Bowling was such a popular sport during the 1960s-1970s, top earning pros made twice as much money as NFL stars and other athletes. Today, even the very best bowlers usually have second jobs.
Is bowling in its final frames or will it roll on?
Detroit Free Press
DETROIT — In its heyday, Cloverlanes Bowl in Livonia was such a popular place to gather and throw balls that the weekend wait for a lane might be two — even three — hours long.
“Oh my God, we thought we were in a coliseum,” Betty Brown, 54, of Detroit said, remembering the first time in 1972 she walked into the new, 64-lane bowling alley with its undulating roof. “We’d never been in a place that big.”
The aging center now is expected to be sold to a developer. May 2 was its last open night, and it was far from full. There weren’t even enough takers to raffle a chance to throw the very last ball. Brown and other loyal bowlers relived the good times. Longtime workers shed tears.
One by one, America’s once-gr… Continue Reading (5 minute read)
Share this:
5 thoughts on “Bowling was such a popular sport during the 1960s-1970s, top earning pros made twice as much money as NFL stars and other athletes. Today, even the very best bowlers usually have second jobs.”
BlackMilk23
The decline of bowling is actually a very interesting phenomenon. It’s been the subject of a lot of scholarly articles.
It’s shift from being a blue-collar activity to a white-collar one. The decline in recreational leagues. Alleys finding ways to offer other things besides just bowling from disco and lounging to laser-tag and Arcades.
So my company has offices in Syrbia and because it was so popular during that time whenever a US employee shows up they take them bowling. On the third night of bowling I asked why they loved bowling so much they answered with “We hate bowling, I thought you guys loved it.”
The decline of bowling is actually a very interesting phenomenon. It’s been the subject of a lot of scholarly articles.
It’s shift from being a blue-collar activity to a white-collar one. The decline in recreational leagues. Alleys finding ways to offer other things besides just bowling from disco and lounging to laser-tag and Arcades.
It’s all very interesting stuff.
So my company has offices in Syrbia and because it was so popular during that time whenever a US employee shows up they take them bowling. On the third night of bowling I asked why they loved bowling so much they answered with “We hate bowling, I thought you guys loved it.”
Who do you think you are?! I am!
This is [a better article](https://priceonomics.com/the-rise-and-fall-of-professional-bowling) on the current state of professional bowling but for some reason it wasn’t approved.
A lot of people made more than NFL players when the money was based on ticket sales as opposed to TV contracts.