With all the talk about fans making noise in the audience, I wondered if I was the only person thinking that the professionals that complain about noise in the crowd are ore akin to primadonnas than solid athletes. The truth is that they step on the approach, walk up to the line and throw  the ball.

Last I checked, noise has no impact on them walking to the line or rolling the ball. If not hearing is so important, they should put in ear plugs.

They are just looking for an excuse for their own failure. 

Enter a tournament with 50k for 1st...see how much things affect you.

Was gonna post this myself
+1000

If you're good enough to bowl for first, it shouldn't bother you at all.  I've never understood how stuff bothers people when they are bowling...all these 3 lane courtesy people and the sort.  I don't care if someone bowls next to me as long as they don't walk into my lane. 

I'm not a great bowler by any means, but I have 7 (I think) 300 games and only once have I gotten to the 10th and not finished it out (no 291-299 games - always hit the 12th one).  Sometimes everyone is watching; other times nobody is even paying attention.  It's all the same to me.  I don't bowl anchor because I'm the best bowler; I bowl anchor because I'm going to do what I'm going to do regardless of whatever else is going on.  Pressure has never bothered me.  The amount of money on the line isn't going to change that.  Either you can handle the pressure or you can't.  If you're thinking about the money and not the shot, that's a you problem.

Maybe (and I mean maybe) the pressure would get to me if the money was the difference between having food on the table and going hungry for the week, but none of these guys are in that situation.  I think there's more pressure on the guys trying to make something than there is for these top guys with sponsors fighting for first place money vs second place money.  I don't see any pressure - you're set no matter what, so relax and let it rip.

Think of it this way, your bowling league where it's loud at all times no big deal. But then you start your approach and one of the balls falls off the return. Know one can sit here and say that doesn't effect them at all. That is the equivelant of someone coughing when it is dead silent. Also when your the only one bowling and someone moves. That is the same as someone running past you in league one pair over.

I stand by my earlier statement.  If that bothers you, that's a you problem.  Someone talking to their neighbor didn't cause the bad shot, lack of focus did.  Our bowling house on Monday is fairly loud, but when I'm on the approach, I don't hear anything.  I can't explain it.  We have kids running all over the place, a couple guys that like to be loud and obnoxious, it takes a lot to distract me or to get my attention and I'm just a hack bowler.  Pros should be able to deal with anything short of someone screaming right before release.

For those of you so quick to judge and label the pros primadonnas..

You should go out and rent the movie "A League of Ordinary Gentlemen", and see exactly WHY the pros are doing what they are doing. This isn't just a sport to them. This is how they make their living, keep a roof over their heads, and food in their and their families' mouths.

When they have to put their bodies through that much of a beating for the chance to compete in a tournament, let alone win it, they deserve all of the quiet that they need to perform at their best. We only see the end result on TV; they see the ability to keep their lives going. They have a hell of a lot more at stake than keeping us entertained for 2 hours out of a week.

BL.

Should have the crowd making constant noise that way they cant get distracted by "noise"

they did that back in all of the tournaments in the late 90s. That didn't turn out that well.. Youtube for Bohn's 300 game at the USBC Masters. You'll hear them doing that then..

BL.

Its not so much the noise but the situation. I can watch tv all day,but I can't stand to here it when I'm trying to sleep. In league or qualifying there is constant noise and moving so its a part of the situation when there is some occurance on tv when on the approach you are in a vacuum,a bubble if you will, a sudden movement breaks that bubble. Would you want someone to bust your bubble with 50000 on the line.

Now could they be more gracious, I suppose,but how gracious are most people. Are you gracious when you are waken from a sound sleep or the door bell rings and you are in the middle of something. Imagine how you'd feel if your lively hood were at stake.

And some of you guys make zero sense, you've got a completely childish mentality.  So you're saying that all the very best bowlers in the world, all of which have a problem with sudden crowd noise and/or movement, ALL OF THEM, are mentally weak or are unable to handle the pressure?  It's like a kid thinking their parents are stupid for saying no to something.  The kid thinks, "well I can't see the danger, so there must not be any, my parents are just idiots."  This is the same thing, if the pros have that much trouble with it, wouldn't you think there's something going on there that you just don't understand?  To look at it with your league bowler, I always get the 12th ball to fall, I don't feel pressure mentality and apply that to people in completely different situations with completely different things at stake and on the line and say they're just soft or overly sensitive to something is so insanely ignorant that it's immeasurable.  You're basically saying that Walter Ray, Pete Weber, Parker, Chris Barnes, Mika, Rash, Belmonte, and every other pro who has ever competed is mentally weak and too sensitive in favor of your own ignorant theory.  Wow.  I've never thrown a shot worth anything close to what they do on a regular basis, and I don't feel pressure at league either, but if they all have an issue with it, I'm gonna take their word for it and try to understand what makes it such a big deal instead of automatically assuming the best bowlers in the world all have severe focus and performance issues . . wow.