BallReviews
General Category => Miscellaneous => Topic started by: northface28 on February 27, 2015, 08:16:54 PM
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Seriously, if you aren't ALWAYS on tv, you have to be doing pretty bad out there. Even these international events, you cash for a few thousand. Factor in travel and lodging, that paltry money is gone. Not to mention, you haven't eaten yet. I admire these guys, not for their bowling prowess, but the fact they are working for peanuts and go all over the world doing so.
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Most of the Elite come from the upper middle class and have all the support and funding that they could wish for(financially) from family, rich backers, and fans/friends that are funding the action. I know a few guys that haven't cracked 10-15k on tour in years but are financially set.
You would think 10k a year in equipment and another 10-20k in travel/international travel just for a potential 5k here, 10k there (if you bowl the week of your life) would be an investor's nightmare. But like a wise (rich) man once told me:
"You'll waste countless hours trying to count the pockets of a trust fund baby.
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I agree that the living to made out there is pretty meager for the vast majority.
DP3 I don't know who you might be referring to other than Belmonte, but most of the touring professional I have known are anything but trust fund babies. Few would have come from I would call upper middle class.
Most had wives who held down jobs that supported the family and provided some benefits.
A few had sponsors who might back them a few years but they expect to get most of their money back and if the bowler did have a good year they took a majority of the excess to pay for lean years.
But most would have a dream to tour, they were young with little responsibilities, and they could try it a few years on their own dime. But generally they went back home broke after 2 or 3 years of trying.
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I am not referring to Belmonte, for the record.
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For the record you have no idea what you are talking about.
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Well let's just wish them success and most importantly happiness!!!!! But I think most bowler should have a second job , while the top tier can rely on their winnings on the PBA tour.
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http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/magazine/archives/news/story?page=magazine-20040329-article35&src=mobile
Not much if they're living out of cars or 4 to a room.
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real dark side about pro bowling and thats allen, think about all the others that aren't even know. Think most have second jobs, but i guess if youre a belmo rash or weber you don't need a second job.
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Yea I believe I heard Mike devaney living in his car during the tour. I like the dude and don't wish anybody bad luck but dam it's like a gamble on a part of your life.
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Didnt the wsob pay like 8k for first per event..no thanks..
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Didnt the wsob pay like 8k for first per event..no thanks..
This is embarrassing.
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Quote, WEEK, end quote. Hopefully he landed that on a weeks vacation.
Side rant: There are too many wannabes where I'm from that work at taco bell and think they're going to make it in the PBA. Even better I know some that are like professional students at the community college, and get backers. Just get a job and practice already!!
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don't players who are exempt get some kind of paycheck from the pba?
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tkk,
Let's have a name and we can analyze his year and what he's done since, and how much he's spent on his learning curve.
If he's bowling regular now he has spent at least 2 weeks in WI this year and a week in IN if he was eligible. If he when 0-for he just gave half of the $8k back.
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NOT ENOUGH
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Without a name I will assume your numbers are exaggerated like everything else on the internet. There are very few people that make $30-40k a year bowling while holding a regular job.
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Yea woo local amateur tournaments are where the moneys at :P
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I believe tkkshop on the numbers. I also can see from looking at the money leaders how quickly it falls off. Tells you everything
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. . It has been several years since the exempt format was used on tour.
don't players who are exempt get some kind of paycheck from the pba?
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I go back 40 plus years as a scratch bowler. If I had a dollar for every person who asked me over the years why I didn't go on tour, I would have more money than most of the guys on tour. There has never been a point where more than the top 5 or 10 guys were making more than a hand to mouth living. Most of the rest were guys who managed to find a sponsor, and had not other options above minimum wage jobs.
A good friend of mine found a sponsor and went on tour in the mid 70's. For two straight seasons he was in the top 20 money winners ( less than 30k, but not bad in those days ). The third year he bought out his sponsors, had two bad seasons and was off the tour. I doubt whether there are more than 15-20 guys in history who made enough throwing a bowling ball to be set for life even with endorsements.
You would need a 30 stop tour paying 100k for first in every stop to entice anyone who had any other job options to want to try to make a living with a bowling ball. A lot of the young guys with college degrees who are bowling now can afford to try it for awhile, but sooner rather than later most will find better options to feed themselves than with a bowling ball.
Ironically, as an amateur I have been able to pursue bowling as a lucrative hobby that came close to paying for itself while I pursued a good living outside the game. Best of all I was still able to test myself against the best in venues like the Masters anytime I wanted.
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It's not a living and hasn't been a living for a very long time. There is a reason the top 10 pros are the only ones that travel outside of the US. Win or go broke. The best thing the tour did was go with the world series and summer swing so that you could work a real job and bowl as a secondary income or hobby. Also helped give some talented folks a chance to prove they had the chops to complete but not the desire for poverty.
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The PBA, for all of its good and bad, has always been about bowlers whose talent and game is better than 98 to 99 percent of the bowling population pursuing a competitive dream -- and perhaps, mission -- of finding out just how good they are. Most do it knowing they are not likely to reap any appreciable return on investment. Yet it is a 'life' most do not understand, or have any reason to appreciate.
The same could be said for most, if not all, athletic pursuits.
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I don't know personally, never will.
I know people that had their card at one time, they have told me they make more money overall through league brackets, sweepers, local tournaments that what they did on tour.
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Yea after all PBA is a tournament. Not a league like football where your team pays your big o salary. On TV we see the winners or people who cashes, but when there's a winner there has to be a loser.
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I will not divulge his name. He works a regular middle class job and bowls all of the major stops. He makes roughly 20-30 a Year bowling regional and national events alone. He makes another 10 bowling local amateur events. He makes double what he has spent a year, over the last 5 years. And ALL of his equipment is free and entries paid.
BJ Moore is pretty good.
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I will not divulge his name. He works a regular middle class job and bowls all of the major stops. He makes roughly 20-30 a Year bowling regional and national events alone. He makes another 10 bowling local amateur events. He makes double what he has spent a year, over the last 5 years. And ALL of his equipment is free and entries paid.
BJ Moore is pretty good.
BJ doesn't quite make that much. You can look the up for yourself.
Maybe I'm wrong, but he made 10,600 at the world series (you said just under 11k), just moved to the National Staff, from the Carolina's (pretty sure that's your area...if its texas not NC, then Shawn Maldonado).
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Honestly, why is his name a big secret? Is this an "i know and you don't nananana boo boo" moment?
Anyway, if his name has to be a secret then he's not as good as you say. If I was good enough to pull in that much from bowling, I would want my name out there to get noticed and get sponsors and such.
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Tackett didn't make anywhere near 11k at the WSOB (and earned well over the 20-30 a year estimate you gave...., and Pickford made a show. So that eliminates them.
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This whole topic has me coming up with one question...Are we truly seeing the best bowlers in the PBA?
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That is an excellent question. I remember when I went to my first ABC nationals in 1975 just prior to nationals week. A team mate told me that I would be shocked how many really good bowlers weren't on tour and how many mediocre guys with sponsors were. This was back in the day when tour stops were drawing 128 entries and they had rabbit squads.
I think the top 30 guys, give or take, are really good. I also think there are a lot of guys you have never heard of who would be competitive out there if the money was worthwhile.
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You may find guys that aren't on tour that are great bowlers, but you won't find someone that would be a top 10 guy. There are alway 10-15 guys on tour at any one time that are in a different category than even the rest of the tour guys.
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Yeah, for every big name we all know from the Tour, there are probably 20 guys/gals with mad talent that most of us have never heard of. Look at a guy like Derek Eoff. He has as much talent as any bowler I've ever seen, and he's done well on Team USA, in PBA Regionals, and at some big tourney events like the USBC Masters. Still, he doesn't try to do to the Tour thing because the money just isn't there to make it worthwhile. It's a sad state of affairs, but it is what it is.
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Yeah, for every big name we all know from the Tour, there are probably 20 guys/gals with mad talent that most of us have never heard of. Look at a guy like Derek Eoff. He has as much talent as any bowler I've ever seen, and he's done well on Team USA, in PBA Regionals, and at some big tourney events like the USBC Masters. Still, he doesn't try to do to the Tour thing because the money just isn't there to make it worthwhile. It's a sad state of affairs, but it is what it is.
Derek Eoff would be a top 12-15 tour player if he were out there.
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Yeah, for every big name we all know from the Tour, there are probably 20 guys/gals with mad talent that most of us have never heard of. Look at a guy like Derek Eoff. He has as much talent as any bowler I've ever seen, and he's done well on Team USA, in PBA Regionals, and at some big tourney events like the USBC Masters. Still, he doesn't try to do to the Tour thing because the money just isn't there to make it worthwhile. It's a sad state of affairs, but it is what it is.
Derek Eoff would be a top 12-15 tour player if he were out there.
This pays the bills.
http://host.madison.com/news/local/crime_and_courts/dane-county-sheriff-s-department-announces-new-deputies/article_99457a18-f8f8-11e1-9c77-001a4bcf887a.html
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Every bowling fan needs to watch the documentary film called "Pin Gods". It is great and gives a great inside look at life on the PBA Tour. After watching the film, I would NEVER want to live the life of a touring player.
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Pin gods is great. You can see a friend of mine leaning against a light pole in las vegas. Dave Carter. That's an old tour documentary but still fun to watch
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Pin gods is great. You can see a friend of mine leaning against a light pole in las vegas. Dave Carter. That's an old tour documentary but still fun to watch
Anyone have a link to Pin Gods haven't been able to find it?
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Pin Gods was once accessible in its entirety on YouTube. Guess that's since changed.
Another film that depicts life out on tour is "A League of Ordinary Gentlemen". That's also accessible for purchase on YouTube.
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There's a lot of very good players...very elite