Bowling and why it should be on TV, and how i intend to get

[flaming-ace]

I know this is a long message but please do read it, bowling is decreasing largly in numbers and needs your help!!!

Hi there, for those of you who don't know me,my name is james, a young bowler from Perth, WA. ten-pin bowling has caught a bad wrap in the past, people claiming it to be not a sport, but a hobbie, these people are known as social bowlers. like it or not the game of ten-pin bowling is classified as a sport, and always will be.

Many of you have never heard of Fairlanes bowling center, but they have a great web-site (by the way it's www.fairlanes.com.au) on this site they have a section on ten-pin bowling facts, some of them are as follows

1:Approximately 3 million people bowl each year making tenpin bowling the fifth most played sport in Australia.

2:Tenpin Bowling Australia, with nearly 113,000 members is the ninth (9th) largest sports organization in the country.

3:Tenpin Bowling Australia is the largest tenpin bowling organization outside of the United States.

4:Although difficult to estimate the tenpin bowling industry in Australia is worth more than $250 million per year.

Starting with the first point, 3 million people play the sport, making it the 5th largest sport in Australia, now you think about it, 5th largest and it is not even telivised, think of the amount of members we could get into the sport if the games was telivised.

Then onto point 3 outside of America, Australia has the bigest bowling bowling organisation in the world, now think about that, we are bigger than japan, malaysia, singapore (i have traveled to these countries and believe me bowling is a huge sport over there) and every european country. If any one can name me any sport that is played throughout the world, yet is only telivised in one country, i will be supriesed.

Then finally the sport of bowling pulls in over $250,000,000 a year, times that over 4 years and you have over $1,000,000,000, and yet we ask the question where does that money go? surly it can't all go just to one organisation, and if it did, how much do you think it would cost to purchase telivision rights?

In closing i ask you this, do you love your sport? At the rate we are going the game of ten-pin bowling is decresing more and more every year, the junior leauge i used to bowl in, 9 years ago had over 30 bowlers in it and that was just one of the two saturday leauges, to day it has less than 8 members. At the rate we are going our sport as we know it will be reduced to soical bowlers or even worse, non-existant, please don't let this happen, television broadcast is the only way we can get this great sport of ours back up on it's feet. I am intending to put together a petition (i think thats how you spell it, if not the thing where you get everybodys signature, on a piece of paper and send it in

) and send it in to all the networks and cross my fingers, but i can't do it along, please reply to this or send me an e-mail and let me know that u are interested, i thank you for your time, and keep on bowling!!!

 

[bfcc]

hi james good post, i love bowling just a much as you but the main reason numbers are dropping is bowling has become a rich mans sport with the cost of equipment and leagues going up and up most people just can't afford it. i used to bowl 3 leagues a week and tournaments on the weekends now i am bowling 1 league per week and 1 or2 tournaments a year.

as for getting bowling on tv good luck the problem with bowling on tv it is boring to non bowling public , if they see 2 guys getting strike after strike they say this game mustn't be too hard then if they see 2 guys struggling with spilts and open frames they say i can bowl like that, see the problem!!what we need to do is educate the people to how hard the sport is at the top level , we need someone to explain the equipment , the lanes and the condition put down, the amount of time it takes to get to the top level .

 

[Andrew S.]

Do it James, you've got my support.

Andrew Shinnie.

 

[flaming-ace]

in responce to bfcc: I have studied media now for over 4 years, and you learn a lot about the effects of television on both the indervidual and the community. Firstly hen watching TV and your show comes on, do u notice that they say "this show is brough to you by "so and so company""? That is called a broadcast sponsership when it is displayed for a sport, that in it's self pays for over half of the air-time, and because we would have broadcast sponserships, we would alos get sponserships off air, which would then in turn reduce the sport of bowling as a whole (i.e the price of a game, price for equitment, registration ect.). You also state that it may appear boring to people who don't bowl, well i can tell you that when i started up bowling 9 years ago, it was because i saw it on TV. TV has this funny way of making you believe somthing is good when really in reality, it's less entertaining than a trip to gradmas house, however the truth of the matter is that bowling is an enjoyable, relaxing, fun sport, in which almost any person can play. I understand that you think there may be another reason behind why we are losing members, and i am quite inclined to agree with you, but you can't deny the fact that, there is more than one reason to why this is happening, however thank you for your responce it was much apprciated.

 

[micky_macca]

U gote my vote James(I think thats ur name)

And your right because all the popular sports in Australia are televised, so why not bowling it seems to me that you could go all the way if you got enough support but theres one thing for sure im wif ya on the idea!!!

Later - Macca

 

[patrick]

hey.
i (patrick egan) will help you in everyway that u need 2 get bowling on tellie and popular again... i know how u feel with the decline in juniors, our centre went from probably 10 - 20 of the states top (i didnt say best! so dont bite my head off!!) bowlers down to mayb 2 or 3 in the last few years, and so i am more than willing to help you.

 

[griggsy]

u have my full support james, i am sick of seeing juniors not bowling these days and also seeing the sport of bowling being pushed to the side because everyone thinks it isnt good to watch, it is just as exciting as golf or tennis, so if u need any help just ask i can get alot of ppl down here behind you all the way on this one contact me on [email protected] if u need my help

 

[Pedro]

I've got 30,000 reasons why bowling is not on TV so often.

$30,000 is the cost to TBAL to get TV coverage for this year's WTBA Asian Schools Tournament at Mooroolbark. Majority of this coverage will be to 23 million Asian viewers.

Live WebCam coverage will also be available (at a much cheaper cost).

 

[Dion A]

I think every1 that bowls competitively would love 2 c more bowling on T.V and would do ne thing 2 get it on there, so would I, but the problem is with explaining all the equipment, lane and all of that (as suggested b4) might get quiet boring 4 those who dont bowl. Somefin like a fundrasier where when some of da worlds best bowlers bowl and everytime they get a strike 10 bucks or somefin is given 2 charity mabye work it like that so ppl get more involved and watch them intently 2 c if they get da strike and da money 4 charity. Well thats my thought ne way. And another way is 2 give out discount vouchers 2 get ppl involved coz i started bowling coz i got a discount voucher in a show bag a got and i liked bowling so took it up further!

 

[Murderdoll]

Hey,
I agree that bowling should be on T.V, and I also think that we should have a Pro Tourney ( like the PBA pro tourney). So who ever you are, you have my full support, and I hope that you succeed in what you are doing for the sport.

Peace Out

PS: Glad to be a West Aussie!

 

[makka]

I agree tottaly fellas
**** im sick of seeing bloody lawn bowls on tv all the time, get some more ten pin on the boob tube

Cheers

 

[flaming-ace]

I thank you all, for every bit of your support, it means a lot to me knowing that you care enough to to not only take the time out to read my post, but to also respond to it, and let me know that i have your much needed support. you are all champions, and it really shows how much you love this great sport of ours. what i am currently doing is preparing a letter stating to the networks about what we propose to do, and what i need from you now, is for you to send me an e-mail (u don't have to put anything in it, all i really need is your name and e-mail address) and send it to a special e-mail account i have just created which is,[email protected], after about 2 weeks of the account being set up what i will do is take all the names and e-mail addresses and enclose them with the letter i have prepared and send it to all the major networks. i have a strong feeling that this is it and we will get what we deserve. once again thank you for your suppost and i look foreward to your responce.

P.S if you have any other friends please get them to send in there name and e-mail

 

[kagg69]

It might be a good idea to try and get in contact with John Burgess from the show "Catch Phrase" and see what he thinks would be a good idea in getting the game of tenpin on TV. He used to be a top bowler {he may still bowl} and his knowledge of the TV business might be invaluable.
I seem to recall a couple of years ago there was interest raised at TBAL about getting each Association to donate money to get bowling on TV but I cant remember what became of that {we at Maitland were all for it and were prepared to donate}.

 

[wogboy]

hey ppl.

i am all for bowling on tv. I remember when it used to be on during the lunch break on the cricket.

Also, it is on foxtel every now and then, but these are generally the big ass US and european event.

One gripe i have tho, if the TBA is so big, why is it that they went broke in 2000. Specially since it was just after i bowled my first perfect game, and therefore did not get my free ring.

 

[JoSpencer]

Wog Bowler, it wasn't TBA that went broke it was ATBC. TBA are the ones trying to rescue us out of the mess from previous years. Try give them your support as without support from it's members it is fighting a losing battle. TBA have achieved a lot in the first few years, yes it was a slow start but there are many good signs around the place that it is gradually getting stronger each year.

Jo

 

[flaming-ace]

come on guys, no fighting, we are trying to work together.

sorry to sound like a hippie !!

 

[wogboy]

Im sure it was TBA in July 2000. I remember cos they weren't giving out the money that ATBC was, just the rings. Then a couple weeks later, a memo came out saying that they were not honoring any awards.

 

[flaming-ace]

Come on guys start sending me you e-mails, i ahe only got 3 replys, come on show how much you love your sport, it only takes a few seconds!!!!

 

[Tiger]

Hello James,
Agree with you post totally.
They call the nags (Horse Racing) the "Sport Of Kings" well in some respects you'd have to say that Tenpin Bowling has gone the same way.
My one wish would be that those responsible for the rediculously overpriced charges for the game of Tenpin Bowling (AMF) would go into the centre's and take a good long hard look at why Centre's are struggling for lineage.
It should stand out immediately when they look at the charges sheet behind the counter
TOO @%$#&!@ EXPENSIVE!!!
$19.95 for 3-games for a non-league player!!
What planet are these bunch of fools on????
$4 odd for a junior league player to have a practice game - Gimme a break

In the year 2001, 2 Leagues plus joining fees saw me shell out over $1300 in this period, no new equipment bought and no tournaments entered.
I pay this because I have a genuine love for the sport but, I would love to be playing it more often but, this is not financially possible at this time.
For that price, one could sign in for exclusive membership to a top Golf Club or to a high profile Gym and still have some change in the pocket.
I think having Tenpin on television will probably be a good thing for the game in the beginning but that will fade off due the fact that more and more social bowlers are not bowling because of the cost - they are finding less expensive pursuits, as are many league bowlers.
Tenpin on television - I have to say it - is rather staid and boring.
The facial expression never change whether it be a 10-bagger or four open's in a row, too many robots and not enough characters.
One way of making the game more exiting to Television Viewers would be to introduce a couple of "Bad Boys" to the sport.
I know some traditionalists will whince at the thought but, face it "Bad Boys" make the viewers watch.
One way to teach AMF a lesson would be to organise a National strike for one week of all sanctioned players to show AMF where they are going wrong.
Tuesday at Moonah bowl saw 60-games total for the WHOLE DAY.
This wouldn't happen because there are too many "sheep" and "don't rock the boaters" out there.
By dropping game charges and the Cafe prices and introducing a more club-orientated atmosphere in to centres you could build on the Television exposure, to good effect.
But when you have people at TV stations telling us that lawn bowls is more entertaining than Tenpin - yeh, well if you like watching snails crawl across parks I suppose you would.

- that is a cause for concern
Very best of luck.

Regards: Matt Cramond

ITS THE EYE OF THE TIGER

 

[kagg69]

The problem I see arising in the not too distant future is that there will be too few leagues that people will bowl in. I can remember 5 years ago nearly every good league took up the whole 20 lanes here at Maitland and if you wanted to join you had to put your name down and wait for a vacancy. These days leagues are now running with less than 10 teams and some leagues have disappeared. The cost of bowling is probably the main factor {and I don't mean the $10 for sports registration}, but another reason, especially with AMF, is their recruiting policy. Instead of recruiting for the existing leagues and boosting them up, they put new bowlers in their "coke" or whatever leagues. These people stay only long enough to get their ball or shirt and then they leave. Some companies have to rethink their agenda because its the die hard bowlers like all of us that are their bread and butter and very shortly we will be gone.