BOWLING IS DIFFERENT TODAY
than 40 years ago. We all can agree on that. Opinions diverge; however, when the discussion turns to the current state of bowling and its future prospects. Those individuals identified with the sports sanctioning bodies (American Bowling Congress, Women's International Bowling Alliance) justifiably look at recent trends as threats to the very existence of bowling.

Many progressive bowling proprietors, on the other hand, look at the current trends as an opportunity to move their business into a new era.
So which is it? Is bowling in a “near-death” state, or are we on the verge of an entirely new era? Let's check it out.

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Bridging The Gen 3 Gap

BOWLING IS AT A CROSSROADS today. If well-designed plans are not formulated and properly executed, bowling will decline as a sport, a recreation and as a business. But first, some ground rules.

Rule # 1 – Assigning blame isn't constructive. We just find ourselves in the situation defined in the Gen 3 model ( Ref: July '01).

Rule # 2 – Relevance to today is a key. Historical positioning is passé. Those with relevant input to the process of building Gen 3 bowling will impact the future. Those who continue to be prisoners of the past will fade into the past.

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Why Not A Fresh Start?

THE IDEA OF MERGING BOWLING'S VARIOUS membership organizations long was considered an impossible dream. However, the notion kept surfacing, first because the groups in question would've been assembled as a single association had they been designed from scratch anytime in the last half-century or so. The notion of a consolidation took on a new level of urgency when the International Olympic Committee demanded such uniformity, although it took a few years for bowling to take the IOC mandate seriously.

The merger issue finally will be resolved no later than this coming spring. A positive vote by the American Bowling Congress and/or Women's International Bowling Congress will assure that the United States Bowling Association becomes a reality. At that point, the effort to create a membership organization capable of serving the contemporary bowling business will have taken a long step forward.

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