I think that unless the owners of the PBA drastically change what they're doing with the tour it will surely die.  Limiting the number of participants seems to me to be counter-productive.  They should be opening it up to more people, not a select group of 57 or whatever it is.  (not counting the commissioners exemptions, etc.)  The PBA killed the senior tour, the women's tour and the regular tour is next, imo.  

They need to find more money, however all the real money is already committed to the NBA, NFL, NHL (if it doesn't die), NASCAR, etc.  Face it folks, there is a finite supply of money and most of it is already committed.  

Bowling at one time got a pretty decent TV slot.  If you haven't noticed, that is no longer true.  Not too many potential viewers at 10 on Sunday morning.  Why?  It's basically a pretty boring sport (to the non-addict) without much money involved.  To the non-bowler what you see is "grab ball, throw ball, repeat."  Only a few of us really can appreciate the nuances of the game and what the pros do on TV.  Add to that the recurring cast of characters (so much for the fans identifying with particular bowlers - I just don't think that has or is going to happen.)  On top of that is the attitude of most recreational/part-time bowlers that what the pros do isn't all that special - they see Henry Gomer do it in the Tuesday night league all the time.  

I'm sorry, but I just don't hold out much hope for our sport ever becoming a legit, big-money, big market share sport.  I think economics and population dynamics will spell the end of the PBA.
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"If one tells the truth, one is sure sooner or later to be found out. " (Oscar Wilde)
"Today I bent the truth to be kind, and I have no regrets, for I am far surer of what is kind than I am of what is true." (Robert Brault)

Uh hector, maybe in your area it is, but bowling in the nation as a whole isn't exactly booming and rising in popularity dramatically.  Not to mention, the money IS a big part of it.  Case in point, Rick Lawrence.  He has to have a normal job because being one of the top 60 bowlers in the world, doesn't allow him to feed his family.  Money is a BIG issue.  Unlike other sports, you don't have security once you become pro.  Look at the bench warmers of the pro sports, they make hundreds of thousands even if they never see the field.  The best bowler in the world WISHES to make that much.

I don't want to say this, but you seem a little naive in thinking that there are really that many people who care about the PBA and will keep it alive forever.  Most average people don't even know it exists, and all the Joe Bowlers don't really care about it.  Rags was right, it is a fact that there are many league hacks who look at the pros and think "that's nothing special".  Most people simply don't care about lane patterns, and ball technology.  Kenny Stewart over there just threw a 300, those guys on TV didn't even shoot over 240.  What makes them special?  THat's what most league hacks think, and especially non-bowlers.
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- Andy


Brunswick...........'nuff said.

Edited on 6/27/2005 10:53 PM

I like Micheal Haugen Jr. and Barnes to be there.
As far as it being a boring sport and that most fans not understanding the nuances of the game, the same can be said for baseball however I don't see that going anywhere soon.
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Whether you think you can, or whether you think you can't... you're probably right.

Just some thoughts random thoughts here....

Bowling has never been a big money sport. The payouts have always paled in comparison to sports such as basketball, golf, football, etc. So to say that payouts are not much is not news. Even in bowling's heyday this wasn't a surprise.

The exemption was I think one of the best things to happen to the sport. What is does is prevent Joe Gomer bowler who thinks he may be hot stuff in league one night a week from competing on a level he doesn't belong in. It, to an extent, preserves the integrity of the game. Everybody in every city knows who the house bowlers are if you are in the loop. You know who the guys are who if you take them out of House A to House B, they can't do squat. They can feed their egos there but on the PBA, it's a whole different ball game.

Nothing in life that has any value is just given to you. These pros, make no mistake, chose to be on the PBA despite the payscale that it has. They dedicate themselves to the sport to be at the level they are at. They love this sport and there are people all over this darn globe that have a burning white passion for this sport. They keep coming despite the money. How do you explain all these young kids aspiring to be pros and making the shift from amatuer to professional?

The program shift was also genius. What the PBA is doing is giving this sport what it needs to grow. It is giving it a new face. The lights, the music, giving the players personalities so that the fans can relate. If the fans cannot see themselves in these pros, if they cannot relate on some level then the sport will fail. Basketball though suffering a tad now was made great by people being able to relate and associate to the greats like Jordan, Bird, Marovich, Jabar and the like. People who had a massive commitment to their profession. And their achievements are mere moments in time compared to the sacrifices they made for those moments. We didn't just see Bird and Jordan playing basketball, they had interviews on and off the court, we heard about them on and off season.

Before the program shift, I knew very little about a lot of pros. But tell one person who is either a pro or aspiring to be one that doesn't look at a champion winning a title and visualizes himself in that moment? That is one of the moments I (and I am sure I am not the only) ... so we play for and we dedicate ourselves for. Look at Tiger Woods. Why is he so popular? He's humanized. We can relate to him on some level and like him or not, he's made massive commitments and dedication to be where he is at. This sport will always have a following as long as the PBA keeps the standard of competition high and they let us see the players more than just on the lanes.

If exemptions, flashing lights, off stage interviews and odd ball tournaments are the way to keep it going, then so be it. Progress is progress. How many people initially balked at the baseball strike and interleague play and thought the sport was doomed? How many look at the salary cap issue and still believe it is doomed? Baseball keeps going. Football went through the same things. The sports will never be the same but they are still here. Bowling is the most popular participatory sport in the country. It isn't going anywhere and neither for that matter is the PBA.

Matthew P. Klein
Visionary Test Staff Member
http://www.visionarybowling.com