League membership and technology are two completely separate discussions. League participation has infinitely more to do with socioeconomic factors and the overall changing American society.
Technology is neither good nor bad, it is simply inevitable. Sports that don't embrace or find a way to coexist with technology, or change in general, end up dying. Name any major or even mid-level sport and I can probably give you no fewer than five significant changes in that sport. Sports that haven't changed? Badminton, shuffleboard, etc. And no one plays them.
In bowling, technology has made scoring easier on THC. But if you don't bowl on an easy THC, technology has forced people to do a lot more thinking. I don't get the comments I see from time to time that bowlers used their heads more pre-resin -- the opposite is true. The physical game isn't as important these days but the mental game, as in knowing your equipment and being able to play all over the lane, is much more important.
Resin has decreased the need for laser-like accuracy, but on modified house shots, sport shots and PBA shots, it has increased the need for the bowler to be able to play all over the lane and do it well.
Whether that's better or worse is a matter of personal viewpoint. I like it. This game holds a lot more for me now than it did pre-resin. I'm mentally challenged on a higher level and that appeals to me. Having retro tournaments is appealing but I wouldn't want that to become the norm again. Move forward, not backward.
Jess
