"Many other professional sports combine entertainment elements within the sporting event, why can’t professional bowling?"
--Mike J. Laneside
In his article, Is a Little Fun Really the End of the World?, Mr. Jakubowski argues that professional bowling needs to change with the times and do what's necessary to appeal to today's audience. Thus, bowling "purists" need to quit living in the somber Chris Schenkel style 60's and 70's of PBA telecasts and lighten up and embrace the vuvuzulas, blaring music, cheerleaders, and smack-talking, in-your-face competition of the season-ending Dick Weber PBA Playoffs of the modern era.
Here are some key passages from his article:
"Only a very small percentage of the audience in each sport sits in their seats the entire game or watches the entire telecast at home, watching every nuance, digesting every statistic, interpreting every announcer utterance. A very small percentage, the rest are there to have fun...The world of sports entertainment has changed by leaps and bounds over the last generation, while some professional bowling fans cling to the notion that presenting professional bowling the exact same way it was presented 30 or 40 years ago can engage a new generation of fans brought up on computers, video games, cell phones, texting, 500 television channels and the Internet – and most importantly, sponsors to support the sport. What other sport is presented the exact same way it was presented 30 or 40 years ago?...Pro bowling is starting to resemble professional wrestling? Good, it’s about time. I will take their television ratings, their merchandising outlets, their live audiences, their pay-per-view revenue and their sponsorship opportunities...Professional bowling never was, and never will be professional tennis or professional golf; no matter how desperately some bowlers or fans want it to be. Selling those models to a public that doesn’t buy it will never, ever work. Ever. No matter how often ‘purists’ post to Facebook or opine on message boards...This is the new world of instant social networking, smart phones and reality television. Instead of pining for something we can never be, how about we lean into what we really are?"
If you've been reading this blog for awhile, you know that I've been pretty critical of the PBA's attempts to make its bowling telecasts more "entertaining." I was especially displeased with its coverage of the "Bottlegate" incident and with the vuvuzelas and the Dick's antics in the Dick Weber PBA Playoffs, and I expressed the hope that the PBA wouldn't try to turn its telecasts into the "bowling equivalent of Wrestlemania."
Yet, judging by Mike J's column, that's exactly where the PBA may be headed because that's where it thinks today's fans and professional bowling's future appears to be if it's to have any future at all.
How do you feel about this? Does Mike J have a point? Do you think the PBA can stay alive and perhaps even become more prosperous by making itself more appealing to a broader demographic less interested in bowling per se than in being entertained, and how far in this direction do you think it can and should go before it goes too far to hold your interest?
I'm going to give the matter more thought and read what others have to say about it. Then I'll post more on the topic in an upcoming entry.
That's funny. From the same people that won't take ANY outside input, they suddenly think they have the answers. :-)
ReplyDeleteHe identified the problems, declines in everything. He didn't identify the reasons for those declines.
To solve any problem, you first have to know what the problem is. Clearly, they do not appear to have any idea why the declines have happened. Surely, they don't really believe it is due to the lack of horns or cheerleaders in the audience.
I watched the documentary, League of Ordinary Gentlemen, last night. Now, I think I have a much better understanding of their position and why they're doing this goofy stuff.
But, it still hasn't occurred to them, that low scoring, lousy performance championship games are not exciting, not a way to engage the fans. All they have to do is look at the reactions of the audiences, at any of the televised matches. Lousy bowling begets forgettable matches.
Being repetitive, I'll again state that they need to lose the crazy oil patterns and magic balls. People can't relate to that and they don't like watching lousy bowling. They want to watch GREAT bowling, high scores and exciting, photo finishes.
If people wanted to watch bowlers throwing splits, missing spares and 190 scores, and then the bowlers whining about their bad luck, they can do that most any day, at most any league.
Why would they want to watch that on TV?
Kerry
Kerry, "League of Ordinary Gentlemen" is a great bowling documentary. I'm glad you got to see it. Yes, I think it presents the PBA's struggles pretty well, and that was eight or so years ago. They've gotten worse since then.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if higher scoring and closer matches would help that much. I'm not sure anything would at this point. But I'm inclined to agree with you that it's at least worth a try. They could make the lanes a lot higher scoring without laying out a THS.
Do you think that doing the same things they've been doing for years, is the answer?
ReplyDeleteMaybe Thomas was right. They need bowlers that talk smack and are ready to fight at the drop of a bowling towel. A good fight is always welcome at baseball, hockey and so on.
Pay per View of the MMA fights via the UFC are $60. I wouldn't pay that much, but I'd have paid $20 to see Belmo punch Bad Brad's lights out and then jump the barrier to thump on Thomas for a while. A little blood and gore might be really good for the sport.
Yes, Kerry, Extreme Bowling may be just around the proverbial corner. Stay tuned for a follow up post or two on this one.
ReplyDeleteGood, I'm looking forward to reading your thoughts on it.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I'm about to the point of giving up on it. At my age, I don't have much time to wait for them to fix the problems and make a level playing field. If I can't bowl on a level playing field, I'm not going to be interested in watching bowling or in spending more money on equipment.
In another article today, you talk about the senior tour and Xtra Frame not having the following necessary to support video. Again, I'd purchase Xtra Frame, except that won't do me any good. I'm certainly not good enough to compete on the senior tour today. But, I'd be willing to work my buns off trying to get to that level, if they removed the bias from the game.
Kerry
Kerry, could you summarize your thoughts on just what you see the "bias" as being.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking for myself, I've given up any ideas of competing in any senior or other higher level events. I'm just flat out not good enough and never will be. But I love to watch elite regular and senior bowling so much that I'll watch it even though I can't compete at that level.
When I watch a Chris Barnes, Bill O'Neill, Brian Voss, Parker Bohn, Robert Smith, or Jason Belmonte bowl, it's like watching kinetic art. It IS kinetic art. And it's beautiful to my eye.
The bias is identified in the quote that you posted today, from the PBAforum, which is pretty much a repeat of things I've said here, several times before.
ReplyDeleteThe most visible example is the almost complete lack of facilities that normal people have access to, for any oil patterns other than THS.
You don't see that as being biased against the people that can't access elite oil patterns at will?
Like you, I enjoy watching some of the good bowlers and agree that it can be quite pleasing to the eye. But, I'm generally not much of a TV person. I've been using the shows and video clips, primarily as a training aid. I still have some irons in the fire for competing, but if those don't pan out, I'm not likely to watch it on TV, if it's strictly for entertainment.
It's a character flaw that I've always had. I've always chosen to be a participant, not a spectator, in any given sport. The only exception to that would be pro football, which I quit watching well over a decade ago.
Kerry
Wow, the pbaforum is really worked up over this. One of the guys posted about Rockin Bowl, a TV show with college players, including one named Michael Fagan. This show is apparently what the PBA thinks is necessary.
ReplyDeletehttp://youtu.be/SKASNZvyiEY
Thanks for the heads up on that one, Kerry. I sense a blogpost coming from this. ;-) That show is beyond ridiculous!
ReplyDeleteSorry for the repeat, but here's a different series of Rockin Bowl that is simply incredible, with respect to the stunts they did.
ReplyDeletehttp://youtu.be/5v54LGGpEME
I knew that you'd like this show and would want to see it. Honestly, while I was often shaking my head, I often laughed too. As you say, it is beyond absurd, almost Twilight Zone type stuff.
ReplyDeleteI have to wonder how many of these stunts will make it onto the tour. :-)
Yeah, that shuffle bowling is hard to top! ;-)
ReplyDeleteWhile I understand "Laneside's" post was an opinion piece, if he is going to actually convince anyone of anything, a piece riddled with logical fallacies is not the way to do it.
ReplyDeleteOne example is this strawman: "What other sport is presented the exact same way it was presented 30 or 40 years ago?..."
Tell me, Mike, what fan is asking for that. Name one.
You can't, because fans such as I, who prefer old-school PBA to today's telecasts, are not suggesting to change EVERYTHING.
Telecasts that respect the game, the athletes (yes, athletes), and the fans (from hardcore to casual to everyone in between), is the only way to maximize TV ratings. It still won't be the audience it used to be, but it would be a solid number that would have growth potential.
One more doozy: "Pro bowling is starting to resemble professional wrestling? Good, it’s about time. I will take their television ratings, their merchandising outlets, their live audiences, their pay-per-view revenue and their sponsorship opportunities..."
Well, so would I, but it's not happening, is it? Oh, I know, let's script the bowling matches, with pre-determined winners. That's all that's missing to REALLY resemble pro wrestling! I can hear the money pouring in already.
One addendum regarding my statement, "Telecasts that respect the game, the athletes (yes, athletes), and the fans (from hardcore to casual to everyone in between), is the only way to maximize TV ratings."
ReplyDeleteLiterally, no it perhaps is not the ONLY way, but it is the better way to ensure long-term stability of the Tour, with the potential to grow the sport, compared with any of the alternatives I've seen.
I agree that Mr. Jakubowski's column was rife with dubious arguments and that the best way to maximize fan interest in the PBA is to treat the players and the game with respect even as more entertaining ways are sought to present the product to the public. But I guess one has to wonder if it's truly possible to successfully achieve both.
ReplyDeleteMike J is an idiot. Things that need to stick with the telecast and not be changed is the stepladder format. I hate the semi-final layout of two games at once. I know it saves time but we need to thing quality over quantity here. Maybe I'm thinking too much into it but I like to engage in the competitors frame of mind for the match and having multiple matches at once is overloaded. I love the "In the bag" feature when they show what the player is using and what they have as well as explanations to why they are using those balls on those patterns. Lets be honest, bowling ball sales is where it's at and creating a focus on the balls helps the manufacturers and can put more money in the PBA's pockets, nice money making circle. Something to be aware of is time slot of the telecast. How about we don't air the telecast at the same time as Sunday football. I like both sports and making someone choose will not be the ticket to success for the PBA. This is only some of the details to which need addressed.
ReplyDeleteMike J is an idiot. Things that need to stick with the telecast and not be changed is the stepladder format. I hate the semi-final layout of two games at once. I know it saves time but we need to thing quality over quantity here. Maybe I'm thinking too much into it but I like to engage in the competitors frame of mind for the match and having multiple matches at once is overloaded. I love the "In the bag" feature when they show what the player is using and what they have as well as explanations to why they are using those balls on those patterns. Lets be honest, bowling ball sales is where it's at and creating a focus on the balls helps the manufacturers and can put more money in the PBA's pockets, nice money making circle. Something to be aware of is time slot of the telecast. How about we don't air the telecast at the same time as Sunday football. I like both sports and making someone choose will not be the ticket to success for the PBA. This is only some of the details to which need addressed.
ReplyDelete