A new era in bowling
USBC moves to restore credibility to the sport

By Jeff Henry, USBC Director of Sport

Technological advancements combined with the artificial assistance allowed by current lane dressing specifications have led to an environment which minimizes the influences of player ability and skill development. The sport lacks many elements inherent in competitive sport and which develop an emotional and lifetime bond between player and game.

The formation of the United States Bowling Congress in January 2005 signaled the dawning of a new era in organized bowling. The newly formed organization that brought together the long established separate entities represents a unified vision committed to serving its membership which now stands at about three million. As a single organization, USBC is better positioned to place greater emphasis on the sport’s credibility, its role protecting the game and providing vision and leadership as the national governing body of bowling.

Similar to other sports’ regulatory bodies such as the United States Golf Association or the United States Tennis Association, the USBC vows to maintain the highest standards for bowling’s credibility and integrity.

There is no doubt that bowling is suffering from a lack of credibility in the scoring environment. While it is no secret that there has been an explosion of award scores, scoring itself is not the issue. For example, in 1980 there were 500 million American Bowling Congress league games bowled with a total of 6,000 300 games. In 2002, there were 190 million league games bowled with a total of 46,000 perfect games. (Please see accompanying graph.)
USBC’s concern is that player ability plays a lesser role in achieving success in bowling today.

There is no clear consensus on the specific cause(s) of the credibility dilemma; some point to lane dressing, others claim it’s the bowling balls or pins. But since the System of Bowling was implemented in 1991, no one can question that many technological advancements have had a considerable impact on the sport and how it is played. Advancements in bowling ball technology (cover stocks, weight block designs, drilling and layout techniques),   lane dressing machines and lane oil products coupled with current lane dressing patterns have resulted in a dramatic influence in the balance of the scoring equation.

Re-establishing credibility will not be accomplished easily. Many do not believe a problem exists. While only a minority of bowlers possesses the skills necessary to take full advantage of today’s equipment and specifications, perceptions of the sport are driven by this group. 

With this in mind, the USBC plans to use its numerous resources to thoroughly review the current System of Bowling. The system includes lane surfaces, lane dressing, pins and bowling balls. Each element will be evaluated independently and jointly to determine whether new specifications need to be established. 

The opportunities for change in these areas will happen only after open discussions with all those that may be affected in the industry. But make no mistake, there will be change.

USBC Sport Bowling addresses credibility issue

One way USBC has addressed credibility is through the Sport Bowling program. Sport Bowling has become the recognized standard for competitive bowling available to those who seek more challenge. Sport Bowling membership has increased every year since its inception in 2001; this while membership in traditional league bowling has suffered through a 30-year decline. .

Though Sport Bowling has realized much success, and USBC will continue to promote participation in the program, the USBC recognizes that bowlers participate for different reasons. It is not USBC’s intent to force all bowlers to compete on Sport Bowling lane conditions. USBC standards should be inclusive enough for bowlers of varying ability and motivation. However, we are concerned with the diminishing role of player skill in the scoring equation. 

Bowling needs its stars to develop growth

Bowling needs to clearly identify its elite players. As lessons from bowling’s past and other sports’ defining growth attest, it is having stars like Marshall Holman or Tiger Woods or Babe Ruth or Mia Hamm or Serena Williams that is important. Stars are inspirational. Today, bowling has difficulty differentiating between its casual and most talented players. League bowlers often carry higher averages than PBA Tour players. The line separating the stars from the masses has been blurred and needs redefinition.

While technological advancements in bowling are inevitable and welcome, it is USBC’s duty to ensure that the scoring equation remains balanced for the benefit of the sport. By addressing the credibility issue in bowling, the USBC is sending the message that bowling’s national governing body will not allow technology to continue progressing to the point where it overwhelms player skill.