Is bowling a dying sport? How to fix it?

[panbanger]

I searched for a thread similar to this and didn’t see anything recent, so I figured I’d start it up. I’ll put a few ideas forward that may seem like I’m a bitter old fart, but I’m doing it more to get the conversation started than to say something I wholeheartedly agree with, if that makes sense. I’m trying to mix things up and get some ideas going, rather than just coming in, guns blazing trying to flame everything in sight.

Why is bowling declining?

1. It’s too easy. It’s too easy to shoot a 200 now. PERIOD. Ball technology has advanced, and lane oil “Christmas tree” patterns do 75% of the work for you. Throw the ball out to the right, put some spin on it, and watch it hook to (or at least close to) the pocket. Shooting a 200 should be proof that you are a good bowler! Shooting a 250 should be amazing! Shooting a 300 should be an over the rainbow event! Instead, 200s are average, 250 is a good game, and 300s happen weekly in many leagues. I go long stretches where the only time I play is once a week during my league, and my average is 188. In the “olden days” that wouldn’t cut it. My average would be in the 150s. Technology has added 35+ pins to my game!

How to fix this? Make the oil patterns harder of course. The US Open pattern should be standard. The THS pattern is fine for cosmic bowling on weekends, kids birthday parties, little kid leagues, that’s about it. Try to compare it to golf: club and ball technology has advanced by leaps and bounds since the 70s, and in turn golf course lengths have gotten longer. You see, the sport responded to the technology. Bowling has almost done the opposite for the average bowler.

2. We no longer leave the house for entertainment. Back in the olden days, home was where you ate and slept…you went out for entertainment and to interact with other people. Now, we go out to eat and stay home for entertainment. It’s totally opposite. We have “entertainment centers” and “media rooms” at home, so why leave to do something like go bowling?

How to fix this? This….this is an expensive fix I would think. Give the lanes internet connections and you can put in your facebook or twitter handle when you start. You can post your scores online as you finish each game! You can track your progress on the web each time you bowl! I’m just brainstorming here, and I’m no genius as you can tell by now lol. I’m sure you guys have some ideas about this too right? I hope?

Im sure you guys and gals can come up with other reasons the sport has seen such a downturn in the last 2 decades, and hopefully you guys have some ideas on how to turn the tide. And if you think it’s fine the way it is, say that too! But I’ve loved bowling since I was 10 years old. I stepped away from it for a while, and I don’t like what happened to it in my absence!

[bowl1820]

1-How to fix this? Make the oil patterns harder of course. The US Open pattern should be standard.

Basically a waste time or short term fix at best, any pattern if you bowl on it long enough (meaning week after week) will become easier as you get use to it.(That's why the Nationals seem hard, the majority of the bowlers that bowl in it. Never bowl on it or similar patterns) and the scores will go back up.

The PBA found that out when they started using harder patterns (Like the animal patterns) because of the constant high scores. At first all the scores plunged and then as the weeks went on, the scores started raising up and up.

A better idea would be rotating patterns week to week. There are plenty of patterns that can be used before you repeat one.


As for number 2: That's basically all marketing issues. Bowling has never been marketed right, mainly because there's no money in it like tennis or golf. Also bowling is not perceived as a sport in the first place by the general public.

As for the internet stuff more and more alleys are adding wifi connections already, a lot of the scoring systems software used by the lanes already had the capability for internet access (Though they don't use it).

Years back I went to Kegel one time and they were testing a scoring system. Where you would go in to the lanes and you got a swipe card and it would keep track of all your bowling, league and open bowling , averages program the scorer for you etc. They didn't say but I assume it could easily have uploaded to the net (I don't know what ever happened to it).

[panbanger]

Oooh I like the idea of rotating patterns! Is it more expensive to lay down patterns besides the THS? I mean obviously more oil is used (or is it?) but are different machines required? I'm not familiar at all with oil machines but I would imagine that they just have different settings on them for different patterns.

[unclemantis]

I don't think it is a dying sport. It sure has come a ways though!

[swingset]

Imagine you've never played golf before, at any age, and right now someone is trying to talk you into it.

One of the things they tell you in order to entice you to this game is "it used to be easy to score high, but recently they've made the conditions much harder! You could have been good 6 months ago, but now you're going to stink! Isn't that great?"

Are you excited by this news or turned off? Be honest.

Making the game harder is, really, about the worst thing you can possibly do to the game. I despise this lamenting over the "ease" of the game. Who cares if 200 is easier to bowl? It's still a competition between you and the rest of the league, or the tournament, the score is irrelevant. If your game is better, so is theirs. You still need to be better than your competition, same as in 1970. People like to score, and there is a small subset of bowlers who like harder patterns. As it happens, there are THS shots and good balls to score high, and challenging sport patterns for the rest. Everybody wins.

The popularity of the sport is not being hindered because it's too easy. The problem is that people are busy, poor, industrial and business leagues are mostly a thing of the past and bowling is god-awful at marketing itself and staying current. The majority of the 25 lanes in my areas have nearly no web presence or advertising...half of their leagues are completely word of mouth...tournaments are even worse.

Fix that, if you want bowling to grow.

[I suck at bowling]

This is the worst idea ever.

Lets get a sport grow by making it harder.

How are beginners (young and old) who are learning how to throw a hook supposed to bowl on sport conditions? Oops, missed my mark, time to pick up a split. That sounds appealing now doesn't it?

Want a bigger challenge for yourself, go bowl in a league that uses sport patterns. And if you still think its easy to shoot 200 on that, go bowl in the PBA.

The best way to grow bowling is to market it more. Simple as that. Bowling also needs superstars again. Sports grow when people have a bar to set themselves at. "I want to be like Tiger Woods", "I want to be like LeBron James", "I want to be like Peyton Manning", etc.

We need young people to watch a PBA telecast and say to themselves "I want to be like just like Mike Fagan/Belmo/Osku.

[panbanger]

This is the worst idea ever.

It's not the worst idea ever! I have plenty of ideas that are worse than that.

How are beginners (young and old) who are learning how to throw a hook supposed to bowl on sport conditions? Oops, missed my mark, time to pick up a split. That sounds appealing now doesn't it?

You miss your mark and have to try for a spare? Sorry I didn't know this would be such a radical idea lol.

Want a bigger challenge for yourself, go bowl in a league that uses sport patterns. And if you still think its easy to shoot 200 on that, go bowl in the PBA.

I didn't make this thread because I don't feel challenged. You are changing the subject. Also, the average PBA member doesn't make much money. I'd be crazy to try that.

The best way to grow bowling is to market it more. Simple as that. Bowling also needs superstars again. Sports grow when people have a bar to set themselves at. "I want to be like Tiger Woods", "I want to be like LeBron James", "I want to be like Peyton Manning", etc.

We need young people to watch a PBA telecast and say to themselves "I want to be like just like Mike Fagan/Belmo/Osku.

I agree with this.

[panbanger]

Making the game harder is, really, about the worst thing you can possibly do to the game. I despise this lamenting over the "ease" of the game. Who cares if 200 is easier to bowl? It's still a competition between you and the rest of the league, or the tournament, the score is irrelevant. If your game is better, so is theirs. You still need to be better than your competition, same as in 1970. People like to score, and there is a small subset of bowlers who like harder patterns. As it happens, there are THS shots and good balls to score high, and challenging sport patterns for the rest. Everybody wins.

Hmmm I didn't think of it this way, but I agree with you. Even though it's easier (in my opinion), it's easier for everybody else too and the playing field is still level.

[ArtVandelay]

I do think bowling is on the decline, for the most part but I blame the alleys.

I think they put too much emphasis on league bowling, and guess what those leagues consist of? Old people. So when younger people want to bowl, they cant get a lane. The easy solution? Join a league. But thats not an option for many of todays ADD youth. A league is too much commitment. There is no simple solution, but 8 think bowling has to realize that the next 10 to 20 years are crucial. As the seniors die out (and really, I dont mean to sound harsh, there is just no gentle way to put it) how do they incorporate the younger crowd?

WiFi is an excellent idea. Some way to integrate social media is probably required. Cosmic bowling might be a possible solution. The only bowlers that hate it are league bowlers.

But make it harder? Yeah... I think that might not be the best idea. Perhaps making it easier during open bowling is the way to go. Dry out those lanes and get those plastic balls hooking something fierce!!! Those young ones love the vicious hook! Who knows? Maybe a meaner hook would get people interested in leagues and drive the average league age down a bit.

Leagues arent REALLY the problem, its the average age of the league bowler thats the problem. Getting that average down is vital.

[GoodGravy]

You want to sell a house...location,location, location. You want to have a lot of attention and focus on a sport....Marketing, Marketing, Marketing!!

I was reading an article a few months ago and it was compairing the top purse winnings between Golf and Bowling. It actually stated that the top winning purse for the upcoming Masters tournment in bowling matched what Arnold Palmer had just won the week earlier. It dawned on me that something was goofy, and I looked at the date of the article and it was from the late 60's!!!!

Point being, somewhere about 50 years ago the 'powers that be' decided for some reason that bowling just was not going to make the cut for ABC's Wild World of Sports...it was all downhill from there.

If you want the sport to grow you need big personalities and even bigger prize monies. As much as we may say that we can't stand multi-million dollar spoiled professional sports athletes, we sure do tune into whichever game is on. Also, i saw a bunch of folks going ape over the fact that CBS sports signed with the PBA....I"m not sure about this, but I was under the impression that this was the CBS Sports channel on cable which I belevie that 8 people have access to. Well done in PBA!!! Now ESPN can free up what little time they had set aside for the PBA so they can introduce us to Lama Oval Track Racing...

If you can grow the professional side, the amature side will follow....getting some hot bowling cheerleaders might help also....!!!!!