I don't think it's just today . . I think I have a problem . .

A little long winded today, eh?

Just how much longer or shorter are we making these steps . . cause I'm pretty sure there's an easier way to do it. 

The first step, whether up or back, to recovery is admitting you have a problem

The only people disappointed by bowling are the people that want it to be something else.  Those that appreciate it for what it is aren't complaining about it.

Not issuing a challenge, just asking a question, I respect what you say and am not trying to be argumentative, but isn't a lot of the fun of watching professional sports derived from seeing people do exceptional things that can't be done by the vast majority of the population?  I don't see local guys playing baseball throwing 95mph OR hitting that pitch 425 feet up into the stands.  I don't see city league bball players regularly draining 30 footers or faking people out of their shoes.  But everytime I go to a bowling alley I can see somebody shooting 300 or 800, and regularly hear, "If I was on staff with Storm and got free balls I could be out there too," because they don't understand the real challenge or the skill required.  It's obvious watching other sports that the regular guy isn't going to dunk on a 7 footer, guys can barely hit 70 mph pitches at the batting cages, I know I'm sure as hell not going to blow through a 300 pound lineman or drop a 220 foot shot with a 7 iron a few feet from the cup completely blind and uphill.  Maybe my perspective isn't shared by many, but I don't think many people have any interest in watching something they can do themselves unless they're REALLY into it.  Bowling pros aren't impressive unless you really know your stuff. 

It doesn't now, never has, and likely never will have anything to do with scoring or lane conditions.  45 years ago scoring was at a lot lower level on both the tour and locally, but there were still dozens of guys in every large association who were scoring as good as the guys on tv. 

I always thought that bowling got the caliber of talent that it paid for on tour.  If tour stops had been paying 100,000 in the 70's and more than 20 guys could make a decent living out there we would probably have seen a pretty major change in faces as the incentive to try the tour increased. 

Bowling is what it is, and there are a lot more forms of participatory entertainment venues available to people now than when I was young.  Bowling still gets a respectable following, that is in some ways dis proportionate to the money, but there is no way it can ever be what it was during the boom of the 50's and 60's

I agree totally Gizmo about wanting to watch athletes do things that the rest of us cant.  My point is that bowling never was that way.  It isn't about guys jumping higher, running faster, or being stronger.  A lot of people watched bowling on tv in the 60's and 70's, and those pros didn't score any better than you could see if you went down and watched the best scratch league in town at the time. 

There was a local golf tournament in town the past weekend.  I didn't go out this year, but in the past I have.  There are normally 20 guys out there who to my eye look like they could be on tour, but none have ever even had a tour card.  They drive the ball long and straight with good looking swings, and they knock down puts.  Of course I understand the difference between Pebble Beach and a 6700 yard muni, but these guys look just as amazing as the guys on tv.  Same with bowling.

Like I said, bowling is what it is.    I love the game, and am sad that not enough others get interested in it to keep it as viable on a competitive level as I would hope     

I would rather bowl than watch on tv, but I feel the same way about golf. 

A couple of thoughts come to mind with me.

Issue #1: I see the issue with competitive that it cost too much. A bowler is required to have an arsenal and update it every year. Also, routine maintenance is required for today's balls. This doesn't help either.  All this costs a lot of money.
 
Issue #2: THS is so wide spread now that most bowling centers in the country don't offer anything close to sport patterns. A bowler who only practices on THS is not going to excel on the tougher conditions. Its a huge learning curve. (Not just executing but also the mental side too).