I received this in an email from USBC today so I thought I would share it with all the naysayers of USBC here. 

Now that you are a USBC member, let me remind you of your various membership benefits:

Certified league bowling, where each bowler has a nationally-recognized average

Fun and social opportunities of being a part of one of America's largest participatory sports

State, local and more than a dozen USBC championships and other USBC-certified tournaments. The USBC Open Championships and USBC Women's Championships are the largest participatory sporting events in the world and are open to any USBC member.

Coaching videos from top USBC coaches

Fair, competitive play with USBC-standardized rules and regulations

Confidence that your league money is protected through USBC bonding

Individual and league awards based on standardized achievements

The Member Rewards program provides exclusive savings on USBC sponsor items and services, such as gym memberships, prescriptions, TV packages and so much more!

Supporting great causes like Bowl for the Cure®, Bowlers to Veterans Link and Team USA

I thank you again for becoming a member of the USBC family. Please contact me if you have any questions or need anything.

And if anyone has questions or needs anything, I can give you her name and phone number. 

Same email all USBC sanctioned bowlers receive!

Honestly the only thing that is worth anything there is the bonding of the league money.  There are plenty of great unsanctioned tournaments out there that don't require you to travel across the country to go to (though none quite like the Open Champs, I'll give them that), their "rewards" program is for a bunch of stuff that nobody really uses or buys in the first place, awards have all but disappeared, having a certified league average means NOTHING, because honestly I don't think there's a way to make lane conditions any easier even "illegally," a bunch of league rules that 95% of league bowlers don't know, don't follow, and throw a fit about if you tell them they're breaking one or ten, coaching videos that nobody knows about or watches, and supporting organizations like Susan G. Komen who are only really interested in funding their organization because the business of cancer is booming, and if it's cured, how many people are out of big salary jobs?  Read this: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/03/27/scientists-find-treatment-to-kill-every-kind-cancer-tumor/ and then let's all watch and see how it gets swept under the rug.  You know that only 10% of the money that goes to Komen actually goes towards cancer research?  The rest of it goes towards their cost of operation. 

HOWEVER, a measely 10 bucks to bond league money and allow me to enter the Open Championships?  That's a steal of a deal in my mind.  How much crap do we waste 10 bucks on?  That's the first pitcher of beer on the first night of league.  The same people that have a problem paying sanction dues are the same people that cry when league fees get bumped a buck a week.  They can't afford an extra 33-36 bucks over the course of 9 FREAKING MONTHS, but they can spend 20 bucks a night on booze. 

And that we won't get our 2013-2014 member cards until sometime next February . .

And that we won't get our 2013-2014 member cards until sometime next February . .

And that the cheap printing on the cards will wear off within a month.

I've been trying to get my league to let me sanction it.  I was just gonna let the league save the sanction amount they pay each week.  All USBC does it let you compile your average with all the other bowlers and then allow you to use that in usbc sanctioned events. 

Devil's advocate here (the devil's opinion, not mine): 

Certified league bowling, where each bowler has a nationally-recognized average

Not certain that's worth paying $20/year for, especially since it's not particularly timely nor accurate and doesn't include tournaments. If you were my IT guys, I'd fire you.

Fun and social opportunities of being a part of one of America's largest participatory sports

Except that has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with the USBC. If it did, then you'd be directly responsible and culpable for its decline as well.

State, local and more than a dozen USBC championships and other USBC-certified tournaments. The USBC Open Championships and USBC Women's Championships are the largest participatory sporting events in the world and are open to any USBC member.

The tournament entry fees should pay for those, not me, I don't bowl in them.

Coaching videos from top USBC coaches

Those videos are a waste of time and money. I've found that the only thing that really pays off in any significant way is regular one-on-one coaching with a real live coach. Your certified coaching program is a significant benefit, but the coaches themselves should pay for that. They charge me enough. They can afford to pay you for it.

Fair, competitive play with USBC-standardized rules and regulations

How much per year should we be expected pay and re-pay and re-pay and re-pay ad nauseam to maintain rules that were formally established decades ago and which rarely require significant change?

Confidence that your league money is protected through USBC bonding

What league money. I don't bowl in "big money" leagues. What's left over for the prize fund after linage isn't much. Certainly not worth bonding. Besides, the last time I heard about a local scratch league officer running off with the money, USBC was responsible for nothing and did nothing.

Individual and league awards based on standardized achievements

Except that USBC doesn't really do awards anymore in any significant way and neither does our local association so where's the beef?

The Member Rewards program provides exclusive savings on USBC sponsor items and services, such as gym memberships, prescriptions, TV packages and so much more!

Totally worthless. Whenever I've looked into this I've found I can get the same or better prices on my own.

Supporting great causes like Bowl for the Cure®, Bowlers to Veterans Link and Team USA

But I don't want to do that.

Most that I've read on here, is because of USBC bonding prize fund.
My two leagues last year had the house take care of the prize monies.
Not sure why everyone thinks bonding by the USBC is such a bonus or perk.