Ditto, I too, watched the shows on ABC since I was a kid back in the mid-1970s (more on a hardcore, every-week level starting in 1989 when I first met my Love Of My Life, Alice Yantz, who got me into our great sport on a serious level.), and we both still watch the shows on ESPN even today. We need more exposure for sure, Jack.

However, it is almost impossible now to repair the damage done to the PBA by (ironically enough) the very same ownership group that runs it (into the ground) today. They have done absolutely nothing to convince non-bowlers to even watch (LIVE, not the "DVR-way") or attend our telecasts. Nobody wants to sponsor a Tour that does really nothing to promote its own players or give them more exposure. People should've been knowledgeable of established stars like Danny Wiseman, WRW, Pete Weber, Tommy Jones, Wes Malott, Jason Belmonte, etc. on a first-name basis by now like in other sports.

Didn't the PBA have a restriction on beards way back when? Probably why they started sponsoring.


I don't get why they don't tell you what ball is being used by each bowler. The core,the cover,
how and why the balls react the way they do. They could explain grips and drilling. That way novice bowlers could go into a Pro Shop with some idea of what they are getting into.
When I got my first ball I really had no info to go off of other then the internet and even then it takes alot of searching and reading. I don't think most people know there is a science to bowling. I sure didn't.

I believe that they loosened the image rules back in 1993, finally allowing beards and (to my liking) long hair (although mine is thinning as I speak and I am also going bald in back) to be worn in PBA events.

But the rule I thought that had to go, was the very same one that Danny Wiseman was partly responsible for loosening, was that of what shirts you could wear in PBA events (and especially on TV). Hey, watch some of the telecasts D-DUB has made since 2001 and see for yourself. yes the old PBA code of wearing starch-collared La Mode shirts (I owned a few of them back in the 80s/90s) is now a thing of the past, as we also have seen the growth of players wearing mock necks, crew necks, as well as D-DUB'S button-downs as well as the now-traditional soft-collar polos and custom Gemini jerseys that we see guys on Tour wearing now these days.

Want to get more bowlers to watch the PBA? How about if during a random commercial break, the USBC had a drawing each week where they randomly picked one member's USBC number for a prize, and the member had to call within X minutes to collect the prize. That's how many million potential viewers?

A sponsor to replace Barbasol? How about Simple Green? There's a product all bowlers can use and represents millions in repeat business for the manufacturer. And, it is already on the USBC approved list.

barbasol is gone? THANK GOD. If I had to listen to that awful awful song and the super corny commercial again, I would have freaked out.

If the current owners hadn't bought the PBA when they did, we'd all be saying "Hey, remember when they used to show bowling on TV?" They were done- about to become a memory. Might still be soon- this year is going to be a tough one. The revenue from their xtra frame service had better help, but it may be too little too late. Facebook and twitter updates are nice, too, but you can't keep sponsors with 30 minutes of ad space a week.

Beer sponsors are the most logical choice, but you don't think the PBA marketing staff isn't leaving voicemails at Miller, Coors and Anheuser Busch on an almost daily basis? It's not realistic, but if the PBA were to strongarm at least one of the brewing companies into a sponsorship with the threat of pulling all of their products from every center in the US, the Federal Trade Commission would probably jump down their throats. Miller was the "Official Beer of Bowling" several years ago, but I guess it didn't help to translate into better beer sales, so they dropped their sponsorship.

I totally agree. The bowling ball's are also the stars of the pba and many bowlers want to know what the pro's are using. Last yr during the stadium championship Randy did this with Patrick Allen and all the balls he used. I just loved it but would like even more info. The ball companies spend alot of money to have their balls on TV, they deserve to have the balls talk about.

There is an agreement with the PBA and the manufacturers that since they can't give equal time to all the manufacturers that have licensed equipment, they will refrain from giving "free advertising" to the ones that make the show. The PBA's site will tell you in their "In the bag" section what everyone threw, wore, used, etc...
The exception was the plastic ball event, where everyone threw the same ball. Since they weren't allowed to use their sponsors' equipment, they were allowed to tell us what they "would have chosen to use" had they been allowed to throw what they wanted.
I'd like to be able to see what they're using, too, so until they start holding the ball with the make and model facing the cameras more, we're going to have to do our best to catch a look.
The drawback is that not only do ball manufacturers spend money to see their products on TV, so do shoe, grip, accessory and bag companies. Do you really want to know that Rhino Page might be throwing a Storm Invasion, using Vise Grips, wearing Dexter SST8s, wearing a Gemini shirt, and Fruit of the Looms? Then multiply that by 4 or 5, depending on how many make the show? No, that's a little too much for me...