Uh, youth bowling isn't doing too bad....

I actually bowled a scratch sweeper yesterday with a pretty good turnout.

Sean Rash had some interesting comments about "the tour".  He said people kept saying the tour is nothing like it was in the 70s and 80s when they traveled across the USA.  Sorta like the comments the poster mentioned.  Sean's reply:  It's now a worldwide tour.  He said he bowls approx 40 weeks a year around the world.  He's got to see parts of the world he never dreamed of seeing.  He's glad it is not a USA only tour. 

As we are seeing.  The are good bowlers all over the world.  Sweden, Australia, Britain and Japan to name a few.  Just need to look at it differently.  Sure it's not on TV every Saturday but it's on TV a lot.

I have to agree with this. I can't remember a time before the USBC that the Japan Open or any other international tournament was aired (whether on network/broadcast TV, YouTube, or otherwise). For the past 3 years or more, we've been treated to:

• Various Collegiate Tournaments,
• Aforementioned Japan Cup,
• QubicaAMF World Cup,
• TeamUSA Trials,
• World Men's/Women's Championship,
• World Youth Bowling Championship, and
• the Relaunched PWBA.

I know there are a few others I'm missing. But I don't see any of that happening without the USBC bringing the ABC, WIBC, and YABA under one roof.

Up in Portland, there are a few that are being built, with one currently closed for rebuilding. It was 12 years ago when The Strike Zone at Sunset Station here in Vegas was built. So yes, there are alleys being built. If one is expecting a 1:1 ratio for openings and closures, that's going to be a stretch, given the number of outlets for entertainment these days. But they definitely are being built overseas.

BL.

Maybe it should be RIP USBC. Ever since they moved in with the BPOA its been less bowler and more propreiter. I would welcome a true representation alternative.

The USBC (either in its current form or some other alternative) is something that is absolutely necessary for bowling.  A governing body is essential for maintaining consistency in the sport.  Without some sort of organization putting forth the effort of establishing rules and guidelines, the sport would collapse and bowling alleys would become nothing more than arcade type venues and eventually disappear into obscurity.

The USBC is not a perfect organization, but there really is no perfect organization.  The biggest issue I have with sanctioned bowling is the lack of officiating/referees.  Each and every league night I bowl the rules are being broken, or people simply don't know the rules of the game and make it up as they go along.  League officers don't want to ruffle any feathers, and the bowling proprietors don't want to irritate customers and lose any...so people get away with murder.  I would be all for USBC requiring referees to patrol the lanes during leagues to enforce the rules.  They could be volunteers, or people that get paid minimum wage to be at the lanes during league times to help settle rules issues.  A rotating schedule would ensure that several people get a chance to be a ref and not the same people each night.  A very small increase in lineage by the center would easily cover the expense for these officials.  It would be a presence the USBC doesn't currently have at the grass roots level and a reminder that they are out there in force.

It's amusing to hear people talk about how great youth bowling is doing when total membership has been in a free fall for decades. I guess it has to bottom out somewhere and at roughly 1.7 million members maybe we are getting close. Ignoring local association tournaments for a moment, we've been told about national USBC tournaments being self sufficient, however, I suspect if tournament side of the business were actually charged back for all the technology and human resources they utilized you would find membership  dollars supporting those events and would likely be much less profitable. The reality is the USBC will have to continue raising dues indefinitely because there are no signs of growth and they keep doing the same lame programs/marketing that have done exactly nothing for years. USBC as it exists today is a complete disaster and just like spmcgivern suggested...I am voting with my wallet if the increase is approved because it's a complete waste of financial resources to give this incompetent organization more money without a plan that holds leadership accountable for results.

What would you do differently?

Quote from: morpheus on April 26, 2016, 09:07:40 AM

It's amusing to hear people talk about how great youth bowling is doing when total membership has been in a free fall for decades. I guess it has to bottom out somewhere and at roughly 1.7 million members maybe we are getting close. Ignoring local association tournaments for a moment, we've been told about national USBC tournaments being self sufficient, however, I suspect if tournament side of the business were actually charged back for all the technology and human resources they utilized you would find membership  dollars supporting those events and would likely be much less profitable. The reality is the USBC will have to continue raising dues indefinitely because there are no signs of growth and they keep doing the same lame programs/marketing that have done exactly nothing for years. USBC as it exists today is a complete disaster and just like spmcgivern suggested...I am voting with my wallet if the increase is approved because it's a complete waste of financial resources to give this incompetent organization more money without a plan that holds leadership accountable for results.

What would you do differently?

First and foremost, we need transparency into current financial budgets and the real cost of programs which Mr. Murphy has consistently been unwilling to provide likely because members might not like where dollars are really being spent. The USBC is a membership organization so when they are not transparent with the members they supposedly serve, I'm going to assume they are hiding something.

1. Is the USBC paying for employees to attend the Open Championships?
2. How much money is being spent this year to send delegates all expense paid to attend the convention in hopes they will vote yes to an increase? (Mr. Murphy has been asked this question on multiple occasions and declined to answer)
3. Are they going to sponsor delegates every year or just this year in an attempt to influence the vote?
4. According to Mr. Murphy, technology costs are the single biggest expense for the organization so how much of that budget is for technology used to support tournaments?

Second, if they want more money, outline how the additional funds will be spent, how that translates into growing or retaining membership and who's accountable for the success or failure of these investments. If there were plan in place with accountability, I'd pay $50 a year, but they want membership to pony up more money just because they need it?

Third, I think the tournament side of the organization should be a separate organization since it's "self sustaining" and should not be the responsibility of the governing body of the sport.

I realize none of this is going to happen and there will be a steady stream of USBC apologists saying it's only $5, but that really isn't the point.

The difficulty with expecting kids to move up to adult leagues is that life often gets in the way. I bowled from about 4 years old until 18 but then went away for school and then started working it just wasn't conducive to bowling. I came back this year after about 10 years as I have a bit more time and have the money to easily get to bowling and play at a decent level. There's a number of younger guys in my league who have returned now that they're a bit older. I don't see people stopping bowling at 65, there's guys in my league who are 90 and many over 70, they may not be great anymore but they still pay their dues and fill the lanes, most bowl more games a week then I do.