Can pro bowlers use more then one brand of bowling balls?

[Hammer]

A couple examples are Norm Duke with Storm and Chris Barnes with Columbia. Seeing that they are getting money using the equipment they advertise on their shirts are they allowed to mix in another brand like Norm having some Hammer balls? To me it seems like they have to stick with the brand that is displayed on their shirts. What about it folks?

[fortheloveofbowling]

Some guys cross over with the same company just different brands. Like storm and roto grip or columbia, ebonite, and hammer. I have never seen barnes ever throw anything but columbia though but i have seen pete throw some roto grip and malott throw some storm stuff. They just can't cross between manufacturers if they are on staff.

[rv driver]

I've never seen a mixture of balls, and I don't know, but I assume that if the celebrity is endorsing a product and is paid to do so, there's usually a clause in the contract that stipulates they must use the brand they endorse. At least that's the way it works with guitars. Artists who endorse a certain brand are stipulated to use the brand they endorse.

[tccstudent]

if you are sponsored you can only throw equipment from that company
even amateur staff members who only get free bowling balls are only allowed to throw the company's equipment
occasionally you may see a bowler change sponsors

[rv driver]

if you are sponsored you can only throw equipment from that company
even amateur staff members who only get free bowling balls are only allowed to throw the company's equipment
occasionally you may see a bowler change sponsors

I thought so. I bet it's in the contracts, just like with musical equipment.

[tccstudent]

I dont know much bout music equipment but I do know a few amuater staffers that had to get rid of equipment after they signed the contract

[mike_thomas93]

Yeah I've never seen anything like that out of them before. But yeah, fortheloveofbowling is right. Some cross companies like Storm/Roto and Ebonite/Colombia/Hammer/Track etc. As an example, you see bowlers like Duke and Belmo, mostly the storm staffed bowlers, they still throw roto stuff off and on, and vise versa, as Stu Williams and Wes Malott staffed on Roto Grip, but we may see them throw storm stuff off and on. Quite frankly, that's really what we've been seeing the most frequently today.

[tccstudent]

The throwing cross brands like a storm bowler throwing rotogrip has only been going on for the last few years before that you only saw them throwing the brand they are signed too

[rv driver]

Are there any tour bowlers that aren't sponsored?

[Blacksox1]

Are there any tour bowlers that aren't sponsored?

IDK for sure, but it would be a small number, if that.