Can bowling be considered an ethnocentric sport? Personally I don't think so -- it's a game enjoyed on 6 of the 7 continents on the planet. There are Hipster bowling lounges where the upper crust bowl all the way to the eight lane houses that cater to the blue collar/no collar workers. It's a game for the working stiff, the middle class, the white collar professional, the Hollywood elite, and professional athletes from multiple sports. It's one of the games that's available to everyone who is willing to shoe up and participate: young or old, male or female, able bodied or not, and whatever color of the rainbow your personal pigmentation happens to match. I'm actually quite proud of the diversity that I've witnessed on the lanes during my time bowling.
However, there is a type of ethnocentrism (as defined above) that is pervasive in the bowling community, and I briefly implied it in my second Thomas Theorem post, but I'll expand on it now. I'll call it Bowling-centrism: the belief that 1. my reason for being involved with bowling is the most important reason for bowling to exist, and 2. others that do not subscribe to bowling for the same reason are either not adding enough or somehow taking away from the sport. Let's approach this in a tiered situation - - the various types of bowlers can be listed thusly:
- The Date Night / Birthday Party / Group activity bowler -- maybe comes to the lanes between 2 and 24 times a year. The bowling center is the place that they come to have their activity, but bowling is secondary to the activity.
- The Casual Bowler -- House shoes and house ball is fine, probably there with the family, maybe with friends, maybe by themselves. Usually comes to the lanes between 12 and 52 times a year. These people come to bowl, maybe one to three games each time they show up. However they are there to have fun, may not have the full grasp of lane courtesy, and they're happy getting whatever score they get.
- The League Bowler -- Can range from house shoes and ball all the way to 6 balls at the lanes and another 6 in the car (aka: Casual bowlers through Non-Casual Bowlers). Comes to the lanes anywhere from 24 to 108 times a year (depending on how many leagues they are in, and whether they come back to practice), bowl at minimum 3 games each time they show up. They are there to bowl (for the most part), generally understand several of the nuances of bowling, and the score usually matters to them - so they're usually trying to improve their game for the center(s) that they bowl in.
- The Non-Casual Bowler -- Owns their own gear, usually multiple balls, has the balls drilled for a certain reaction and knows how to maintain their equipment to maximize that reaction. Comes to the lanes anywhere from 52 to 260 times a year, and will bowl a minimum of 3 games, and for the tournament/professional - easily more than 10 games every time. These are the bowlers who get training, research balls, know the rulebook, and are always looking for their game to be consistantly better no matter what the lane condition. I'm including here the Junior bowlers, Sport condition bowlers, team bowlers, tournament bowlers, and professional bowlers - or anyone who aspires to be included in this group.
These are the tiers of bowlers that the entire bowling industry, local, national, and international are built upon. Each has their strengths, each has their place in the bowling center, and one would hope each of them ultimately feels welcome in the average bowling environment. The Non-Casual Bowler doesn't just appear - they are cultivated, usually going through all the stages of this bowling tier system at some point in time. However, like most things that grow - there are various points where moving through the tiers can be stunted, or even killed. Granted - not everyone who bowls at the Date Night / Birthday Party level will move into being a Casual Bowler - the interest for some people just isn't there. Likewise, some Casual Bowlers will never move to being a League Bowler - either because of the lack of interest, lack of time they can commit to a league, or even because of a lack of a league to join. What I hope for though, is that the local environment is available such that any interest that an occasional bowler shows in getting more involved with bowling can be nurtured so that the Date Night / Birthday Party / Group Activity bowler will feel good enough that they return more often, thereby becoming a Casual Bowler. If a rapport is developed between our Casual Bowler and another League / Non-Casual Bowler, and there are leagues available that mesh with his/her time schedule - then it's not that hard to turn a Casual Bowler into a League Bowler.
But there's the rub on multiple levels:
1. there has to be a rapport between a DN/BP Bowler or a Casual Bowler and a League / Non-Casual Bowler for that spark of interest to be fed and allowed to grow. If another patron of the bowling center is implying, directly or indirectly, that they are annoyed by the presence of a DN/BP Bowler or Casual Bowler, or if an employee of the center shows no interest in that DN/BP or Casual Bowler - then what reason do they have for coming back? It stays at best an antiseptic relationship, and at worst the spark goes out and they stop going bowling altogether.
2. The Casual Bowler has to have time in their schedule to be available for league and/or there has to be a league available during the time that person has available. With the average schedule being filled with extra activities, and bowling having to compete with television, computers, phones, soccer, karate, tennis, etc... having time to bowl in a league, whether sanctioned or unsanctioned, takes a real commitment. I know from personal experience that I wasn't in league for 3 years due to my changing work schedule, and right now if I could find a Friday morning league - I'd join it immediately. But in all my time when I went to practice, I wasn't asked to join a league, or even asked if I was interested - and this was over 3 different centers.
3. The league must be a good fit for the DN/BP or Casual Bowler - run well, a welcoming atmosphere, and supportive. If a Bowler has a real competitive spirit, they may not do as well in a 'fun' league, and vice versa - if a bowler is a better fit for a relaxed league, then pairing them up with a big money competition league may not be the best idea. Not that they might not learn to thrive, and they should be given an option, but it's important to get to know both the league and the Casual Bowler that you're thinking of inviting. A bad mix the first time means there probably won't be a second.
At the heart of Bowling-Centrism is the philosophy of: "This is my time to bowl here - how I feel about bowling is evident in how I conduct myself at the lanes, whether focused, intense, relaxed, boisterous, or uncaring, and my way is right - everyone else can deal with it." I've seen good sports at all levels of the bowling tiers, and I've seen incredibly bad sports at all levels of the bowling tiers. Unfortunately, as is human nature, the bad sports are usually easier to remember than the good sports - and set a tone for the experience for any and all who are around them. How exactly is that dangerous? For those who are DN/BP Bowlers who have a good attitude or are good sports, they set a tone for others who follow them. Likewise, those DN/BP Bowlers (remember? Date Night / Birthday Party) who are bad sports or are disrespectful of the game, the equipment, the facility, and their surrounding bowlers - they set a tone as well, and it sticks with both the patrons and management/employees. Many times I've heard rumblings (for example) about how "real bowlers" hate seeing people at the lanes for birthday parties or Date Night/Glow bowling, because they take away from the experience. Let me turn that on it's head for a moment -- "real bowlers" can shoe up and play no matter what's going on. If there was a bad experience with a group that there for a birthday party, the odds that any the same group is back is rather slim, and they're trying to enjoy the experience - same as the "real bowler". Help it be a positive for them, and most likely it will turn out to be a positive for you. Disrespect someone who doesn't have the same attitude towards bowling as you do, and you're not going to change their mind, and usually will just come across as being a toad.
Part 2 to come.....
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