What bowling needs in a bad way

[MICHAEL]

All the Professional Bowlers are SUCH nice guys, with Nice cloths, clean shavened,,,, where are the bearded bowlers?
Where are the bad boys that don't wear shirts like a Nascar car driver, only difference is WHAT COMPANY is giving the bowler money to wear their product,,

I get it, its about money and advertising ect.

What brings in a crowed, and gets the publics attention: Guys like Pete Weber,,,, and his antics! Guys like Elmo, and Rush!

What bowling needs a Face Lift! Its a GREAT SPORT, but people demand more now!

I have a lot of ideas, but WHAT DO YOU THINK BOWLING NEEDS,,,????

Maybe just to get this going one of my ideas is: What makes professional wrestling so damn popular,,,,, its the trash talk and riverly between wrestlers,,,, (did I say wrestlers,,, sorry) professional actors! LOL

I don't want bowling to become a phony sport, but maybe a little more SPICE,,,,between bowlers.... HEY IT WORKED WHEN WEBER WENT BOWLONIC!! Lots of hits on U tube ect... It was like a spark of electricity back into the hum-drum, attitude that Joe the plumber has about bowling! It lacks a lot of PERSONALITY IN MY OPINION!!! The microphones on the bowlers is a great idea,,,, BUT THEY NEVER SAY A FRICKEN WORD!!! I want to hear that SELF TALK!!!

The SPORT THAT I love needs to gain more viewers, and get people back into this great game....

I know some of you might have that missing ingreadent.... what is it??? We can't let it die..... AMF goes bankrupt 2 times... and is hanging on by a thread!!! HELP! HELP!!!

[JJKinGA]

Even worse is the presentation. Other than a quick "these 4 bowlers averaved over 230 over 16 games to make te finals" there is no context. I would love a 5-10 minute here is how the matchplay went. I.E. bowler #5 missed by 10 pins by not stiking out in the game of match play. I want to know a bit more than, gee they just bowled well this week.

I also want to know what the cost is for losing the match compared to the potential to win. Even lame game shows do this. If Johnny gets this answer right he wins $5K and a chance for more but if he loses he only takes home $1K. I'd love have the drama of knowing that Pete's split after teh commercial break could cost him something other than his cool.

There is more drama after league than shown in the telecasts.

[MICHAEL]

good point about the presentation!!! LOL,,, you are right on in that observation!! VERY Boring! Maybe Iceaman should apply for that job... I bet I could spice it up!! Or maybe Aslan!!!
sometimes the announcers VOICE PUTS ICEMAN to sleep while watching,,, zzzzz, ,, zzzzz,,,!!

[Aslan]

It's a mixed bag. As a traditionalist, I don't appreciate Pete Weber or Randy Pederson yelling at the fans. And I certainly don't appreciate Belmo and Sean Rash playing water bottle games and cussing each other out. But without that stuff happening...the general public appears to be fairly bored with bowling.

They've tried over the years to make it more "interesting" by having things like "trick shot bowling" and celebrity bowling and "The League" pro/am style stuff. But nothing has seemed to work yet.

Why people would rather watch golf for 4 hours than bowling...I have NO idea. But I will say that before I got into bowling...one thing that turned me off to bowling on tv was the high scores. It didn't seem "real". I mean, these guys were strking nearly every shot and on the rare single/corner pin spare they were easily picking it up. It just became "boring". Of matter of fact....what was the most interesting/exciting match in recent memory?? Well...Mika's 299 was exciting...but what made it even MORE special? Daugherty scoring 100. That's my favorite match in recent times...Mika coming a pin away from a perfect game...while watching a pro put up a score that I could beat 90% of the time.

I know it's not a popular idea...but I think we have to make bowling harder. It has to be like the 60s/70s when pros were beating each other 212-204 with precise spare shooting...rather than the current model of high rev/cranker/super balls where a 236 is considered below average for the pros and games are like 286-269.

And what about a year long tournament?? What about covering some of the early rounds rather than just the last 5 matches? Wouldn't the average bowler like to see a no-name pro shop owner from Tallahassee going up against Wes Malott in the preliminarys? It seems like we see 5 of the same 13 players every week. I've actually more enjoyed watching the amateur stuff on the internet. I want to see bowlers bowl that maybe, maybe, SOMEDAY I could play at that level...or at least enter the tournament. And again...you're watchign guys throw 228, 219, 265, 198...WAY better than me...but "beatable". It's not just "expected" that they're gonna strike every time.

Chris Hardwick's bowling...same thing...it's so cool watching people bowl that on a GOOD night...I could beat! Maybe not Chris consistently...but it just seems more interesting.

[MICHAEL]

It's a mixed bag. As a traditionalist, I don't appreciate Pete Weber or Randy Pederson yelling at the fans. And I certainly don't appreciate Belmo and Sean Rash playing water bottle games and cussing each other out. But without that stuff happening...the general public appears to be fairly bored with bowling.

YOU many not like it, you may not appreciate it, but YOU WILL WATCH it each week.. LOL...LOL.

Its what the public seems to thrive on, in your face reality stuff!! (

I don't personally care for it, but I am a super hero, above all that stuff!! But the general public needs it!!

[dnhoffman]

<--- Bearded bowler, checking in.

Question: You know how you shave like a man?

Answer: You don't. That's how. You don't shave...

[Mudpuppy]

Full contact bowling / mixed martial arts?

[Aslan]

Full contact bowling / mixed martial arts?

Yeah...sounds like good tv...but where does it end? Surfing would be way more entertaining in shark infested waters with them wearing chum suits. The javelin throw...WAY more exciting with live targets. Nascar/Demolition Derby mix?? How bout golf where if ya take too long to line up your putt an aligator comes out of the pond and attacks you? A football that has a 1/100 chance of exploding when it crosses the goal line? Basketball with all white players??

Well...maybe the last one wouldn't be that exciting.

How bout 2-way bowling where ya loft the ball over the set in front of you...to hit the set in front of the other guy and vice versa? How bout red pin bowling except if ya don't get a strike some from the audience gets to hit you in the head with a hammer? Or the obvious one...PBA Cosmic Bowling....I mean, if I gotta practice on Saturdays under those conditions...then it's only fair that PDW has to bowl with blaring Jay-Z music, the lights off and 6-year olds running around on the lane next to you screaming because their brother used their ball.

[MICHAEL]

Yeah...sounds like good tv...but where does it end? Surfing would be way more entertaining in shark infested waters with them wearing chum suits. The javelin throw...WAY more exciting with live targets. Nascar/Demolition Derby mix?? How bout golf where if ya take too long to line up your putt an aligator comes out of the pond and attacks you? A football that has a 1/100 chance of exploding when it crosses the goal line? Basketball with all white players??

Well...maybe the last one wouldn't be that exciting.

How bout 2-way bowling where ya loft the ball over the set in front of you...to hit the set in front of the other guy and vice versa? How bout red pin bowling except if ya don't get a strike some from the audience gets to hit you in the head with a hammer? Or the obvious one...PBA Cosmic Bowling....I mean, if I gotta practice on Saturdays under those conditions...then it's only fair that PDW has to bowl with blaring Jay-Z music, the lights off and 6-year olds running around on the lane next to you screaming because their brother used their ball.

It doesn't need a lot, (bowling the sport), but it does need something to get the TV ratings, that would translate into more interest, which would translate into a renewed interest in boring, I mean, Bowling!!

Most of the better bowlers have NO PERSONALITY!! We need some guys, and gals, with swagger!!! kockey, maybe even a little boastful, and full of themselves! Guys and Gals you want to watch, just to see them win, or lose! MORE PERSONALITY! The sport itself doesn't need a face lift, just the PBA bowlers!

Pete Weber comes the closest to what I am talking about, Like him or hate him, he gets attention, and people will tune in to watch him bowl!

Would like to see a Woman Pete Weber type!

[dnhoffman]

Chris Barnes pants had the most personality at last weekends Viper...