I've seen time and again where this question is asked! There have been a lot of good answers .. also a lot of suggestion to fix it .. but always pointing to someone else that can fix it.
There is one reason for the death of bowling that everyone seems to ignore. I'd like to point it out as I did when it first started.
Ebonite fixing the prices on bowling balls!
Don't you think that this is putting a damper on the growth of bowling? It may have saved some B/M shops but if it turns off bowlers .. who are these shops going to sell too? It's not bad enough that we have few NEW bowlers we are losing League bowlers by the truck load.
Maybe it can't be tied directly to the Ebonite policy but I look at the prices of the balls coming out of the Ebonite family and it's hard to believe. Prices that once were considered REDICULOUS from Lane 1 are totally accepted now!
This is just my 2 cents!

That is true.  In this day and age you just have to be happy to still have bowling centers in your area.

Has anyone actually sent out a "scientific" survey asking bowlers why they quit bowling leagues?  I guess the USBC could do it based on sanctioning statistics.  That would be interesting to see.

Using me as an example, I used to bowl 3 nights a week.  I now just sub in a house league and bowl in a PBA league (both on the same night).  My reason was because I had 2 surgeries on my wrist.  Getting frustrated with all the high scores didn't hurt either but it is mostly a physical reason.

Joe,
   You can take your sarcasm and stick it where the sun don't shine.
 
I may have been harsh in my reply, bu that is only because you trot out this subject every 3-4 months. And everytime you do, you get told the same things over and over. All Ebonite did was take away those internet stores that would sell bowling balls for an ungodly cheap price at the expense of the brick and mortar Pro Shops and even other internet sites that tried to sell balls at a reasonable rate. These sites were a dime a dozen and not true customers to the ball companies. In other words, they were bad for the business as a whole. Ebonite did the right thing, and, as it has been pointed out to you time and time again, did nothing that doesn't happen in other retail industries. So please tell me why we have to see this from over and over again. You like super cheap bowling balls, we get it. You are too cheap to buy what are still cheap prices on the internet now that will allow true competition between brick and mortar sellers and every internet site, we get it. But you are the very small minority. You want to know what is killing bowling, people like you that think they should get something for next to nothing instead of paying a fair price.

Jesus.  Who cares about this crap?  Bowlers whine about more stuff than in any other sport.  Who the hell plays hardball or softball in league with hopes of getting rich?  Do golfers bitch as much about $300 drivers as much as bowlers bitch about $175 dollar balls?  How about those $350 bats, Joe?

People who bitch about USBC are the ones that can't even be bothered to go to their annual league meeting before the start of the season.  They just sit back and let everybody else setup everything up so they can come in, shoe up, bowl, bitch about there's too much oil or too lttle oil without once trying different hand position or spot on the lane, then leave.  They bitch about getting jobbed for $19 every year, they piss that away every month on lottery tickets that don't return a dime.

There's more than enough tournaments one can compete in if one is looking to make money.  There's more than enough leagues to find one that will suit what you're looking for.  If you don't like the way bowling is going, volunteer to coach or help coach the high school team or other youth bowlers.  Show them the right way to do it, tell them what bowling used to be and should be about. 

Do anything you want but for crying out loud, stop bitching about it!   

Gentlemen,  please take it easy on Joe...Yes it's true that Joe may be a little bit
old school...But one must see his point...

For years Dist. had their fronts...Their online dealers...And they footballed
bowling balls to the public { people like Joe } at Pro shop cost...

Now most people who bought or buy online, do not believe they are buying the ball for the same price a Pro Shop pays...

They think if they are buying a new HP ball for $130, a Pro Shop is probably
paying $80....And selling the ball for $200...But it just AIN'T so...

So when Ebonite and Storm set their prices for their balls...Forcing online
shops  { DIST. } to sell balls for about $20 more to the public...People like Joe
felt screwed...

Now someone said people like Joe are bad for bowling...I disagree...

Hard core bowlers like Joe were the ones who made bowling a great game...

What my friend Joe forgets is that for many years He like all bowlers
bought their balls in Pro Shops...Or at K-Mart...At full price...

And it wasn't until dirty dist.  known as the dirty 6 actually 7, started their online FRONTS,  and started selling to the public at the same price as they sold to their Pro Shops..

And after about 12-14 years buying at these low footballed prices...People
like Joe now feel cheated...

And this is the reason Joe is so anti Ebonite...

Don't blame people like Joe...

Blame the Dirty 6 actually 7 dist. that started footballing the price of
bowling balls...They are the ones who created this pricing mess...

Companies like Ebonite and Storm are trying to stop this and return
bowling back to a profitable business...

You can blame a lot of things;the cost of equipment, public apathy towards bowling,the choices of entertainment,the usbc,etc, but currently I personally think it is the economy,because it has effected me to where I used to bowl two nights a week,and sub a third,to where I don't bowl no more. Have had to switch careers and currently working the night shift,with no possible chance to day shift anytime soon. Things are getting better now,but I don't see my self bowling soon,at least till May when we do our state tournament.

Granted im sure this has been said in the 4 pages prior to this

Bowling balls - $100-200 bucks.  Most people have 2-3
Shoes- $60-200 bucks
Bag -$ 100 bucks

I bowl in one league it costs 26 dollars for team, and 10 bucks for optional singles & doubles league.  10 dollars for pots, eliminator, 6 dollars for a card game.  So 52 bucks a week (occasional beer & food extra)  Youre looking at over 1800 bucks gone just for bowling in one 36 week league.  Not counting gas money or anything else. 

Of course you're going to get some of that back, but every year lineage fees go up, and people vote against paying more each week since it is already so expensive.