So will the virus finally kill bowling as we know it?

[bowl1820]

Everyone has said bowling is dying, Being killed by the USBC, Sandbaggers, Cheater balls, Easy conditions and lets face it all the bowlers who complain about the problems and want everything fixed as long as it doesn't affect them or they have to pay for it.

So is Coronavirsus the final straw?

Bowling lanes are closing and leagues cashing out, (It's happening here, House closed for the duration and my league is cashing out) Tournaments canceled etc.

The idea is people will come back next season (assuming the plague is under control by then), But will they? and if they do, will it be in the numbers we have now?

[Aslan]

Great question Bowl1820.

I have to say...I did not think this was going to be a big deal. Just last Thursday, I was boasting on social media that I was celebrating the CoronaVirus by eating at a buffet and then high-fiving a bunch of people at bowling. By Friday, our league was saying that they'd allow players to individually pre-bowl...and today our governor shut down every bowling alley in the State. And now...I have no idea what happens next.

This isn't like anything we've seen before. Either 75,000 people get sick and 2,500 die...and the virus runs it's course and everything gets back to normal by August...or we try to "quarantine" everyone...maybe 24,000 people get sick over the next 6-8 months...maybe only 900 die...and by the end of the year we have a vaccine that helps end the thing.

But, in neither of these scenarios does bowling get back up and running this summer. And...if we continue on the "quarantine" path...those alleys likely won't open in time for Fall leagues. Many of those businesses can't afford to close all summer...to lose all that business. Many bowlers will have lost their jobs by August...their businesses will have closed.

So, to answer your question...I think if this thing ends quickly....like 2-3 weeks quickly...which will shock me...then I think things get back to normal. Bowling will still have its issues with equipment and scoring and pattern consistency, etc... but it will be back. If this lasts until August or later....I have no idea. Honestly, at that point, bowling won't matter anymore because we'll be in the middle of the next Great Depression.

[boatman37]

My center is the only one in reasonable driving distance for me. No idea how long they can stay closed without going out of business but if it closes I'm probably done. There is a place about 20 miles away that I thought had closed but apparently they are still in business but don't think it's in very good shape. A couple of my wifes co-workers bowl in a league there and it isn't sanctioned. After that I'm probably looking at 45 minutes to 1 hour drive to the next closest one. If our center stays open I think leagues will survive but they have leagues 5 nights a week there. Might have to combine a couple leagues to get a decent sized league though. I plan to continue as long as my center stays in business. Pretty sure my teammates will too but can't answer for everyone there

[mc_runner]

Dead? no. Consolidated? Probably.

[J Daisy]

I don't think it's dead. Maybe wounded, but where there's a will, there's a way. Things tend to overcome obsticles if people want them bad enough.

[J Anderson]

When I first looked at this thread I skimmed over the words “as we know it”. My immediate reaction was it’s certainly not going to kill bowling. Adding in the as we know it part changes it to maybe. But then bowling has been constantly changing my entire life, or at least since I started to bowl in 1975. If you could time travel back and bring an average league bowler to watch league a few months ago they would be dumbfounded. But everything else has changed as well. The first car I bought, which was a two year old used car, had a heater and an AM radio. It did not have air conditioning, power steering, automatic transmission, or power windows. Now you would be hard pressed to find a car without those options as well as things that didn’t even exist back then.

This too shall pass. The question is will we work together to get through it, or will we selfishly look only to our own interests?

[RobLV1]

I really don't see a lasting effect for bowling, though I really hope the habit of automatic hi-fiving is gone forever!

[JasonNJ]

I don't think this will kill bowling, I would say the majority of bowlers in league are die hard bowlers. Like if you took a poll and asked bowlers if they should continue bowling during the Pandemic, I would say 70-80% probably would have said yes. So I think the majority of bowlers would come back to league bowling. The biggest concern would be the independent bowling center going under because they'll have a tough time surviving without any revenue for months at a time. The Bowlero centers should bounce back no problem.

[boatman37]

I can definitely see some leaving. We have a guy on our team that is really struggling this year and admitted he isn't having fun anymore and more than once mentioned not bowling after this season. I'm sure there are more like him that are on the fence that won't come back. And I agree with the small centers closing down. I think ours will be ok as long as the owners can make it until they re-open. It's the only center within about a 15 mile radius and is a nice place with pretty big leagues almost every night so I think they would get enough back right away to at least keep the lights on.

[J Anderson]

I can definitely see some leaving. We have a guy on our team that is really struggling this year and admitted he isn't having fun anymore and more than once mentioned not bowling after this season. I'm sure there are more like him that are on the fence that won't come back. And I agree with the small centers closing down. I think ours will be ok as long as the owners can make it until they re-open. It's the only center within about a 15 mile radius and is a nice place with pretty big leagues almost every night so I think they would get enough back right away to at least keep the lights on.

I don’t think you can blame the loss of a bowler who’s not having fun anymore, and who has already hinted about not coming back next year, on the Corona virus.

[boatman37]

I don’t think you can blame the loss of a bowler who’s not having fun anymore, and who has already hinted about not coming back next year, on the Corona virus.

Not at all but if they are already on the fence this may push them over. Maybe not. I know the longer I am away from something the easier it is for me to walk away from it.

[taxexpert2]

I would think that most bowling alleys that are local and not owned by big (?) bowling companies (think AMF and BRUNSWICK) will qualify for relief from federal government. They desperately do NOT want small businesses going out of business due to the current crisis and are woeking to provide relief and stimulus to these companies. In addition most of them, if prudent, probably have "interruption of business" insurance but coverage might depend on the terms and type of interruption.

Do not fear bowiling will survive - at least for me.

[GrumpyCatFace]

I’d be bowling right now, if I could. Golf is probably the only sport with more ‘social distance’.

[YODA]

I personally think it will hurt it for a little bit. Depending on how long centers as closed. In my state they are closed till at least sometime next month. May not hurt the bigger centers near me (Stars and Strikes for example) but it could hurt the little family owned lanes near me.

[taxexpert2]

I’d be bowling right now, if I could. Golf is probably the only sport with more ‘social distance’.

Fishing = social distancing it is the epitome of the idea.

[J Daisy]

Fishing = social distancing it is the epitome of the idea.

Hiking and biking are up there on the list somewhere, too. If only the parks and hiking trails weren't being closed off due to the Corona... :|

[boatman37]

Well we have a boat that we keep in a slip at a local marina all summer. Great social distancing opportunity but we keep it stored in an underground mine for winter. Called them today to schedule a pickup to get it home and get it ready and they are booked until middle of next week due to scheduling and they will email us the invoice for us to sign and pay in advance so we won't have any interaction with anyone when we pick it up

[Phonetek]

I am going to choose to use an optimistic view. I think once this is all over people are going to be flocking to go do something and the bowling centers will be packed. With the many essential travel only soft lockdowns people will be getting cabin fever and by chomping at the bit. If anything I feel bowling will surge along with everything else. This of course if the centers can go the distance to make it through until that happens. Also if they come up with a vaccine, mere treatment options aren't going to be enough to get people to become social again. That will take time. Bowling won't just go away, it's been around for hundreds of years. Will it ever be the way we knew it? Hmmm....too soon to tell.

[J Anderson]

I am going to choose to use an optimistic view. I think once this is all over people are going to be flocking to go do something and the bowling centers will be packed. With the many essential travel only soft lockdowns people will be getting cabin fever and by chomping at the bit. If anything I feel bowling will surge along with everything else. This of course if the centers can go the distance to make it through until that happens. Also if they come up with a vaccine, mere treatment options aren't going to be enough to get people to become social again. That will take time. Bowling won't just go away, it's been around for hundreds of years. Will it ever be the way we knew it? Hmmm....too soon to tell.

I wouldn’t be too sure about it taking a long time for people to resume their old social habits. For men my age, a bit more than a decade older than you, shaking hands is long standing habit. As long as we’re in this limbo of minimized social contact, the old habit will not be replaced by a new form of greeting.

[Phonetek]

They already said they were talking about the good ol Spock "Live Long And Prosper" hand sign to replace the handshake. I personally can do it just fine, lefty and righty but it's funny how many people can't do it.

[ALazySavage]

I can definitely see some leaving. We have a guy on our team that is really struggling this year and admitted he isn't having fun anymore and more than once mentioned not bowling after this season. I'm sure there are more like him that are on the fence that won't come back. And I agree with the small centers closing down. I think ours will be ok as long as the owners can make it until they re-open. It's the only center within about a 15 mile radius and is a nice place with pretty big leagues almost every night so I think they would get enough back right away to at least keep the lights on.

For me (selfishly) I could see the break as a benefit in a sense. While I do agree with a comment you made later in the thread about the longer you are away from something the easier it is to walk away, there is another side of this coin (especially when talking league bowling). For a few months now I have mentally been disconnected from bowling and really needed a refresh - but with league there is no refresh because of the commitment to the team and the lead-up to state and nationals. Now, with this happening I have been able to separate from bowling for a little bit - it has been a little bit since I have come on the boards, haven't touched a ball, basically have tried to separate my mind from bowling - for my personal experience I think it will be a positive. I'll probably get back in the grind in a couple of weeks, but with how things are going I don't suspect we are going to be bowling the remainder of the spring season. Now there are also greater considerations that take effect - especially the health of the centers we bowl at when thinking about this situation.

[J Daisy]

They already said they were talking about the good ol Spock "Live Long And Prosper" hand sign to replace the handshake. I personally can do it just fine, lefty and righty but it's funny how many people can't do it.

Good thing I can do it, haha. Although I'm pretty sure a wave would work just as well.

[Phonetek]

For me (selfishly) I could see the break as a benefit in a sense. While I do agree with a comment you made later in the thread about the longer you are away from something the easier it is to walk away, there is another side of this coin (especially when talking league bowling). For a few months now I have mentally been disconnected from bowling and really needed a refresh - but with league there is no refresh because of the commitment to the team and the lead-up to state and nationals. Now, with this happening I have been able to separate from bowling for a little bit - it has been a little bit since I have come on the boards, haven't touched a ball, basically have tried to separate my mind from bowling - for my personal experience I think it will be a positive. I'll probably get back in the grind in a couple of weeks, but with how things are going I don't suspect we are going to be bowling the remainder of the spring season. Now there are also greater considerations that take effect - especially the health of the centers we bowl at when thinking about this situation.

One thing that I think will have to change is how house shoes and balls are cared for. The places I worked rarely cleaned the house balls. Even with kids drooling and wiping their snotty noses then shoving their fingers in the balls. Not to mention people shoving their gum down the holes. I would never use those things even in a pinch given what I saw.

The shoes are usually just given that quick spritz of spray which doubtfully does a whole lot. The GM would yell at us telling us if we doused them thoroughly we were wasting money because the spray was expensive. I remember times standing behind the counter wondering which pair of shoes someone turned in that had the major foot odor pouring out of them. When it got crazy busy I know people put them back without any spray at all. In the light of all this I suspect these practices will have to change. I hope so.

[boatman37]

Phoney! Was just thinking the other day wondering where you have been...lol.

Yeah a few weeks ago I was ready for a break. I had a 6 week stretch before X-Mas that I averaged 206-207 and thought I had figured it all out. Then a week later I was struggling to break 500. That went on for about 8 weeks and a break would have been welcomed. I was even re-thinking bowling next year and had already ruled out the summer league. The the last 2 weeks I went back to basics and rolled a 593 and 610 so think I'm back on the right path and was looking forward to consistent 600-650's but now it looks like our season may be over. So for me at this point in the season I'd rather be bowling. A month ago I'd be happy I wasn't...lol

[Phonetek]

Phoney! Was just thinking the other day wondering where you have been...lol.


I figured you were. First thing I did when I logged on after checking my messages was look for your trademark "Where's Phonetek?" posts you do when I leave for a while. I guess I came back in the nick of time before you did it. =)

[boatman37]

lol. figured you had been busy. hope everything works out for you