Possibly even the entire "sport?"  As soon as I remembered bowling was supposed to be fun, my perspective changed.  I used to aspire to be like the custom jersey wearing dozen ball toting snobs for some reason, I guess it can be seen as a mark of success or "arriving."  What I found out though is that competitive bowlers, or the vast majority of them are like this, and the average bowler doesn't like that.  How much does it suck to go to a tournament and find out you're either on a pair with or bowling next to a team full of matching custom jerseys and KT tape and each bringing in 12 balls?  You know you're going to have to accommodate all their quirks, decipher how many lanes of courtesy to give, figure out how they want the balls arranged in the bowlers area, figure out where you can and can't put your towel, etc.  These elitists are everywhere, and now with high school bowling and collegiate bowling becoming bigger, the uppity snobs are being groomed at a younger age.  It's funny to listen to a 15 year old dog on handicap and complain about their fellow teens and how everything should just be scratch and people should just get better or deal with losing all the time, but at the same time wondering why their little "youth masters" tournaments don't have more entries.

The average bowler doesn't like competitive bowlers, and the competitive bowlers I believe are driving off the very crowd they're trying to obtain.  They keep whining about the decline of bowling and the sorry prize funds, but don't seem to realize that they condescend to, intimidate, criticize, and just flat turn off all those that would possibly be their peers with some coaching and practice.  Nobody wants to turn on the tv and see a bunch of uppity douchebags throwing fits or with all these weird and or showy habits or routines or being "sport pattern snobs" (or the holding your arm out to the side thing some of these college girls are doing which drives me insane).  I think competitive bowlers are actually contributing to or causing the decline of their own brand. 

That's good and rather refreshing information, I'm in a real hot bed for egos apparently.  Again, I DO know great bowlers that are great people, but maybe it seems like it's worse than it really is . . don't really notice the nice people because they aren't making waves, but the elitists are ass enough for 10 people. 

Quote from: avabob on June 01, 2017, 06:41:52 PM

I have been a scratch bowler for over 50 years.  Seems to me you are stereotyping competitive bowlers with a pretty broad brush. Are there bowlers out there who fit your description?  Of course , but for every guy like that I can name 10 who are downright humble about their ability and are glad to help anyone who shows an interest in improving.

 
Agreed. I bowl in 2 scratch leagues and have for many years, and I don't see the behavior discussed in the OP as usual. I see this group as being more humble overall than those you'd find in a typical handicap league. Most competitive bowlers venture out to do higher level  tournaments, and they quickly become acutely aware of their limitations.
 
Like any other setting, you have a few jerks, but that's life in general.
 
I just got back from bowling a PBA50 tournament in Las Vegas, and the guys participating overall were great to be around. I'm not disputing what Luke described, but I just don't see it as the norm. I'm glad I'm not bowling in his neck of the woods.