Bowling

Bowling is a recreational game and an international sport that involves rolling a weighted ball to knock down targets called "pins." Historians are uncertain how or when bowling was invented, but it is believed that the game has ancient origins and was invented in prehistory, centuries before any written record of the game originated.

In the 1930s, British anthropologist Flinders Petrie discovered artifacts in an archeological dig in Egypt that resembled a very early version of a pin bowling game. Petrie discovered a marble ball and nine marble pins in a tomb buried sometime before 3200 BCE. Bowling was played in ancient Greece and Rome, and the game was popular throughout Europe by 1000 CE. Early bowling games were played on dirt or short grass, a variation of the game now known as "lawn bowling." Sports historians believe that the first indoor bowling alley was built in London in 1455.

Bowling was imported to the United States by immigrants from Europe. The game was first mentioned in US literature in the 1819 short story "Rip Van Winkle" by Washington Irving. Historians believe that the first bowling games in colonial America were held in Manhattan around the 1620s. The first permanent site for bowling in the United States was established in New York City in 1733, in what is now the Financial District. The park contained a dedicated lawn area for bowling games and still bears the name Bowling Green Park.

While most early games of bowling were played with nine pins, ten-pin bowling was invented in the 1840s, after several municipalities banned "nine-pin" in an effort to control gambling. Bowling aficionados increased the number of pins, thereby avoiding the illegality of their hobby through a loophole in the wording of the law.

The sizes of bowling balls and pins varied widely until the 1890s, when restaurateur Joe Thum organized a now-historic gathering of bowlers at Beethoven Hall in New York City, officially forming the American Bowling Congress (ABC). The ABC started the process of standardizing rules, weights and measurements, and scoring for the game; the basic structure they arrived upon spread throughout the American bowling community. The ABC held its first official tournament in January 1901.

Professional bowling in the United States can be traced to the establishment of the Professional Bowling Association (PBA) in 1958. There were thirty-three members at the founding of the PBA, but numbers grew quickly and the organization began to hold competitions with cash prizes. Televised bowling events began airing in the 1960s, and bowlers were thereafter able to supplement their income with product endorsements and other financial tie-ins. By the twenty-first century, professional bowlers at the top of the tournament circuit could earn between $100,000 and $350,000 annually through endorsements and competition prizes.

Techniques

Ten-pin bowling is the most common bowling game played around the world, and it is the type of bowling most often played by hobbyists and recreational bowlers. The basic goal of ten-pin bowling is to roll a bowling ball toward ten pins arranged at the end of the bowling lane, with the goal of knocking down the greatest number of pins in a single roll. National bowling organizations regulate the size and weight of balls and pins for competitive play, and each type of bowling game has its own equipment regulations.

Candlepin bowling was invented in the 1880s in Massachusetts and remains most popular in the northeastern United States, though the game is found in some bowling alleys around the world. Candlepin bowling involves rolling smaller bowling balls, with no holes, at thin wooden pins, in an attempt to knock down the greatest number of pins using three balls per frame. In addition, pins that have been knocked down are not removed from the frame until the end of a player's turn and are considered obstacles, called "wood." Several other varieties of small pin bowling games are played around the world, including duckpin bowling and five-pin bowling.

Bumper bowling is a game developed for children and beginning bowlers, in which the sides of the lanes are lined with bumpers that prevent balls from falling into the "gutter." Bumpers reduce the difficulty of the game by preventing the loss of balls, called "gutter balls," but also provide the ability for bowlers to develop new types of strikes by purposefully bouncing balls off the bumpers in an attempt to knock down pins.

Trends

One trend that began in the twenty-first century was the proliferation in American cities of nightclub-style bowling alleys that blend bowling with a more fashionable environment. Many of the upscale bowling alleys feature gourmet food and cocktails and offer other types of games such as billiards. In New York and some other cities, this new brand of bowling alley has introduced rules to enhance the atmosphere of the establishments, such as dress codes for patrons and waiting lists for admission.

Black light bowling is a popular variety of bowling featured at a number of bowling alleys around the world, which involves bowling in a darkened environment with balls and pins designed to glow when exposed to black lights. Black light bowling is especially popular with children and families, though it is also popular with bowlers of all ages.

Bowling for Fun vs. Profit

Most bowlers engage in the sport for recreation, though there are hundreds of bowlers around the world who have chosen to make bowling into a part-time or full-time profession. Professional bowlers earn money by winning paid bowling competitions held at the local, state, national, and international levels. Salaries for professional bowlers can range from less than twenty thousand dollars to more than one hundred thousand depending on the level of competition. Well-known professional bowlers can earn extra income by accepting endorsement contracts from bowling equipment manufacturers.

Learning More

Organizations  

International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame <http://www.bowlingmuseum.com>

Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) <http://www.pba.com>

United States Bowling Congress (USBC) <http://www.bowl.com>

Books  

Benson, Michael. Essential Bowling. New York: Lyons, 2000. Print.

Dregni, Eric. Let's Go Bowling. Norwalk: MBI, 2005. Print.

Honneffer, Frederick N. Bowling Green. Chicago: Arcadia, 2004. Print.

Jowdy, John. Bowling Execution. 2nd ed. Champaign: Human Kinetics, 2009. Print.

Mullen, Michelle. Bowling Fundamentals. Champaign: Human Kinetics, 2004. Print.

Weidman, Doug. Bowling Steps to Success. Champaign: Human Kinetics, 2006. Print.

Magazines  

Bowl Magazine

Bowler's Journal

Bowling This Month

US Bowler Magazine