LOL..HAMMNS..I remember that bear in the ad.
Or ice cold Pabst..

Lol, nice

And, didn't Budweiser sponsor a St.Louis team, and Terryton Cigarettes a team from Detroit? Local sponsors here in Chicago were Auto Dealers. But, there was a Lucky Strike team as well as a Schlitz team.

And, I believe the prize money was larger in the 70's than it is today. Largely from those sponsors.

I talk to my dad about going to Nationals and be brings up the old Budweiser teams with Dick Weber. I don't know if the money in the 70s was more than it is today. I think it was close though.

There was a Pabst team as well.

Go Pabst, which currently resides in my fridge ;-)

Blame it on Denny's and their "family-friendliness".

And while we may not see cigarette sponsors ever come back (due mostly to the pro-health/anti-smoking movement), I do agree that there needs to be a beer sponsor involved with the PBA, like Miller and Miller Lite (and Budweiser and Bud Light before them) were before Denny's and Motel 6 stuck their noses into the PBA.

It seems like now the PBA goes through sponsors almost like the average American household goes through TP, disposable regardless of the eventual outcome (like much-needed Nielsen Ratings points). I remember when True Value Hardware Stores and Firestone Tires were loyal sponsors of the Tour and now it had been lowered to the (ever-sinking) level of obscurity like it has under the current ownership.

Eddie Elias must be rolling over in his grave over what his once-popular Tour that he started 50 years ago has come to. We have been lowered to hearing the term "hambone" (normally called a "4-bagger") from Rob Stone and seeing PDW doing his notorious D-Generation X-inspired WWE-style crotch chop when ever he gets on a roll during a title match.

What next? Not even the great Cindy Margolis' legendary marketing genius can save the PBA now from the eventual doom it will feel soon, guaranteed.

And, didn't Budweiser sponsor a St.Louis team, and Terryton Cigarettes a team from Detroit? Local sponsors here in Chicago were Auto Dealers. But, there was a Lucky Strike team as well as a Schlitz team.

And, I believe the prize money was larger in the 70's than it is today. Largely from those sponsors. [/quote]


Dennis I believe Strohs Beer that sponsored a team in the Detroit area, starting in the early 1930's thru the 60's. I think Pfiefer Beer had one too.

My reference here is watching the older tournaments on Youtube Videos. Quite often, the announcer mentions the Prize Money for the Tournament. Seems to me that $100,000 prize money and $25,000 first place money is very close to today's winnings.

Now, discount those dollars and take out inflation, and those bowlers back then made a BIG BUCK. And, without the huge sponsorship money.

And after all this time, in fact in 47 years of televised bowling they still give away only a measly (by 2008 standards) $10,000 for a 300 game on television, despite inflation. Now that was fine when Jim Stefanich shot his perfect game back in 1974 in Alameda, Ca (I watched that telecast as did millions of us back in the days when it was on ABC), but seriously, I mean the guys (and gals) on Tour are getting hosed. We bowlers are severely underpaid and most of all, under-respected by the media, don't you think so?

And that is just talking abpout the PBA National Tour, it is a lot less in the Regionals.