BallReviews
General Category => PBA => Topic started by: xrayjay on September 17, 2014, 06:08:44 PM
-
Here's a link for those interested in reading this article about the PBA
http://priceonomics.com/the-rise-and-fall-of-professional-bowling/
-
Interesting article...thanks.
-
Loved the article.
-
Great article.
-
Great article, although they over stated the financial health of the professional game in the 70's. A good friend of mine was a top 20 money winner for 2 straight seasons around 1978, and never cracked 30k. At its peak there were never more than about 30 guys making a decent living on tour in a given year. In addition there was always significant turnover in that top 30 from year to year. The friend I referred to earlier had a bad 3rd season, and was off the tour by the 4th year due to lack of sponsors.
-
Quite honestly, almost every article I've ever read on the PBA and bowling at the professional level since the early 1980s have been alone these lines: the grind of chasing a dream that isn't as prosperous as many would think.
Every now and then, there would be an article on a 'lightning' personality like Marshall Holman and Pete Weber, or a change of pace like C.K. Moore, an ordained minister famous for bowling a 300 on television, or George Branham III being the first black to win a PBA major title. But most articles seem to veer back to my opening observation.
(Ah, one thing, though. The article said back in the day bowlers had to carry a 200 or better average before joining the PBA. It was actually 190 or better (66 games minimum) for two consecutive league bowling seasons.
-
If there was a way to encourage more people to bowl......man, i would love to see bowling rise in popularity these days. Although we have quite a few big leagues in my house. To me it seems that more folks have started league bowling in my alley this season. Monday, tuesday and wednesday nights are packed at my place and we have a 40 lane center. Nice place too, great pro shop and a nice bar. In my wednesday Night mixed league we have 24 teams!
i would love nothing more than to see more people practicing to try and get better, but I believe the way the handicap format is these days that it hinders people from even trying to practice.......
Good to see the youth numbers rising though. Great article!!!