Up Front WHEN BOWLING
“This Is SportsCenter” ad marked the first installment in the 21-year history of that famed commercial series to feature a bowler. But there was a time when bowlers appeared in commercial spots a little more regularly. Most notably, Hall of Famers Billy Hardwick and Don Carter both pitched different brands of Miller beer. Hardwick did a spot for Miller High
Life at the height of his career in 1969, the year he set a record for most titles in a single season with six. Hardwick’s famed son, Chris, who presides over the popular Nerdist YouTube channel and comedy brand, said that his father’s Miller High Life ad “was the first beer commercial done by a professional ath- lete. After this, though, they mandated that only retired athletes could do them so that it wouldn’t send the wrong message, like ‘Drinking makes you a champion.’” Long after his own playing days
were done, Don Carter put in a spirited
WENT ‘COMMERCIAL’ ONCE UPON A TIME, IT WASN’T SO UNUSUAL TO SPOT PRO BOWLERS IN TELEVISION ADS
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Pete Weber’s appearance in a recent
performance on behalf of Miller Lite in 1978, insisting that bowlers knew their beer just as well as athletes in any other sport. Coincidentally, 1978 also hap- pened to be the year someone finally broke that record Hardwick set in 1969. That season, Mark Roth won seven titles.
TOUCH FOR VIDEO
EVERYTHING BOWLING, ALL THE TIME
TOUCH FOR VIDEO
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// ////////// April 2015 11
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38