Is Bowling Becoming More Popular?

The popularity of bowling peaked in the 1960s, had a slow decline, restructured, and is now rising again. I have found myself back on the lanes in the last four years. Since the unified standards of 1895 in the USA, the sport has overcome its slump with new technology to emerge as an exciting action sport for both player and spectator. The basic rules of play are the same but the scene has changed!

Is bowling becoming more popular? In 2019, absolutely!! The bowling industry has grown from $4 billion in 2014 to $10 billion in 2018. From a declining 39 million US bowlers in 2010 to 67 million in 2018 and, being one of the fastest-growing varsity sports, popularity is rising. 100 million people of all ages in over 80 countries are bowling.

Bowling has restructured itself in order to survive and indeed thrive. The demographics of bowlers has changed as the recreation, sport, and business have gone high tech.

Bowling Popularity 2019

Bowling is rising again in popularity in 2019 since participation leveled off from 2012 to 2017. The heyday of bowling was in the ’50s and ’60s with the invention of the automatic pinsetter. Bowling leagues were flourishing. Bowling alleys had a steady decline since the 1970s. In 2012 participation leveled off in the US.

Actually bowling had a re-organization as league bowling declined and recreational bowling rose. Bowling centers replaced bowling alleys with better food and other entertainment options. One reason for the change was the demographics. The original popularity of bowling was with the working class. It was popular to join a league with the guys or gals after work or to get away from the house. Now party bowling, family bowling, and social bowling have grown within a higher income group.

The culture has changed and bowling has adapted. Entertainment centers have popped up with video arcades, laser tag, and bowling as options. Bowling birthday parties for kids have grown. I took my granddaughter to a bowling party with 8 friends and parents. Cosmic bowling for the teens and young adults is popular, especially at night with lights flashing, music blaring, and glowing balls.

Bowling teams at colleges and even high schools are on the rise. With the changes in technology, the techniques, the balls, and the lanes, it’s become a challenge in our high tech age. One ball will certainly not efficiently knock down those pins on all oil patterns, or even throughout the entire game.

Professional bowling is growing again, especially worldwide. Bowlers from the USA, Sweden, Canada, Singapore, Japan, Columbia, the UK, and of course Australia are just a sample of the prominent countries among the pros today. And yes, you can watch them on YouTube and television from the collegiate level, through the major events, to the over-50 competitions.

Bowling as Popular Recreation

Bowling may be the world’s number one participatory sport with over 100 million people bowling in more than 80 countries. 40% – 50% are women bowlers, many of whom can compete on an equal basis with men. Bowling is one of the largest and best-organized sports in the world.

In the ‘50s and ‘60s after a hard day’s work, bowling with your buddies was good relaxation. Also, as was the case in my family, my mom would go out with her friends and bowl in a league. I followed suit and joined a league while in high school for a year. The bowling alley was utilitarian and smoke was part of the atmosphere. We still had fun.

The scene has changed. Bowling alleys or entertainment centers such as Bowlero now offer league play and social clubs. They have more offerings including birthday parties, corporate events, teen parties, reunions, and more. Of course, this includes better food choices. The cosmic bowling with the lights flashing and loud music can appeal to a vibrant crowd.

I’ve been caught in the transition. I was quietly concentrating on my technique to improve my score when the clock struck 6 on a Friday night. All bowling stopped. The lanes were quiet while the staff checked everything and set things up. Within a few minutes, the transformation happened! The lights lowered, the music blasted, the disco-ball spun. I could barely see the arrows on the lane anymore. I did have fun as I wrapped up my last game of the night.

Bowling as a Competitive Sport

Sport Bowling is recognized as the competitive standard in bowling. Almost every premier bowling tournament is rolled on Sport Bowling lane conditions. Sport bowling oil patterns are used and play much harder than house patterns. Bowling professionals around the world compete in events throughout the year. There are sanctioned events for bowlers from 9 to 90 years old.

I say 9 to 90 because, to my knowledge in 2019, the youngest bowler to bowl a perfect 300 game in a sanctioned event is 9 years old. The oldest bowler to bowl a perfect sanctioned game is 89 years 6 months and 11 days old. If that isn’t competitive enough for you, how about a 900 for a 3-game series? There are only 35 USBC sanctioned 900 games as of April 2019. Care to join the 900 Club?

Competitive bowlers need the best equipment to be successful. From 2014 through 2018, manufacturers released over 500 new bowling balls. Although most of these high-performance balls were from well-established and recognized names, some balls were issued by small companies. This is a sign of a growing, popular industry.

The biggest organization for competitive bowling is in the USA, the United States Bowling Congress (USBC). With 1.3 million members in 2019, it sets the standards for league, tournament, and competitions in the United States. The USBC deserves a great deal of credit for advancing bowling as a sport with the advent of sanctioned leagues and tournaments.

The Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) is the premier sanctioning body for serious competitive 10-pin bowling in the United States. All the best bowlers in the world and all the wannabes are members. It was founded in 1958 and today has over 3,000 members from over 50 countries. There over 30 PBA tournaments in 2019 including 10 open events and 4 international.

For those college-age people who want to develop their skills and explore the possibility of bowling competitively, joining an intercollegiate team is a top choice. Some schools are noted for their programs such as Robert Morris University and Wichita State University. This can lead to amateur play or a professional career, part-time or full time. After you have honed your skills, join the Professional Bowling Association Tour (PBA) and you’re on your way. Hey, Anthony Simonsen became the youngest bowler to win a PBA masters championship at age 19.

The baby boomers haven’t gone away yet. There are over-50 and over-60 competitions in the PBA. Some of these players can be found on the regular tour as well and winning. Hello, Norm Duke, 2019.

Of course, tournaments of all types such as ones dedicated to amateur players, both handicap and scratch players alike, are abundant in all corners of the globe where competitive bowling is found. The professional organizations around the world showcase the finest talent in players competing for prizes and monies.

Competitive Bowling in the World

The United States isn’t the only place where bowling is popular. The World Tenpin Bowling Association oversees millions of bowlers around the world. There are three major divisions, the Pan American Bowling Confederation, the Asian Bowling Federation, and the European Tenpin Bowling Federation. The Pan American Games is one of the world bowling highlights every 4 years with bowling being an official sport since 1991. Bowling is also an event in Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, and more.

As the world develops, the past-time of bowling has also expanded. In 2018 African countries established the Bowling Federation of Africa.

Bowling as a Spectator Sport

It’s hard to believe that in 1964 Don Carter became the first athlete in any sport, any sport, to receive a $1,000,000 endorsement contract as a professional bowler. Tens of thousands would watch the pros bowl at tournaments and on TV while amateurs would compete on Bowling for Dollars and similar television shows.

Bowling alleys of today, 2019, are built to accommodate bowlers, the more lanes the better. The amount of space for observers is minimal with a few hundred or occasionally over a thousand spectators like the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nevada. However, television and online video sites such as YouTube allow for millions or more to easily watch bowling, just like any other sport.

In 2019 Fox has over 30 PBA bowling events broadcasted on TV and, for the first time ever, has a broadcast from China in November. CBS has around 20 bowling events broadcast focussing on intercollegiate competition. YouTube is filled with events, recorded and live, even streaming live trials.

The most enthusiastic live event takes place in Portland, Maine at Bayside Bowl, where the best bowlers in the world, including women, coach and play on teams in the PBA Professional bowling league, culminating in the Elias Cup. Do not expect dead silence from the 400+ crowd when the bowlers are on the approach… Aussie, Aussie, Aussie!… Clean your plate, Clean your plate, Clean your plate.