This is one of those rare cases when everyone is right. Ebonite is indeed a business and owes no one anything in regards to staying in business beyond providing a product the public will buy. But fast-dying bowling balls are a real problem and the market is over-saturated with product.
Here's the real problem: Not everyone is a "ball whore" who invests $200-$400 in arsenal equipment every year. Of the league bowlers I'm around -- even the ones of fairly high ability -- only about 10-20 percent frequently buy new gear. Far more of them buy a ball every couple of years no matter how many times per week they bowl. And then there are the ones that only buy stuff when their old balls literally break I just finished bowling against a guy Monday night who is booking 200-210 with a purple Quake.
The person it screws over is the guy who drops $200 on a ball and thinks he's made a long-term investment because that's the way the game was during his youth. He goes out and rolls lights-out for 50 games while the ball is fresh, but then starts getting ball death and by the second year, he's now rolling something that doesn't perform. Unless he's aware of WHY this is happening, he may very well get frustrated with the game and question his abilities.
And then we get easier lane conditions, and are left to wonder why (it's no mystery -- the house puts out something everyone can score on, since not everyone can buy balls necessary to play more difficult shots).
FWIW, I don't believe all ball companies experience "ball death" the same way. From personal observation, it is more prevalent in Ebonite gear than the others.
Jess
