PBA LEAGUE Team competition returns to professional bowling. /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// //////////////////////////////
The Budweisers. The Falstaffs. The Hermann
Undertakers. The names evoke memories of storied squads from bowling’s beloved team era, the 1930s thru the 1950s.
The Professional Bowlers
Association hopes to rekindle the flames of that era in January 2013 when squads like the Dallas Strikers and Phillie Hitmen bring the team game back to professional bowling in the PBA League. Eight five-player teams, backed
by the celebrity muscle of “team owners” like basketball star Chris
DRAFT DAYThe first PBA League draft was streammed live on Xtra Frame, with the eight ‘franchise players’ selecting teammates to fill out their rosters.
Paul, comedian Kevin Hart and former football greats Jerome Bettis and Terrell Owens, will battle in five
televised matches from Thunderbowl in Allen Park, Mich., January 19-27. Seizing on the growth in high
school and collegiate bowling and the opportunity to introduce more players to television viewers, PBA CEO Geoff Reiss sees great potential in a return to team bowling. “It has the potential to be a real
leap forward for the PBA,” Reiss said in a recent USA Today interview. Eight “franchise players”
representing each team (as determined by the 2011-2012 final PBA points rankings) selected their teammates during the PBAL Draft, held at South Point Bowling Center in Las Vegas. The draft, streamed live on PBA Xtra Frame, featured the same pomp and drama as draft day in the NBA or NFL. “And with the first pick in the PBA League Draft,” said PBA Commissioner Tom Clark, “Norm Duke of the Dallas Strikers selects Rhino Page.”
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Did You Know? Kelly Kulick was the only woman bowler selected in the PBAL draft. She was the supplemental pick of Mike Fagan and the Motor City Muscle.