BallReviews
General Category => PWBA => Topic started by: da Shiv on May 27, 2003, 10:36:16 PM
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Here are links to two articles in today's Detroit Free Press (if I can get this to work).
http://www.freep.com/sports/othersports/bowl28_20030528.htm
and
http://www.freep.com/sports/othersports/pwba28_20030528.htm
Shiv
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Listening to the monotonous staccato of rain on my desk top
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Wow I had not imagined that they would come right out and say it. It is unfortunate though. A lot of times I would rather watch the women then the men though. I hope somebody steps up and helps.
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I don't really play cards and I am not 79, but it fits together somehow.
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I dont think many people realize how truly tragic this would be if we were to lose the PWBA.
I think that any sort of validation the new PBA has given to our sport will have been completely wiped out without our sisters in the PWBA.
I wish I was a millionaire.
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Wow. I'm surprised it's public news.
What a bummer. Well, I guess I'm for sure going to hit that fall swing this year - I may not get another chance.
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Golf was invented by the same people who think music comes out of bagpipes.
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its dissapointing but im not surprised, people cant expect organizations like this to be supported by the charity of select individuals, the pwba tour had an opportunity, just like the pba tour did, and for whatever reason the pba tour has shown some growth, and the wpba tour has shown nothing but losses, its a shame but i really dont expect anyone to dive in wallet first ready to drop millions in a doomed adventure simply so a few women bowlers can make a living or have some extra spending cash, maybe instead of sulking and accepting whats happening some of the women bowlers should start trying to bring attention to themselves and their organization, maybe start a big brawl on the next pwba telecast, large women, hurling bowling balls at eachother, sounds like high ratings to me.....
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100% pure unadulterated weasel...except no substitutes
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Where are the ball company's in this. Does ebonite not use the PWBA as a huge marketing tool. What about Columbia300. I see Wendy McPherson throwing them all the time. Storm and I could go on and on. This seems like a great marketing tool for these company's. There are tons of bowlers and more specifically women bowlers out there. Why can't they all chip in enough to give it a jump start and really make the product attractive. If you don't push the product people don't see it or notice it.
The people who are obsessed with bowling like us know all the balls and stuff like that, but you know what talk to the average guy or girl at your house. They don't know about them. Use the tour as a marketing tool.
I can see why the PBA owners didn't throw 4 million at him though. I mean that would be dumb. Why do that a get a product that is constantly losing money. Shoot they could just wait a year for it to fold then start their own.
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I don't really play cards and I am not 79, but it fits together somehow.
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Ebonite comes to mind to me too. I'm surprised that they have done nothing to help.
scruffy weasel--What you propose regarding the brawl--too much like all the stuff that's on TV already.
Shiv
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Listening to the monotonous staccato of rain on my desk top
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shiv, it was a joke, however you make my point, there is alot of stuff like that (brawl) on tv, and what does that tell you? someones watching and its making money...i think sometimes people on this site forget that theyre the minority in bowling, bowling is a novelty game supported by beer, nacho cheese, and black lit houses blasting justin timberlake music, for most people bowling is a very uninteresting game to watch, most people really dont understand the game nor do they want to and in order to be successful bowling must appeal to a wider market base than just the accomplished bowler, they must find a way to hook in new viewers and make them want to participate at their local houses, and that means attracting younger people and that means more energy needs to be put into, and come out of the telecasts and events...
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100% pure unadulterated weasel...except no substitutes
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I've had the pleasure of meeting John Sommer III back in 1993, and we talked at length during our multiple conversations.....at the time I knew that he owned Cherry Bowl in Rockford, but he never even mentioned to me that he was chairman of the board at the PWBA (and I was unaware of this at that time). John is a great guy when you get to know him, and he is truely interested in the future of bowling. I had absolutely no idea that he was a financial giant at the time, and he sure didn't flaunt his money...John was just an all around great guy to get to know.
I desparately hope that something can be done to save the PWBA, for both John's sake, as well as the sake of bowling in general.
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I believe that I know when the interview with CDB took place, and I could almost hear my own thoughts coming from her mouth. Some of the concerns have been present for a while, and it was made known via email that money was a factor in the reduction in the schedule. Efforts were made to boost the prize funds that we would be shooting for. Unfortunately, it does not seem to have had an impact upon entries...we are still under 50 entries for Terre Haute, despite the fact that 24th is paying more than last year and you can now be last check and show a profit for the week instead of just barely recouping expenses.
What makes this doubly frustrating for someone like me is that I could have gone out in the late 80's but did not do so...now that I am in a position to dangle my toe in the waters (even if it means having weeks where I bowl more like a toe than a pro), the prospect of having national events is up in the air beyond this year.
In the meantime, I can only keep my fingers and toes crossed. For those that are within an hour or so of a stop, I can only encourage you to come out and show your support (thnx to Jeff, Joey, da Shiv and rackattack for coming out to watch this week).
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Very sad announcement at the beginning of the broadcast today; sounded like they're not sure they'll even make it through the Spring/Summer swing. Very sad...
The story in the Detroit Free Press makes it sound like Sommer is trying to find someone to make him whole. This makes no sense. The 4 million bucks is gone, John; get over it.
If the PBA guys are willing to buy the PWBA for a buck, and if they are willing to make a commitment to doing for the PWBA what they've done for the PBA, then sell it to them. The PWBA needs people with pockets deep enough to make an investment that you can't make.
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seadrive
Cogito ergo bowl
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Based on a suggestion from a friend of mine in the Dallas area, on Friday I sent an e-mail to Mark Cuban of the Dallas Mavericks and asked if he might be interested in helping the tour. Since I sent the e-mail from work, I'll have to wait until tomorrow to see if I get any kind of response.
Barb
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"If we can change our thoughts, then we can change the world." -H.M. Tomlinson
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I hate to say it, but I got to the TV about 1.5 minutes into the show. I guess I missed a REAL big announcement???
Does anyone know exactly what was said?
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I start each day with yoga and meditation. I put my right foot under my left thigh. I put my left foot under my right thigh. I arch my back as much as I can, and then I begin my mantra: Ouch, oh, that hurts.
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mumzie, in short Jan acknowledged at the beginning of the telecast that this week was the first of a seven live telecasts, but that there were concerns that the swing mind end prior to that. This was the subject of much behind the scenes talk this week, but it was something heard from more than one source, all of whom I consider reliable. Nonetheless, it is conceivable that the plug could be pulled prior to the end of the swing...I'm reluctant to name the stop most frequently mentioned.
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I'm really surprised that Ebonite hasn't stepped up in this crisis. Look at who the Ebonite staffers are on the PWBA tour. Several months ago, Ebonite ran a full page ad in the bowling magazines with a group picture of their staffers. The women were not identified in the photo, but they didn't need to be identified--they were all recognizable from being on TV all the time: Kim Terrell, Kendra Gaines, Cara Honeychurch, today's winner Kelly Kulick, Michelle Feldman, Carolyn Dorin-Ballard, and Leeanne Barrette. Ebonite's bowlers dominate the tour. Hello, Ebonite!...
Shiv
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Listening to the monotonous staccato of rain on my desk top
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this would be a shame if the pwba were to come to an end. i look forward to the telecasts and enjoy the competition as much as the mens tour. someone or some group of persons needs to make a financial commitment to ensure the future of the pwba.
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Any suggestions???
Maybe if we all mentioned this to everyone we know, an angel would pop out of the woodwork. I intend to try. How about all of you?
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I start each day with yoga and meditation. I put my right foot under my left thigh. I put my left foot under my right thigh. I arch my back as much as I can, and then I begin my mantra: Ouch, oh, that hurts.
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I like watching the women too. They seem to have much more personality than alot of the men.
That being said, I think maybe the PWBA women may have brought this on them selves. PLEASE CORRECT ME IF I AM WRONG----I COULD VERY WELL BE MISTAKEN IN ALL OF THIS. The PWBA women 1-3 years ago fought to get the prize money raised. If the prize money was raised, and the sponsor money is not there then that has to be what is killing the PWBA. Women in many sports want more money, and I understand that. But they usually do not create the revenue the men do. To compare the prize funds of the men and women and say the women are being cut short is just wrong. There is more overall interest in the men and therefore the men create the revenue.
This very much goes back to the article 9(not sure if that is correct off of the top of my head), where in college there have to be X number of scholorships set aside for women. That is great, I have 2 daughters and hope that some day one of them can benefit from that. Is it really worth giving the women the scholorships when most of the time the women's sports are not filling the seats like the men are? There are exceptions naturally----U Conn women basket ball and U Tenn women basketball. As a whole there have been some men's sport programs cut due to having to make room for women.
In the complete picture I personally hope the PWBA stays and stays for years. But in order to have that happen some of the women are going to have to make the sacrifice in the prize fund. It will not be easy for them to do because the cost of travel is outrageous, but that is probably what it will take.
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EXCALIBUR, that's in where lies the catch-22 of the situation. Yes, the women want and DESERVE more money in their prize funds.....unfortunately, nobody is stepping up to the plate to help make up the funds. If you cut back on the prize funds that are being offered in the tournaments, then the entries themselves will fall out the bottom, because it just won't make economical sense to go to the expense to enter the tournaments (and all of the travel expenses, lodging expenses, equipment expenses, and other dollars incurred while competing) when there isn't enough prize money coming back to even cover the expenses of competition. As it is, only a fraction of the competitors who enter will see a dime in money for their efforts and monetary investments, and to further degrade the payouts will only kill the PWBA Tour itself. Maybe the Regional events MIGHT survive, but the Regionals depend on the bigger names entering to muster up the public interest, so the demise of the Tour could also lead to the demise of the Regional program.
I have to give credit where credit is due. John Sommer III has been very generous to the game to invest some $4 million of his money in hopes of seeing a return of some type in his investment, but there is a limit to how much liability one individual can absorb. I'm sure that this situation is killing John emotionally, but what other choices does he have at this point, seeing as how no other big dollar sponsors are willing to step up to the plate? The PWBA has survived BECAUSE of John's efforts, but that well has about run dry. I'd hate to be in the position that he is faced with, because I know how attached he is to the women's Tour.
It puzzles me that none of the ball manufacturers are even waving their arms at this point, as some of their advertising is at risk here too. You'd think that the ball companies would at least have a vested interest in what happens here, but it appears that they just don't care.
At this point, it will take a miracle similar to what happened to the PBA to save the PWBA. Maybe the same group with the PBA might see the wisdom of preserving the PWBA as well, or at least one would hope so. After all, I'd venture at guess that women make up at least 40% of active bowlers today, if not even a larger figure. Losing the PWBA would be isolating a significant share of the bowling public and bowling consumers. The chain reaction effects would be felt clear into the bowling manufacturing industry. No PWBA means a lesser interest in women's bowling, which in turn leaves fewer women driven towards serious competition, which in turn leads to less interest and fewer bowlers purchasing high end equipment, and the ripple effects could even be felt at the local level in women's participation at local bowling centers.
Yes, there is a dark gray cloud on the horizon here, and living in Tornado Alley myself, one starts wondering about impending danger.
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With prize funds where there were prior to this season, it was entirely possible to make matchplay and not be able cover expenses for the week. You simply aren't going to have that many people in a position to tour full-time and be losing money. Last cash was raised for this season as were the total payouts, but there does not seem to be a real impact in entries...I wish I knew where the middle ground was. I still believe that the problems come back to marketing...or lack of- those that have spoken with me or PM'ed me know exactly the issues I mean.
I had calls yesterday from a couple of people wanting to know who to get in touch with and so we continue to keep the collective fingers crossed...
Even if the worst comes to pass, I will still be able to say that I gave it a try...struggled with some issues, but at least was out here instead of looking back five years down the road and wondering "what if".
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I heard Jan Schmidt say the tour could be in jeopardy before the swing ended. But was I the only one dismayed when almost in the same breath she said "judging from the competition at the US Open, the future looks bright..." (I paraphrase). After I dragged my jaw from the floor I asked my wife "How could she say that?" I will not say some of the other things I said about the comment.
Sugar-coating the situation isn't going to fix it. A sweep in PWBA personnel (the administrators, not the bowlers) appears in order because the situation has degraded for years and years. One has to look at the top. I know I am inviting flames for this, but maybe it would actually be a step in the right direction for the PWBA itself to fold, and let's start over. Maybe a division of the PBA, maybe organizations such as Mumzie is involved with, maybe with some other visionary that can properly promote. The PWBA hasn't accomplished a thing to make progress. Maybe its time for a complete change. I am going to send a letter to the PBA about this very subject and I think it behooves all of us that are serious about the sport to do the same.
I hate this is happening. I love the PWBA bowlers, and I have supported their events when I can for that past 10 years. I am fortunate to know a few of them. I know the loss of the PWBA would hurt these fine bowlers. But what is a sputtering, prolonged death doing for them?
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Go to [www.bowlersjournal.com] for the latest. (Striking News Column)
Edited on 6/4/2003 3:25 PM
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Players meeting today...long story short, things should continue beyond Rockford, but nothing is certain beyond the end of the swing. A couple of groups have apparently expressed some interest in stepping in, but no details are immediately releaseable. In the meantime, everyone needs to keep their fingers and toes crossed and hope for the best...if there is luck in bowling, we need a bunch of it right now.
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No luck should be needed. With the talent base they have (and yes it is just a base) I think the right group could really draw the audience in. The marketing machine just needs turned up. I hope somebody with good vision steps up to the plate.
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I don't really play cards and I am not 79, but it fits together somehow.