that i'm involved with several businesses with my father. That is why i didnt join the PBA until 99, i was home running one of the family businesses. Now i support myself out here, thanks to my dad paving the way. If it wasnt for him, i would have to get sponsors and to be honest, i probably wouldnt be doing this. With that being said, i still work as hard as possible in the offseason to earn a living. I do a lot of coaching ( individual lessons at home as well as camps/clinics ), trade shows ( for Storm/Turbo/Etonic ), and i bowl a full schedule of regionals during the summer. There was a stretch between 03-04 & 04-05 when i bowled 102 PBA events in 104 weeks, just to make a better living. I love what i do and this is all that i want to do for a living, but with the cut in prize funds and the whole concept of the Exempt Tour its getting tougher and tougher to justify this as a career. My daughter is already a pretty serious dancer at the age of 9, and she spends it faster than i can make it ( i'm sure all of you fathers can relate to that !!! )
Now dont forget that besides all of this, we all have to deal with House Payments, Car Payments, household bills, insurance, etc......
Life on Tour certainly isnt easy, even for the most of the top players. Hopefully things will start to turn around soon, and the sponsors will come knocking on the PBA door. If the prize funds were to double / triple you could make a very good living out here, but right now things are very tight for a lot of guys
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Bowl up a Storm,
Jeff Carter
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www.jeffcarterbowling.com
Post by: hanginaten on January 23, 2007, 09:00:46 PM
Post by: BOWL119 on January 23, 2007, 09:04:57 PM
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T.J.
BOWLING IS FUN NO MATTER WHAT YOU SCORE. BUT A 300 IS ALWAYS NICE.
STRIKE ZONE, ONSLAUGHT & PYRO. STAND 22 AND THROW 10 OUT TO 5 AND CRUSH THE POCKET. AT LEAST THAT IS THE PLAN OF THE NIGHT...
GOOD LUCK AND GOOD BOWLING!!!
Post by: qstick777 on January 23, 2007, 11:25:36 PM
quote:
If you think those wages are low, Think about our service men/women.
In 1985, I was an E-5 in the US Navy. My pay at that time was $1,085 a MONTH.
I wonder what it is now?
http://www.dod.mil/militarypay/pay/bp/paytables/Jan2006_Basic_Pay.html
Starts at $1814.10 up to $2526.60 per month.
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