More on the Belmonte/Angelo Brouhaha

I wrote Wednesday about the mini-controversy pba.com's Jason Thomas has stirred up over the recent altercation between Jason Belmonte and Brad Angelo in a televised match. Actually, the match in question hasn't even been televised yet. It will air this Sunday on ESPN. But a clip of the altercation itself has made an advance appearance on YouTube. And people are talking.

They're saying all kinds of things. Some are saying Belmo's a "jerk." Some are saying Angelo's a jerk and a "crybaby." Some are saying it isn't absolutely clear that anyone is either a jerk or a crybaby, but that if Angelo was distracted by Belmonte's noisy water bottle, he could and should have handled it better. Belmonte himself has publicly apologized for his carelessness and said that he "made up" with Angelo after the match.

However, Belmonte also seems a bit perturbed by the way the PBA has handled this "tempest in a teapot," as one commenter on my piece Wednesday characterizes it. In his Facebook comment of last Monday night, Belmonte wrote:

"I didn't attempt to open the bottle in his swing like people or the PBA are trying to suggest. That would be a D-Bag move and last time I checked I'm not a D-Bag...I'm a little sad to see the PBA try and blow this out of proportion, considering the match itself is a great match and was very close all the way to the end. Clutching at straws I guess."

I think Belmo's probably right. I think the PBA probably *is* "clutching at straws" to lure as many viewers as it can to its telecasts lest it not have enough of them to remain on TV or in business. But to what lengths should it go to "live long and prosper"? Should it slyly impugn the motives and character of one of its brightest stars in order to drum up more business, or do you think it even did this in Belmo's case?

I don't know what kind of financial condition the PBA is in today. But I do know that since it was rescued from oblivion when three former Microsoft executives purchased it in 2000, it has had trouble attracting and keeping sponsors and has hemorrhaged so much money that its chairman, Chris Peters, withdrew last year from most of his involvement with the organization and, as I wrote last year, its current CEO, Fred Schreyer, has ominously warned that the PBA's owners will "not invest the same amount of money over the next ten years as they did over the last ten."

So, short of turning PBA telecasts into bowling's equivalent of "Wrestlemania" with manufactured or real feuds, shouting matches, and even fisticuffs between the bowlers, what, if anything, can the PBA do to draw more fans and earn enough money to stay solvent and ultimately become successful again? Or have the times changed so much that the PBA can never hope to regain the glories of its past or even stay in business much longer, no matter how many provocative articles Jason Thomas writes?

About.com's bowling writer Jef Goodger has written a piece about this story on his bowling blog here.

Bowling Bytes--6/21/10

~ PBA West Leaders Through June 20, 2010

~ PBA Northwest Leaders Through June 20, 2010

~ PBA Central Region Senior Leaders Through June 20, 2010

~ PBA Central Region Leaders Through June 20, 2010

~ The 11th Frame: 'Green Machine" cements status as top senior player in the world -- "Ron Mohr might be the reigning PBA Senior Player of the Year but there's no doubt who the best senior bowler in the world is right now. In a battle of Hall of Famers and living legends, Wayne Webb defeated Walter Ray Williams Jr., 705-628, in the title match to win the United States Bowling Congress Senior Masters, USBC and PBA reported.Webb, who was known as the "Green Machine" during his touring days and now is a bowling proprietor in the Columbus, Ohio, area, went undefeated in seven matches to win the $16,000 top prize of the Senior Masters at the South Point Hotel and Casino Bowling Center in Las Vegas.

~ Marcus Berndt wins 19th Malta Open Championships from top seed -- "Marcus Berndt (pictured), Sweden, led the 19th Malta Open Championships at Eden SuperBowl in St. Julian's in qualifying and earned the No. 1 seed for the stepladder final after going 9-2 in match play averaging 221. In the championship match in best-of-three games format, Berndt swept No. 2 seed Matt Chamberlain (right), England, two-games-to-none, to win the title and the 2.500 Euro top prize..."

~ Seniors bowlers invade Vienna for the 2010 European Senior Bowling Championships -- "Almost 1000 senior bowlers invaded Austria's capital city of Vienna for the 2010 European Senior Bowling Championships, which got underway on Saturday evening, June 19th, with the Opening Ceremonies at Eventhotel Pyramide. The ESBC will kick off on Sunday morning 9 a.m. CET at three of Vienna's biggest bowling centers, Plus Bowling, Brunswick Bowling Hernals and Brunswick Bowling Prater. From June 20-24 almost 300 women and more than 600 men from 22 countries will compete for gold, silver and bronze medals in Singles, Doubles and Trios. The participating countries are Belgium, Catalonia, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and the host country of Austria..."

~ BPAA got out of business for elite bowlers as PBA Tour flourished by Dick Evans -- "Since covering the first of more than 200 PBA tournaments starting in 1964, I firmly have believed the Professional Bowlers Association is the best thing ever to happen to the Bowling Proprietors Association of America...It is my opinion that if the BPAA doesn't become a stronger support group to the PBA in the near future,, there is a definite possibility that one year soon there will be no more PBA and no more bowling on TV...I put my theory to Fred Schreyer (pictured right)!, who has proved an admirable leader since taking over as Commissioner and CEO of the PBA in 2005 -- five years after the old PBA went broke and was purchased by former Microsoft executives Chris Peters, Mike Slade and Rob Glaser...Below you will find his answer to my questions about BPAA's support of the PBA and other timely and interesting issues including the $1 million Tournament of Champions with the telecast scheduled live on the ABC Network at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday Jan 22..."

~ Young Wisconsin bowlers challenge lead at USBC Open Championships -- "Wisconsin always is well-represented at the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships, and the next generation of Badger-State bowlers made their presence known on the sport's biggest stage Saturday. Propelled by a 1,258 game, the fourth-highest team effort in tournament history, Warhawks (pictured left) of Milton, Wis., made a run at the top spot in Regular Team before settling into third place with a 3,387 total. Bowlers Edge Pro Shop (right) of Neenah, Wis., the 2003 team champion, leads with 3,408. Warhawks entered the National Bowling Stadium with a carefully-devised strategy, and although some opening-game nerves and a few errant shots led to a 974 start, the teammates got comfortable and started striking..."

~ Jimmy Smith (1932)

Bowling Quote of the Day--3/18/10

"The Professional Bowlers Association has weathered the most difficult economic year for professional sports of all kinds that most of us have ever seen, and we are continuing to reshape the future of professional bowling by introducing new concepts that are both necessary and exciting."
--PBA Tour Commissioner and CEO Fred Schreyer

Bad News for the PBA?

“They have a lot invested, so they’re not going to walk away from their investment. But at the same time, they’re evaluating how well their investment is performing, as one would in any business activity. I can assure you that they’ll not invest the same amount of money over the next 10 years as they did during the last 10.”
--PBA Commissioner Fred Schreyer

I just read an article that reinforces concerns I've been having and anxieties I've been feeling about the future of the PBA.

According to this Bowlers Journal article, Chris Peters, the Microsoft-rich guy who organized a partnership group with Rob Glasser and Mike Slade to rescue the PBA from bankruptcy and dissolution a decade ago, is now going to be taking a much less prominent and active role in the organization. And while PBA Commissioner Fred Schreyer says that Peters, Glasser, and Slade continue to believe in the potential of the PBA and will continue investing money in it for the time being, the organization is losing a lot of money, and those who are bankrolling it are going to be taking a hard look at the wisdom of their involvement.

"There’s no internal dissension, and they’re united in their belief that pro bowling can be a viable sport,” says Schreyer. “It’s just a matter of who wants to continue to accept financial responsibility for supporting the PBA. Chris is going to play a less prominent role, and exactly what that means remains to be seen."

What it strongly suggests to me is that the PBA's days may be sorely numbered unless it can stop losing sponsors like H&R Block, CLR, Edward Jones and Flomax and start earning money fast. But how can it do this? And what will happen to bowling in this country if it doesn't?

The PBA is planning its 2011 season, and there will be a big meeting next Wednesday between the bosses and players to discuss its plans. Bowlers Journal will be reporting on the results, and so will I.

Stay tuned, and keep your fingers crossed.