THINGS THAT MIGHT Bring Bowling BACK!!

[MICHAEL]

[QUOTE=billf;45145]I've been trying to find a new job so I can apply for the local high school coach's position. The current contract is up and the board of education, former and current players and parents want a change. I would love to do it and would encourage the kids to be themselves. Yes they have to wear a uniform. I did playing sports too. But I wouldn't make the girls take the streaks out of their hair or the boys and girls remove their piercings. Some of it might not be my taste but it's not my taste that needs satisfied. I was my high school salutatorian played baseball and football. Being a rather large kid the others never gave me crap in high school. I also had hair to my waist, wore only jeans and t-shirts. I would sit just outside the dugout and sharpen my cleats with a file while the other team warmed up (metal spikes were allowed back then). For football I would paint my face and when on defense I would pop an alka-seltzer in my mouth and let it foam while I growled at my opponent. The mental game is part of the game. If we can walk in with dyed hair, mohawks, some jewelry and get into the opponents head, why not? This is some of what the pro's need now to help change the game. Bowling's bad boy has short hair, clean cut look and the public isn't buying it. There is no individuality.[/QUOT

Bill I agree with your thoughts! Its not like bowlers are of royal blood lines, and need to up hold the family name and crest! Its need a shot in the arm of adrenaline!! It needs to re-think its image! I can think of many ideas, and some have been mentioned here!! Bowling is a great sport, it need’s new leadership, with fresh ideas. Let’s face it, bowling is down,,, and not going in the right direction at present time! When that happens, what do you do?? Make Changes!! Be innovative, stimulate the sport in directions that bring the public back! Its not hard to do, but it does demand creativity, imagination, and a goal to make it once again a known, ( That bowling is one hell of a lot of fun)!

[ursus]

Nascar went through the same thing a few years back. They tried to regulate all the personality and redneckness out of the drivers to try and appeal to a larger audience. What happened was they lost touch with their base of supporters and it suffered. They are now trying to let the drivers go a little more and have at it. Bowling might do well to follow the same route.

[TheSheibs]

I agree with what has been said. If you look at the people on the PBA tour. They are all clean shaven, well behaved, good guys. I thinking having a "wild thing" guy on the tour would create some more interest. I think the top people at PBA need to be fired and some fresh young hungry individuals need to be brought in who know how to really market something. Or at least GET BOWLING BACK ON TV. I mean for more than one hour on Sundays. I mean every PBA tournament, USA Team tournament, etc.

[billf]

The PBA doesn't control team USA tournaments or any part of team USA. Given the coverage and attitudes I can see where that gets mixed up though....their twins must run that program.

[The German Shepherd]

In my thinking, the key has to be exposure, and it has to be something that will make people want to care about the outcome. Nationally televised mixed matches seem like a good idea to me and I think that would work especially well with the above ideas regarding individuality...

J

[TheSheibs]

The PBA doesn't control team USA tournaments or any part of team USA. Given the coverage and attitudes I can see where that gets mixed up though....their twins must run that program.

It's not a matter of who controls what tournaments but the fact that it gets televised more than only once on the weekend. Hell, look at poker. It's televised live and then again the next day and throughout the week. If you look at golf, it has it's own network. What is stopping bowling from having their own network or be televised as much as poker? I also. Think the PBA needs to change the rule about the bowler having to dress in a professional manner. They should be allowed to show their own personality. It might help to boost the sport to see a pro on tour wearing Ed Hardy jeans or a FUBAR shirt or so,etching that you don't see all the time. Just changing the color and design of the bowling shirts isn't enough to make it appealing to people today. It's all about marketing it as something cool that people want to watch.