Rosa,
no need for an apology, was just clarifying to prevent being dismissed as troll, can assure my intent has the best interest of future bowlers and the sport, in mind.
If previous threads looked at problems and yet came up with no plausible answers, then the subject needs new and greater attention given to it.
I see Cara Honeychurch now heads TBA, perhaps she and others should be included, for the future of your sport. I'm sure the "body is serious about promoting bowling as a sport" but unfortunately not looked at starting with a clean sheet of paper, looking at how the competitive element is entrenched in other sports by the way their game is played,and then look to include those elements into bowling.
Obviously a sport which has existed in its current form since around 1895 or 1903 (I suggest later more correct) and finds itself in the predicament that bowling does now, should look at every alternative to arrest and correct the decline in participation.
I'm confident bowing could enjoy the sort of professional attention Jim has hinted as possible, however, you would first need to examine the problems faced at grass roots level to give clues why a bowling is flagging at all levels except say at entertainment only level.
If you were to change how the game is played, just as other sports have done to make it possible and desirable for spectators to attend, then and only then do you change the desire of participants to compete. Imagine if the game was scored in a way which made every ball bowled directly comparable to your opponents shot, suddenly you could introduce excitement and tension in every shot. Now you can entertain a spectator throughout the entire match, not just in the last few frames.
Imagine if you had grades for leagues instead of handicaps, now you give players a reason to improve their game.
Once you have a graded comp that a spectator can feel and enjoy as a match progresses, it becomes more prestigious for the players to invite friends along to see their achievements, especially at finals time when you and your team are going head to head in a competition which has genuine appeal.
I believe bowling needs to start with a clean sheet, change how the game is scored, change how league competition is assembled, change how teams are matched against eachother, change how competition finals are played.
Change to a format devised around making bowling spectator friendly and you change the prestige in playing at every level, that will completely transform bowling. Some other sports have changed how they play to appeal to a fan base, bowling needs to do something similar.