Bowlers Journal International - January 2008 - (Page 8) BOWLITICALLYINCORRECT BY JIM DRESSEL FASCINATING SIGNS ON OUR HORIZON In many ways, '07 was a year of transition for bowling. THE USE OF A SLIDE RULE WAS SECOND NATURE TO THOSE of us who majored in math in college. Of course, that was a few years ago for yours truly, and while we haven't bothered to see if slide rules are still de rigeuer among aspiring mathematicians, the point is raised because it probably would take one to see where bowling ranks in terms of its general impact in the sports world after 2007. For example, it's difficult to calculate how much good was done when women's bowling was given nine weeks of valuable television airtime during the year. For those of us who thought the women's tour was dead — and this reporter was one of those — this was a refreshing revival. The PBA's four-week Women's Series and the five-week U.S. Open televised showdowns — made possible by USBC — had to benefit bowling a tremendous amount, because they fleetingly acknowledged that topflight competitive bowling encompasses both genders. However, it will be for naught if the revival doesn't have some long-term residual effects like the actual rebirth of a women's tour. The slide rule would have come into play (if we still knew how to use it) when it came to calculating the impact Jeff Bojé has had as USBC President, especially when considering that he's been in office only five short months. That impact is almost immeasurable considering how he's already making inroads in changing some of the mindsets at Bowling HQ, even to the point of giving interim chief Kevin Dornberger some anxious moments (see our Person of the Year story). The biggest part of that attitude changeover incorporates the BPAA as well, which is now contemplating the idea that it and the USBC might cohabit a common headquarters building in the near future. Is it possible that it might not happen? Of course. But this was a concept that was absolutely unthinkable a few decades ago. (It parallels the reaction of industry leaders of the 1950s, who were literally aghast at the idea of ABC and WIBC someday sharing a mailing address, a notion which became a reality in spite of the earlier resistance.) This new industry unity couldn't have come at a more propitious time. The erosion of some of the sport's numbers has been unsettling, to say the least. It is further acknowledgement of the trend noted by Joe Schumacker's report when he wrote about the convergence of the league and open play numbers in BJI's July 2001 ground-breaking cover story. 8 bowlers journal international JANUARY 2008 Two relatively new shifts expand on various parts of that story today. First is the continuing rise of the mostly urban bowling lounges and boutiques, which have been viewed as a great trend for introducing an entirely new and vigorous demographic to the game in ever-swelling numbers, though nobody knows exactly what those numbers are, nor how they impact on bowling in general. In a related trend, those numbers have additionally impacted bowling via the many new Family Entertainment Centers that have appeared on the landscape, either through new construction, or conversion of existing (read: previously traditional) bowling centers. In those cases, there is at least more hope for the direct conversion of the uncountable recreational masses into more committed (and hence, countable) league players. (Schumacker's Skills Center concept was introduced at the 2007 BPAA Summit to aid and abet those conversions, but it's still a couple of years away from complete utilization, though its potential makes it another hopeful sign.) Meanwhile, there is new hope for a renaissance in the sport itself. It is coming in the form of the PBA Experience leagues, which are blossoming because — though not completely addressing bowling's environmental conundrums — they have brought some new uniformity to the sport equation. What does this portend for the PBA itself? At the very least, the Experience concept provides some potential in cultivating new breeding grounds for many who now have a new reason to label themselves, "Tour hopefuls." That, alone, could offer some hope for some growth by the PBA, which provides reasons for the Tour owners to consider their investment as having some long-term potential it didn't have before. Many of bowling's other trends might not be considered to have any direct impact on the Tour at first blush. Yet they do, by ridding bowling of some of those old stereotypes, especially when buttressed by celebrities, athletes and other society trendsetters taking to the game in increasing numbers. This is causing monied outside interests to take a new look at bowling as a potential investment. The PBA hasn't yet found a way to fully capitalize on some of these still-evolving trends. Yet they all contribute to a longterm turnaround in its ability to do business. Bowling needs a highly-visible showcase, and it also can't hurt when that highly exposed stage also includes some of the top women competitors. Which brings us back to the points raised at the outset. Although bowling's leaders are still addressing some of the inherent problems of the sport, there are plenty of hopeful signs now in play and on the horizon that point out a new need to address those problems. For example, the NCAA's positive impact on women's bowling (the male collegians are still on their own, however) is a huge factor, as is the new emphasis on coaching (though would you pay for miniature golf lessons?). So, slide rule in hand, we might look back on 2007 as the point in time when a lot of the turnaround began to exert itself. Happy New Year, fellow mathematicians.
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