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The Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) is the major sanctioning body for the sport of professional ten-pin bowling in the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...
. Headquartered in
Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...
, the PBA membership consists of over 3,000 members worldwide. Members include "pro shop" owners and workers, teaching professionals and bowlers who compete in the various events put on by the Association. The PBA also oversees competition between professional bowlers via the following tours: * PBA Tour – An annual calendar of events, currently running from January to December each year. * PBA Regional Tour – Allows PBA members and qualifying amateurs to compete in weekend events. The Tour consists of seven regions: Central, East, Midwest, Northwest, South, Southwest, and West. * PBA50/60 Tours – Originally the PBA Senior Tour, it was split in 2013 and now based on age. Set up like the PBA Tour, but allowing PBA members aged 50 years and older, and after the 2013 rebranding, a different tour for members 60 years and older, to compete in their own events. The PBA50/60 Tours also have Regional events. USBC sanctioned events on the PBA50 Tour are still branded as "Senior", and PBA60 Tour events are branded "Super Senior". * PBA-World Bowling Tour (WBT) – Events outside of North America that award a PBA Tour title if won by a PBA member. * PBA Women's Regional Tour * PBA Women's Series (inactive) – Selected PBA Tour events that ran from 2007 to 2010 included a concurrent, separate event for female professionals. * PBA Jr. – Launched in 2020 as a club for youth bowlers (age 17 and under) to enjoy PBA perks and compete in Regional events with the goal of qualifying for SMART scholarship earnings at the PBA Jr. National Championship. As of September 2019, the PBA is owned by Bowlero Corporation.


PBA history


20th century

Prior to the PBA's inception, bowling was broadcast on television sporadically beginning in the early 1950s. NBC began with an early 1950s special telecast entitled ''Championship Bowling''. Later regular weekly bowling shows, including ''
Jackpot Bowling ''Jackpot Bowling'' (also known as '' Phillies Jackpot Bowling'' and ''Jackpot Bowling Starring Milton Berle'') was a professional bowling show on NBC from January 9, 1959, to March 13, 1961. Broadcast history Short-form version ''Jackpot Bowling ...
'' began airing nationally. At the same time, there was a desire to start a professional bowling division in the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...
; an effort led by Eddie Elias, a sports agent based in
Akron, Ohio Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 Census, the city ...
. During the 1958 ABC ( American Bowling Congress) tournament in Syracuse, New York, sixty men, including Don Carter, Frank Esposito, Buzz Fazio, Matt Lebhar, Carmen Salvino, Billy Welu, Glenn Allison, Steve Nagy, Harry Smith,
Ray Bluth Ray may refer to: Fish * Ray (fish), any cartilaginous fish of the superorder Batoidea * Ray (fish fin anatomy), a bony or horny spine on a fin Science and mathematics * Ray (geometry), half of a line proceeding from an initial point * Ray (gra ...
, Dick Hoover, Bill Bunetta, Robert "Bobby" Bellew, Vito Quercia, and
Junie McMahon Junie is a given name and nickname. Notable people with the given name include: *Junie B. Jones, fictional character in a children's series written by Barbara Park *Junie Cobb (1896–1970), American jazz multi-instrumentalist and bandleader *Junie ...
, attended a presentation by Elias. After listening to his proposal, thirty-three of the men donated $50 each, totaling $1,650 to start the organization, which was incorporated in 1958, and headquartered in Akron. The investors then became charter members of the PBA, basically giving them lifetime membership. Bill Bunetta was slated to be the first commissioner of the PBA by Eddie Elias but Bill was still a very active bowler and turned down the position to continue his bowling and teaching career. Competition began in 1959 with three tournaments. Italian-born Lou Campi of Dumont, New Jersey won the first event (the ''Empire State Open''), and Dick Weber won the other two (''Paramus Eastern Open'' and the ''Dayton Open'') The PBA Tour slowly built an audience, expanding to seven tournaments in 1960, then 13 tournaments in 1961, before exploding with 30 tour stops in 1962. Weber would become the first "face" of the PBA in the early years, as he won 10 of the first 23 events held, including seven in 1961 alone. While PBA bowlers regularly appeared on ''Jackpot Bowling'', Elias led an effort to give the PBA a permanent home on television. It first did so with the interstitial '' Make That Spare'' on ABC Sports, which ran from 1960 to 1964, and then with full games on '' Professional Bowlers Tour'' beginning in 1965. Coupled with the continued support of its charter members, as well as sponsorships by the
Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. The company sells automobiles ...
, Coca-Cola (which sponsored 11 tournaments in 1963 alone), True Value Hardware and Firestone Tire, the PBA experienced growth in its tournament schedules and prize funds. Annual incomes for professional bowlers became, at the time, very competitive with other professional sports. A ''
Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twice ...
'' article from 1963 noted that top bowler Harry Smith stood to make as much money in 1963 as
Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL) ...
's NL MVP
Sandy Koufax Sanford Koufax (; born Sanford Braun; December 30, 1935) is an American former left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played his entire career for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers from 1955 to 1966. He has been hailed as one of t ...
and
NFL Football The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...
MVP
Y. A. Tittle Yelberton Abraham Tittle Jr. (October 24, 1926 – October 8, 2017) was a professional American football quarterback. He played in the National Football League (NFL) for the San Francisco 49ers, New York Giants, and Baltimore Colts, after spe ...
''combined''. Schedules reached a plateau of 35 tournaments per year in the 1980s. The 1965
Firestone Tournament of Champions The PBA Tournament of Champions is one of the five major PBA ( Professional Bowlers Association) bowling events. It is an invitational event and the only PBA Tour major that does not have any open field. All participants must meet qualifications to ...
was the first to offer $100,000 in prize money (including a then-record $25,000 first prize); the 1982 event featured a $200,000 purse, and the 1987 U.S. Open, sponsored by Seagram distillery, offered a $500,000 prize fund as well as the first $100,000 first-place prize in PBA history. By the 1980s, True Value pledged $100,000 to any roller of a perfect game on national television (increased to a $200,000 sum during its own ''True Value Open''). Prior to this, the PBA would award a televised 300 game with $10,000 and, in some seasons, a new Ford or Mercury automobile. In addition, in the early 1990s the Miller Brewing Company offered $1 million to any bowler who could win all three of its sponsored tournaments in a given season. As television exposure increased for the PBA, it spun off a PBA Senior Tour in 1981, with Bill Beach winning the first seniors' championship that year. Having been renamed the PBA50 Tour in 2013, the senior bowling tour continues to the present day. In 1986, a group of professional bowlers who were dissatisfied with PBA management formed the Touring Pro Bowlers (TPB) group. After meeting resistance, the TPB took on the PBA in an antitrust suit. Though settled out of court, the lawsuit did serious financial damage to the PBA. Elias continued to be involved in the PBA until his death in 1998.


21st century

The PBA was purchased in March 2000 by former
Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational corporation, multinational technology company, technology corporation producing Software, computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at th ...
executives
Chris Peters Christopher Michael Peters (born January 28, 1972) is a retired Major League Baseball pitcher. He played during six seasons at the major league level for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Montreal Expos. Career He was drafted by the Pirates in the 37th ...
(chairman), Rob Glaser, and
Mike Slade Mike may refer to: Animals * Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum * Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off * Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and documenta ...
, and its corporate headquarters were moved to
Seattle Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...
, Washington. Together with CEO Steve Miller, a former Nike executive, they are recognized for rescuing the PBA from the brink of extinction. In 2011, Geoff Reiss was appointed as the PBA's CEO and Tom Clark as PBA Commissioner. These two assumed the shared CEO/Commissioner post that was held by Fred Schreyer since he took over for Miller in 2005. The PBA was featured in the 2006 sports documentary, '' A League of Ordinary Gentlemen''. The documentary, filmed during the 2002–2003 season, enjoyed a limited release in theaters before being released in a DVD format in March 2006. The PBA was also featured and acknowledged in the 2007 film ''7-10 Split''. In 2003, the PWBA (Professional Women's Bowling Association) folded, and the PBA began allowing female members in 2004. Missy Bellinder (Parkin) became the first female PBA member, while Liz Johnson became the first to cash in a PBA Tour event and later (2005) the first to make a PBA Tour telecast. In conjunction with the USBC, the PBA would later inaugurate the PBA Women's Series in 2007. Following ESPN telecasts of the U.S. Women's Open, it brought back semi-regular women's bowling telecasts for the first time since the demise of the PWBA. The top two seeds out of a field of sixteen faced each other in one match, aired prior to the men's championship match. The Women's Series expanded from four events in 2007 to eight events in the 2008–09 and 2009–10 seasons, before being canceled. In 2009, financial difficulties and the general state of the U.S. economy caused the tour to reduce the number of tour stops and overall events, while also reducing the number of live TV finals broadcasts. The PBA combined its fall schedule of six standard PBA tournaments (plus qualifying for the
PBA World Championship The PBA World Championship is one of five major PBA (Professional Bowlers Association) bowling events. It is one of three PBA Tour major events that are open only to PBA members. (The U.S. Open and USBC Masters allow qualifying amateurs to enter.) ...
) into a single World Series of Bowling event, held that year in Allen Park, Michigan near
Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...
. All fall TV finals except the PBA World Championship were taped and aired at a later date on
ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
, while all but one of the winter tour events continued to hold live TV finals. In 2010, the World Series of Bowling was moved to
Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish language, Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the List of United States cities by population, 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the U.S. state, state of Neva ...
,
Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...
, and consisted of five tournaments with taped TV finals and qualifying for the PBA World Championship. The overall schedule that season was reduced to just 12 title events, with portions of three winter season events being taped and aired after the fact. Kelly Kulick won the 2010 Tournament of Champions, where she was the first-ever female competitor in the field. This also made her the first woman to win any Professional Bowlers Association Tour event that was also open to men. For the 2011–12 season, a total of 14 TV broadcasts were taped at the 2011 World Series of Bowling in Las Vegas to be aired on later dates. For the first time, the TV finals for the PBA World Championship did not air live. In fact, ESPN only aired the finals of the PBA's three remaining major tournaments (
USBC Masters The USBC Masters is a championship ten-pin bowling event conducted by the United States Bowling Congress. The Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) began recognizing it as a title event in 1998, and it was designated one of the four majors in 20 ...
, U.S. Open and Tournament of Champions) in a live 2012 broadcast. All other ESPN broadcasts for Winter 2012 were taped events from the World Series, while four additional non-major title tournaments were available live via the PBA's "Xtra Frame" webcast service. Along with reduced stops, prize funds for some standard tournaments were reduced, starting in 2010, with as little as $15,000 going to the winner. The 2011 Tournament of Champions, however, did offer a PBA-record $1 million prize fund and an unprecedented $250,000 top prize. In January 2013, the PBA League, consisting of eight teams of five professional bowlers each, held its first event. On the eve of the PBA Tour's 60th season (2018), the PBA provided some statistics on the history of the Tour and its bowlers: * Over 10,000 bowlers have held PBA membership since the organization's founding in 1958. * As of September 1, 2017, 345 different bowlers have won a PBA Tour title. * Among the 345 winners, 124 (35.9%) won only one title in their career, while 51 bowlers (15.6%) have earned 10 or more titles. On September 10, 2019, Bowlero Corporation, the world's largest operator of bowling centers, announced it had purchased the PBA. Bowlero's Chief Customer Officer, Colie Edison, was appointed CEO of the PBA. Bowlero announced that current PBA Commissioner Tom Clark will continue in that role. In January 2022, Colie Edison stepped down as CEO to become Chief Growth Officer for the WNBA. Beginning with the 2019 PBA Tour season, television coverage moved from
ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
to Fox Sports, with 26 broadcasts being held on Fox Sports 1 and four broadcasts on terrestrial
Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelv ...
stations.


PBA League


Teams

Dallas Strikers (current player-manager: Norm Duke) NYC KingPins (current manager: Carolyn Dorin-Ballard) Chicago Hitmen (formerly Philadelphia Hitmen) (current manager: Jason Couch) LA X (current manager: Andrew Cain) Motown Muscle (current manager:
Del Ballard Jr. Delmas Perry "Del" Ballard Jr. (born 1 July 1963) is a professional ten-pin bowler and member of the Professional Bowlers Association. He was a 2009 inductee into the PBA Hall of Fame, and a 2011 inductee into the USBC Hall of Fame. Ballard is ...
) Waco Wonder (formerly BROOKLYN STyLES) (current manager: Johnny Petraglia) Silver Lake Atom Splitters (current manager: Mark Baker) Portland Lumberjacks (current manager: Tim Mack) PBR Milwaukee Pounders (added 2020 as Brew City Ballers) (current manager: Marshall Holman) Las Vegas High Rollers (added 2020) (current manager: Amleto Monacelli) Phoenix Fury (all-
women's A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a female child or adolescent). The plural ''women'' is sometimes used in certain phrases such as " women's rights" to denote female humans rega ...
team; 2020 only) (Manager: Kim Terrell-Kearney) Miami Waves (all-women's team; 2020 only) (Manager:
Bob Learn Jr. Robert Learn Jr. (born April 4, 1962) is a professional ten-pin bowler and bowling coach. He formerly competed on the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Tour and is currently active on the PBA50 Tour. He is nicknamed "Mr. 300", having rolled ...
)


Championships


By year


By team


Mark Roth League MVP award winners


Hall of Fame

The PBA Hall of Fame was founded in 1975 with eight initial inductees: six for Performance (Ray Bluth, Don Carter, Carmen Salvino, Harry Smith, Dick Weber and Billy Welu) and two for Meritorious Service (Frank Esposito and Chuck Pezzano). Since its inception, it was located at the
International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame The International Bowling Museum is located inside the International Bowling Campus in Arlington, Texas. It reopened there on January 26, 2010, after having been located in St. Louis, Missouri, until November 2008. The design and fabrication of th ...
in St. Louis,
Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...
. It is now part of the new USBC headquarters in Arlington, Texas. Through 2019, there are 111 PBA Hall of Fame Members in three categories: * Performance (54) * Meritorious Service (35) * Veterans/Senior (19) Membership in the Hall of Fame was originally determined by annual elections. From 2000 to 2008, those in the Performance category had to have ten PBA titles (or two major championships) on their resume, as well as be retired from the tour for five years. Another revision took effect in 2008. Bowlers can now qualify for the Hall of Fame based on five PBA titles on their resume, as long as two of those titles were major championships. Other active bowlers can now qualify for the Hall as well if they have 20 years of membership and are elected. Late in 2008, The PBA announced the launch of a new PBA Seniors Hall of Fame. John Handegard, at the time the all-time leader in PBA Senior titles (14) became the first inductee on January 24, 2009."PBA to induct Norm Duke, Del Ballard Jr. and John Handegard into Hall of Fame." Article at www.bowlingdigital.com, November 26, 2008.


References and footnotes


External links

*
PBA on ESPN
{{Authority control Ten-pin bowling Bowling organizations Sports in Akron, Ohio Bowlers Association Professional sports leagues in the United States