I know someone who decided to go back to college to complete his bachelor's degree. He enrolled in a local Southern CA college and is joining the bowling team. His initial assessment of the bowling scene there is not good. First, there are no tryouts, everyone gets on the team as there aren't many people interested. Second, there are no skilled bowlers, they mainly have 150 THS average bowlers who have no idea how to play sport patterns. Third, there isn't a bowling coach to teach them how to bowl correctly.

Such apathy by the school is mind boggling. Why bother to have a program at all if the school isn't going to support it?

If the sport is going to have any future, it's the manufactures that are going to have to step up and promote it, not just bleed whatever profits they can.

This would entail starting at the local level, prize money at the bowling center's to T.V. sponsorship.

Just like the old days, but it's apparent that the big players like A M F/Brunswick got fat and lazy.

When researching UFO/helicopter bowling it was pointed out that the bowlers that are into this style do not come to this country because the money incentive is much better in Asia, so it don't pay to come over, Heck if it weren't for Belmo there would even be less interest in the sport.

And that's another thing, bowling needs to be promoted as a sport and not an activity, and once again this responsibility falls on the manufactures shoulders.

Get bowling into the Olympics, they can do it, hell look at what they got now, Trampoline, Badminton, BMX Cycling, Ping Pong, Sailing, Handball, and no room for bowling?

It all ways boils down to the money, spend it to make it.

W9JAB, do you recall why bowling failed after being an Olympic exhibition sport?

The industry made a push to get bowling added as a demonstration sport years ago and was successful in doing so. In 1988.
The link below explores the topic very well,
here are some highlights.

never adequately covered by television.....
Plainly and simply, politics and money likely played a role....
not a sport which provides inexpensive nor easy access to most youngsters in third world countries......(this is B.S.)
Olympic sports are less expensive to pursue than bowling....
(more B.S. like it's cheep to own a Horse?)
Bowling simply does not have the media traction, the corporate support...
perception of many people that bowling is merely a recreation...

Link to above
https://www.bowlingball.com/BowlVersity/should-bowling-become-an-olympic-sport?


Tokyo 2020 Committee.....Baseball and softball, karate, skateboarding, sport climbing and surfing were the five selected......

Link to above
http://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1...yo-2020-failure


Oh, and if the idea of bowling as an Olympic sport still sounds too crazy to be true, note that bowling made an Olympic appearance in Seoul in 1988 as an exhibition event. If the organization begins its bid to enter the games next year, the earliest it could reach an Olympiad would be the 2024 games.

Link to above
http://www.stack.com/a/bowling-olympics

The organisers of the 2020 Olympics have nominated eight new sports for possible inclusion in the Tokyo Games, including surfing, bowling and Japanese favourite baseball.

Link to above
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-06-23/to...mes-inc/6565482

So from what I see, "I-phone app installation" has a better chance of becoming an Olympic sport then bowling.

May I suggest that tournament sites that use scores bowled in regular USBC League or tournament events, merging technology with traditional bowling methods might spark a renewed interest in bowling? There is a site for side action bowling for brackets, eliminator and two person teams and another potbowling tournament for 4 person teams using a unique method of making teams from around the nation. I believe technology has caught up as PC's and mobile devices can interact with these sites. There may be others, but if bowling can be made more alluring to the tech savvy bowler, which grows daily, the interest in the sport may increase.

The more I thought about this, I realized that UFO/helicopter bowlers typically use cheep 10 lb spare balls, No profit in a $50 spare ball compared to a $200 hook out of the box ball.

compare bowling to equestrian:

No mainstream TV coverage for either. Cost of a horse is exponentially higher for the horse (which is a specially bred horse. We have an Off the Track thoroughbred that originally cost tens of thousands of dollars (before we rescued him) . . .) and the cost of arena rental and such is expensive.

compare bowling to the shooting sports:

Little to no mainstream TV coverage for either. There is SOME shooting sports coverage, but that is typically three-gun stuff, not strictly skeet or trap or, especially, the air-gun stuff. And those guns? HOLY CRAP, I thought my nice 12G over-under was expensive. . . not even close. The cost of my entire four-ball-roller wouldn't come close. . .

compare bowling to biathlon:

Little to no mainstream TV coverage except for Scandinavia. (LOL) and again, cost of the skis, the gun, etc. Sheesh.

All of those arguments were quite specious, even back in the 70s.

I believe last time around, bowling was a summer event.

Here's a crazy idea, try to introduce bowling as winter sport event. After all, it is played indoors during the winter months.

But then again, the arguments against would be that it is not played on ice or snow. Curling anyone?

Could be played on ICE