What happened to bowling

[fordman1]

I have a few theories the first is that the reactive balls maybe even urethane balls ruined bowling.
They changed how much the top bowlers and the lower average bowlers scored.
In the old days the average Joe was 150 to 165 with the good bowler being 190 to 200.
With the advent of the high tech balls the average Joe went to 175-190 and the big shooter went to 220 to 240. When the big shooter in your league averages higher than you life time high game you give up.

Cost hurt it isn't cheap to bowl in a good league anymore. Remember that the cost of living has not gone up in 30-40 years. Bowling has.

One other thing is top heavy stacked team leagues getting all the prize money.

[Amyers]

The main reason is the destruction of the American middle class factory worker and changes to our life style. The Average bowler never competed with the big boys is the past and wont in the future. Does it really matter if you lose 160-200 or 185-225. Modern work schedules make people feel like there is no time for regularly scheduled event add in the cell phones that make everyone feel like their life is a constant buzz and the average joe just no longer has the time. Factor in money where no one gets raises that keep up with the cost of living and extra activities are going to get cut. Bowling is taking it hardest but it's simply because our demographic was the most fragile. Your beginning to see it in golf and tennis now also.

[NewToBowling]

I'm new to bowling so take this with a grain of salt but people's lifestyles have changed. It isn't due to higher scoring or monster hook balls. There are just more ways for people to spend their time and money. Bowling as a recreation (open bowling) is fine in this area. Leagues do need to change their schedule. Newcomers don't want to commit 30+ weeks. Split seasons should become the norm.

This is all theoretical but even if reactive resin or THS never came about we would still see the same decline in bowling, heck it might even be more pronounced.

[got_a_300]

I agree with what Amyers said people just do not have the time
or money to bowl with nowadays.

I used to bowl 7 nights a week back in the late 80's thru the late
90's but it has become way too expensive to try that now as the
bowling center(s) have raised their linage so high and the costs
of equipment is so high also.

Back in the good ol' days you could bowl on a league for somewhere
around $6.00 to $9.00 per league but now days it is anywhere from
$12.00 on the low end to $20.00 to $30.00+ per league per night.

[mc_runner]

Amyers nailed it. Costs going up (how many people can bowl seriously for years with 1 ball anymore?), time going down, and the constant "go" of life has interfered with commitment-based activities. With so many other distractions in modern life... tv, internet, phones (all of which also cost money), something has to go.

bowling, amongst most other sports was going to drop significantly which we've seen. It will balance out at a point, and reinvestment in the youth program can/will help.

[J Anderson]

I have a few theories the first is that the reactive balls maybe even urethane balls ruined bowling.
They changed how much the top bowlers and the lower average bowlers scored.
In the old days the average Joe was 150 to 165 with the good bowler being 190 to 200.
With the advent of the high tech balls the average Joe went to 175-190 and the big shooter went to 220 to 240. When the big shooter in your league averages higher than you life time high game you give up.

Cost hurt it isn't cheap to bowl in a good league anymore. Remember that the cost of living has not gone up in 30-40 years. Bowling has.

One other thing is top heavy stacked team leagues getting all the prize money.

The cost of living hasn't gone up in 30-40 years?! Seriously!

I think one of the big factors is that 30-40 years ago most adults had jobs with regular hours. With the decline in manufacturing, and retail businesses juggling their employees' hours to minimize the number qualifying for full benefits, fewer people can commit to 34 to 36 weeks of league. More people either have jobs where the times they start and stop change from day to day, often on very short notice, or they need to work two or three part time jobs to make ends meet. More hours working, more hours commuting equals less time for bowling.

[bowl1820]

The decline of bowling is not the fault of the ABC/USBC or the proprietors or the ball manufactures. It's was changing demographic's and the sponsor money going to the sport drying up.

Bowling was/is a blue collar sport that was one of the few sports easily accessible to masses at the time, it was the sport of "Happy Day's" & "Archie Bunker".

But the times changed, blue collar 9-5 jobs started fading away, working hours changed, costs rose, new sports and activities arrived that caught the youths and public attention. As the new sports and activities grew in popularity, They caught the attention of the media and the sponsors and their money.

So bowling started losing players and sponsors money.

[NewToBowling]

I'll be honest not sure how anyone who pays for open bowling rates ever come back short of date night or once-in-a-while night out with friends. $5-6 games and upwards of $8-9 on prime weeknights. Add in $4 shoes and it gets pretty expensive. As a casual bowler not sure how many times one would go bowling without league rate discount.

I've seen people in front of me paying for their games and being close to $180-200. Ouch.

[mishatx]

Lineage for open bowling, anyway, around here seems to have matched inflation. The only place that's more expensive in real dollars than it was 20 years ago is the place that put in automatic scoring in the mean time.
Now certainly, something like 3 centers have closed down in that time.
Bowling is still a very popular once-in-a-while recreational activity (3 centers have closed but like 4 or 5 "family fun centers" have opened that have a few lanes along with bumper cars, video games, movies, etc - but no pro shops and no leagues), but I do agree there's been culture and demographic shifts that are causing leagues to suffer. Heck, I'm one of those - I just don't think I can commit to a whole season of showing up once a week, let alone practice and what else. I only consider it at all since I live 2 miles from the center. As our population spreads out and centers shut down due to rising property costs, that adds to the time investment of joining a team.

[got_a_300]

I'll be honest not sure how anyone who pays for open bowling rates ever come back short of date night or once-in-a-while night out with friends. $5-6 games and upwards of $8-9 on prime weeknights. Add in $4 shoes and it gets pretty expensive. As a casual bowler not sure how many times one would go bowling without league rate discount.

I've seen people in front of me paying for their games and being close to $180-200. Ouch.

If our rates were that high around here I'd never be open bowling we only pay $1.25+tax which
comes out to $1.37 per game league rate or for non league bowlers it is $2.25 per game + tax
which makes it $2.47 per game not too bad.

[fokai73]

My top 10 reasons.....

1. Technology.
Before Play station, yes my generation had Atari and Nintendo, I'll add PS1.... We played outside and did things socially. Today with online gaming, these kids have friends they never met. SOCIAL outdoor activities on the decline. We'd play street football, baseball, head to the court to play basketball, and some times find ourselves at the bowling alley. Just needed someone to drive us there lol.

2. Factory workers declined the past decades, but they are slowly coming back to America.. There's hope...
I don't have to explain this, it has been mentioned already. But with more factory jobs rise, hopefully "happy days" will be back on the lanes.

3. Houses cater to rec bowlers these days compared to the past...
When I left the game of bowling in 1990, I'd go to an alley with friends for some fun times (through the 90's). but we get turned away by the house because leagues were going on. yet there was 6 pairs open. Some houses wouldn't even let use bowl until all the league members all were done!! Today, only a pair separates us league bowler from the rec bowlers. half the house would be full of rec bowlers while we are still in play.

4. sponsors left....
well, here in the Mainland having a sponsor is like finding a fossil in the Utah beaches

5. Money
From the prices going up to spending money for motel/hotel, travel, fees, ect... for a small or no return.... it's easier to make money washing cars every weekend, than cashing in a tourney. Travel league has gotten expensive...

6. Image of bowlers
Majority of league bowlers are viewed as a fat, alcoholic, smoker, uneducated, loud mouth, sloppy, dorky, nerdy, butt crack flasher, not an athlete, and I can go on and on. These are not made up by me, these were spoken by people around me through the years.

7. Good bowling owners are dead or on their way out of the business.
these people were the ones that made league bowling in the past so tempting and loved my many. they took care of us league bowlers. Though I wasn't bowling, I hung out at the local alley and I always came home smelling like smoke! lol. There was a waiting list to join leagues.

8. Attitude.
bowlers want instant results, high averages, easy house shots. Scratch leagues are rare nowadays and the good bowlers slowly left the game. I have three friends who are excellent bowlers who just left the game. All because scratch leagues are gone. Basically, bowling chased away many good bowlers.

9. careers and education
many bowlers I know who left the game did so because of their job. Decided on continuing their education. Or get a second job to pay for their kids education. Fagan left the PBA to get his masters degree?? I don't remember.

10. Tiger Woods
LOL I played golf about the time I left bowling. Golf wasn't as popular as bowling. Tee times was so easy to reserve on the weekends. Then tiger woods came along. Then over the years I would see my friends who were still bowlers at the time on the courses more and more. (I played 4 to 5 times a week for many years, left golf in 2009 R7 last set) These guys fell in love with golf and left bowling behind.....

These are just my opinion. But I do wish things turn around for league bowlers. The good new is, there is one private house here that loves league bowlers and offers many incentives for us league bowlers.

[fordman1]

Only have a minute but for John Anderson. I mistyped I meant Kept up not went up. Sorry!

[LOUVIT]

I have a few theories the first is that the reactive balls maybe even urethane balls ruined bowling.
They changed how much the top bowlers and the lower average bowlers scored.
In the old days the average Joe was 150 to 165 with the good bowler being 190 to 200.
With the advent of the high tech balls the average Joe went to 175-190 and the big shooter went to 220 to 240. When the big shooter in your league averages higher than you life time high game you give up.

Cost hurt it isn't cheap to bowl in a good league anymore. Remember that the cost of living has not gone up in 30-40 years. Bowling has.

One other thing is top heavy stacked team leagues getting all the prize money.

I cannot agree more, 40 years ago I'd bowl anyone with my plastic ball with a 180-190 average. Now after coming back after a 25 year layoff you have to be a mathematician or scientist to bowl good. I bowled action all over in the late 70's and 80's and when I came back I had no clue that the game changed so much.

As far as cost if you are not working day's I pay a buck a game mon, tues and thurs. 9 am to 1 pm and 1 pm to 4pm

[fordman1]

Thanks Lou I worked in one of those "factory's" and we had about 5,500 workers in the late 60's. We had 2 morning leagues, and evening and late night league all with 16 teams. Along came automation and designers who made one part fit all the cars and 5,000 of those workers were gone.

The cost of living "wages" got stagnant and everything else went up and the leagues died.

Back then if you were a 165-170 bowler you were pretty good. a 190 bowler you were a real good league bowler. Pro bowlers were just a little over 200. Now the average bowler isn't much better but the others have gone up a ton. I read a USBC report that said the average of all bowlers is now 172 or so.

I can actually remember 3 guys my size could sit in the front and back of a car. Now you have to be a little kid to ride in the back seat. Fort Carson Co. I had a 1959 Pontiac Bonneville. If It would have had a oven I could have lived in it.

[Blomer]

Being fairly new o bowling, 4 years in, I would say cost and time is a huge factors. One league I bowl in. One out to be right around $18 a night. Gen I can find a league like the one I bowl in on sundays for $10. But time is also a factor. For those who work then need to take care kids, some may have two jobs. Then the closest bowling alley might not be too close. Bowling alleys are being closed quickly and then those they get bought out raise the rates.

[KYDave]

Around here most of the money is made on nightclub bowling.

My biggest problem is time during the week. Being a FSE I never know for sure when I'm getting off work or where I will be. Makes it a bit difficult to be on a long league. I think the split league is an awesome idea. Would be much easier for me to make 12 weeks vs 36 weeks on a regular basis.

My other problem is lane maintenance. Sticky approaches from grime and lanes and equipment that are not maintained well. It was a rare occurrence to get scratches and nicks on my ball. Now it is all the time and very frustrating. Some have been bad enough to warrant repair, others just enough to make you mad. Nevermind the fact it is difficult to get lanes that have been ran anytime recently, especially on weekends. I'm going tomorrow to pick up my urethane ball to add to my arsenal. Lately it seems they will maybe run some oil on the heads and have 30' of backend.

[stargell1]

It's not that people don't have the time to bowl. People MAKE the time to do the things they want to do. People don't exercise because they don't want to. Not because they don't have the time.

Both tennis and bowlings heyday was in the 60's and 70's. High tech equipment ruined both sports.

[J Anderson]

It's not that people don't have the time to bowl. People MAKE the time to do the things they want to do. People don't exercise because they don't want to. Not because they don't have the time.

Both tennis and bowlings heyday was in the 60's and 70's. High tech equipment ruined both sports.

I can certainly agree that most people find both the time and the money to spend on what they really want. However, many people have irregular work schedules and decide that keeping their jobs is more important than bowling. Also those who are in relationships have another persons likes and wishes to consider in deciding how to spend their free time. Those who don't consider them usually find themselves with no need to.

[stargell1]

I can certainly agree that most people find both the time and the money to spend on what they really want. However, many people have irregular work schedules and decide that keeping their jobs is more important than bowling. Also those who are in relationships have another persons likes and wishes to consider in deciding how to spend their free time. Those who don't consider them usually find themselves with no need to.

People had relationships in the 70's as they do now. They also had irregular work schedules. Between 1974 and 1980, my dad worked a mandatory swing shift at a large car factory in Toledo. Swing shift meaning he had to work every shift in a given month.

[J Anderson]

People had relationships in the 70's as they do now. They also had irregular work schedules. Between 1974 and 1980, my dad worked a mandatory swing shift at a large car factory in Toledo. Swing shift meaning he had to work every shift in a given month.

I would guess that your dad knew well in advance what his schedule would be for a given week. From what I read and hear, it has become commonplace for retailers to change employee schedules on very short notice.

[fordman1]

People cant put down their phone long enough to bowl. In 30 years the only sports will be video games. Robots will be doing all the work and every one will be on welfare.

[fordman1]

Baseball is beginning to look like it has seen it better days. Kids don't play any sport anymore unless mom or dad drive them to practice and the game.

[NewToBowling]

The only saving grace for baseball is it's rich history. Beyond that the game doesn't have much redeeming quality. Most people go to the games because they are cheap and it's a fun time to spend at the ballpark, regardless of what is happening on the field.

It was opening night yesterday and no one noticed.

[mishatx]

cheap? Have you tried to take a family of 4 to an MLB game lately?

[NewToBowling]

I have. $5 tickets is cheap to me.