Why isn't bowling in the Olympics?

[StrikeRun]

Whether bowling is a sport, a game, or a leisure activity really has nothing to do with it. Any sport can be a game, and any game can be a sport. If you do it for fun, it's a game/activity. If you do it in competition it's a sport. This is true with any Olympic sport. Skiing, ice skating, swimming or anything else.

I believe that a major reason is due to the fact that there are too many variables that contribute to the results. Variables that the players have no control over. And I'm not talking about lane conditions and ball layouts.

Think about all of the Olympic sports and what the competitors need to do to win. They need to execute the basic fundamentals of their sport better than their competitors. Results are determined by absolutes such as time, distance, or execution.

In bowling, results are based on execution. And in bowling, perfect execution is not reflected on the scoreboard. There is too much luck that plays into the final outcome.

Bowler A can hit his mark every shot resulting in ten dead flush pocket shots. Yet he only carries 80% and finishes with 258.

Bowler B's accuracy ranges two boards. He throws six Dead flush shots, 2 light mixers, one brooklyn, and a nose shot. He scores 279 and wins the match.

To us, that's bowling.. But to them, the better player did not win and that goes against everything the Olympics stands for.

[mrbill]

Whether bowling is a sport, a game, or a leisure activity really has nothing to do with it. Any sport can be a game, and any game can be a sport. If you do it for fun, it's a game/activity. If you do it in competition it's a sport. This is true with any Olympic sport. Skiing, ice skating, swimming or anything else.

I believe that a major reason is due to the fact that there are too many variables that contribute to the results. Variables that the players have no control over. And I'm not talking about lane conditions and ball layouts.

Think about all of the Olympic sports and what the competitors need to do to win. They need to execute the basic fundamentals of their sport better than their competitors. Results are determined by absolutes such as time, distance, or execution.

In bowling, results are based on execution. And in bowling, perfect execution is not reflected on the scoreboard. There is too much luck that plays into the final outcome.

Bowler A can hit his mark every shot resulting in ten dead flush pocket shots. Yet he only carries 80% and finishes with 258.

Bowler B's accuracy ranges two boards. He throws six Dead flush shots, 2 light mixers, one brooklyn, and a nose shot. He scores 279 and wins the match.

To us, that's bowling.. But to them, the better player did not win and that goes against everything the Olympics stands for.

I agree with you up untill the point about "luck"
In down hill skiing an Olympion Can unluckly get stuck in the gate and will re**** in loseing. Rare but unlucky.
(Hocky) A team can get unlucky by a bad call from the ref or mabe lose from a lucky bank shot from the other team.
You can poke holes in any sport/game
In bowling the player that finds the best line that won't result in that ringing 10 pin or throw the ball a tad slower to have the ball grab the lane a bit to soon to result in a split.
"Luck is Earned"
All this is off the top of my head so feel free to shoot hole in it at will

[StrikeRun]

In down hill skiing an Olympion Can unluckly get stuck in the gate and will re**** in loseing. Rare but unlucky.

That's true. But the instances you quote are execution related - Like if a bowler hangs up in the thumb hole.

If the skier doesn't clear the gate cleanly, they are not expected to win. Making sure that you clear the gate is the responsibility of the skier, a responsibility that they have control over.

Asking a bowler to find a line that prevents ringing ten pins is too much to ask. Especially if sloppy, poorly executed strikes score the same as flush pocket strikes.

[JAnderson]

Asking a bowler to find a line that prevents ringing ten pins is too much to ask

Absolutely not unless you're talking about 100% prevention. Execution, in bowling, is not purely physical. At the higher levels of the game, outcome is often decided by differences in mental focus, concentration, or correct application of knowledge and experience to achieve an end like adjusting away from ringing ten pins.

"Luck" is nothing more than our biased observation or perception of events resulting from the universe's application of chaos. Sure, a bowler can have great carry for a game or two just as you described. Over the long run, the competitor who executes better at every level is going to come out on top. That's the way it works with the current elite tournaments such as the U.S. Open or World Cup. Olympic competition wouldn't be a game or two where some "lucky carry" is going to prevail.

Even giving away that argument, "lucky carry" is so often a facet of good execution at some level such as finding a better line or a better release or a better equipment match.

[Motiv Girl]

These numbers are hard to ignore,but the IOC seems to do a great job at looking
past these stats.

Bowling is played in 88 countries located in all five Olympic Zones.
100,000,000 participants
13,000 bowling centers
250,000 bowling lanes
$ 6,000,000,000.00 annual industry
Proven TV track record
Avid fan loyalty
Adaptable to any schedule
46% women competitors

Bowling is included in The Pan American Games,Asian Games,World Games,
Commonwealth Games and a few others.

Bowling takes :Athleticism,Skill, Has a invisible challenge
You can bowl for a lifetime
It's family oriented
It has no age,height,speed or strength limitations

With so many facts and figures looking them in the face,what could be the problem.

Here is a article from Sam Baca and Larry Matthews back in 1998 to the IOC
this is very to the point.This letter still rings true today. Except some of the names
and faces in bowling at that time.
http://www.boliche.com.br/olimpicoriginal.htm

[mcusseaux]

Bowling should be in the Olympics, if archery is.

[DaveAyotte]

I'm fairly surprised that only a few examples are being given. Here's my .02:

Curling was mentioned, but what about
-Kayaking?
-Ping Pong?
-Badminton?
-Handball?
-SAILING?!
-What about Judo and Taekwondo being 2 different events? why not combine them for MMA? It's all the rage these days.

There's countless events that could easily be replaced by Bowling and STILL be more exciting to watch. I'm up for signing that petition if it ever comes to fruition. (PS, I don't think baseball is an Olympic event either. It should be)

[greycat]

Who is going to pay to go watch the fattest people in the stadium compete in a "sport." What is the format? what is considered an olympic record? Is this a summer sport even though it's done in the winter for most. How many people is a country able to bring? Who is paying to send and house these bowlers for poorer countries? I remember having this and the pba heavy talked about with pete treadwell. Just type his name in google to find the discussion.

[resstealth]

I know I'm new here and this will ruffle a bunch of feathers, but I feel the same way about golf as I do about bowling.(and I'm a PGA teaching professional)

It's not really a sport, any game you can play when you're 50 yrs old with a beer in one hand and a corn dog in the other is not a sport to me. sorry

but then again neither is curling as listed above. don't know what to say except that it will be someday, when there is a Tiger Woods of bowling and can push it through whether it's a dumb idea or not.

I respectfully disagree. I was a division 1 pitcher for 4 years, and bowling causes more pain in my arm then baseball ever did.

[J Anderson]

I don't think that pain is necessarily part of the definition of what makes something a sport. If bowling is causing pain, not just the soreness that accompanies getting stronger, something is wrong.