The key to bowling is growth. It has nothing to do with the USBC or leagues. Granted they are discussion issues after you get new people enjoying the sport, but how does the sport grow? If it doesn't grow, it does.
By making leagues more enticing for people (short seasons, smaller teams, less of a time commitment) the sport will grow. When people hear they are going to be at the lanes for 3 hours just to bowl 3 games, they will balk. However, tell people they will be in and out in 2 hours (the length of a standard movie) it will be easier for people to commit to it.
Tens of millions of people bowl every year recreationally. Those are the people you want to entice to come back more than once or twice a year and to make bowling a part of their life. Getting them in to leagues is the best way to do that. Making leagues that fit their schedule is the challenge. 99.9% of the population knows what bowling is, so "product awareness" isn't an issue. Making these people regular customers is the issue.
The USBC needs a publicity campaign other than airing commercials during bowling broadcasts, putting free bowling games on Banquet frozen meals (eww!) or sponsoring one car in one Nascar race one time. They should be buying strategic advertising space across multiple media platforms to keep bowling in the forefront to keep it in peoples' minds. Otherwise, bowling falls into the category of "out of sight, out of mind" for most of the population.
I think a lot of what you said makes sense. However, I feel the "fixes" you propose are more inline with the BPAA than with USBC.
What most people are talking about is profitability of bowling. Getting more members. Having more leagues. Getting the casual bowler to bowl competitively. But shouldn't that fall on the proprietors? USBC "should" exist whether there are 10,000,000 members or if there are 100.
This doesn't mean USBC doesn't benefit from more members. But there are no more physical benefits from USBC anymore (no awards). So the return of investment for the bowler are those things that most bowlers may feel they don't need (rules, bonding, Team USA, education, etc...). But in theory, these items cost the same no matter what.
USBC does try to generate interest in the "sport" of bowling, as they should. They are active in improving the youth game.
I know for my center, for the last several years, the leagues are being pinched more and more on lane availability. Even if we had the membership to fill the house, the house will not do it. They feel having half the house available for open bowling is more profitable than league bowling. If centers can fill the house with open bowling all day, they would be stupid to house leagues and make less (in their eyes at least).
