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Ten-pin bowling is a competitive sport in which a player, called a bowler, attempts to knock down as many Pins as possible, thereby scoring points, by rolling a Ball along a pathway called a "lane." The lane is bordered by Gutter s along both sides which serve to collect errant balls which would not knock down any pins. The bowler is allowed ten frames in which to knock down pins, with each frame being composed of two rolls. Since being brought to the United States from Europe , Bowling has risen in popularity as its technology has improved. The sport is most popular in the United Kingdom and the United States where it is the leading pastime, enjoying the highest participation rate of any sport in both countries. Both nations maintain national regulatory organizations that govern the sport's rules and conduct and many of those countries' best players participate in tournaments on both the national and international stage. Because of the rise in popularity, many companies are now making bowling balls and apparel for professionals as well as for recreational bowlers. Bowling has also become more prevalent in the media in recent years, with the continued popularity of bowling publications and the appearance of films centered around the culture of the sport. However, the sport continues to face challenges in garnering mainstream coverage of the athletic aspects of the game. HISTORY Origins In 1930, British anthropologist Sir Flinders Petrie along with a team of archaeologists, discovered various primitive Bowling Ball s, Bowling Pin s and other materials in the grave of an Egyptian boy dating to 5200 BC. Their discovery represents the earliest know historical trace of bowling. However, some dismiss these findings, arguing that bowling originated in Germany in 300 A.D. The first written reference to bowling dates to 1366, when King Edward III of England banned his troops from playing the game so that they would not be distracted from their archery practice. 1 It is believed that King Henry VIII bowled using cannon balls. In Germany the game of Kegal (''Kegelspiel'') expanded. The Kegal game grew in Germany and around other parts of Europe with Keglars rolling balls at nine pins, or "skittles". 23 Ninepin bowling was introduced to America from Europe during the colonial era, similar to the game of Skittles . 4 It became very popular and was called "Bowl on the Green". The Dutch , English , and Germans all brought their own versions of the game to the new world, where it enjoyed continued popularity, although not without some controversy. In 1841 a law in Connecticut banned ninepin bowling lanes due to associated gambling and crime, and people were said to circumvent the letter of the prohibition by adding an extra pin, resulting in the game of ten pin bowling. 5 Modern American ten-pin bowling is most closely related to the German game ''Kegelspiel''. Germans were instrumental in fostering the game's popularity as they formed their own bowling clubs both before and after the American Civil War . The first indoor bowling alley was Knickerbockers of New York City, built in 1840. The Brunswick Corporation's addition of bowling equipment to their product line also served to increase the sport's popularity. In 1914 Brunswick replaced their line of wooden bowling balls with hard rubber Mineralite bowling ball. The change was met with great approval. 6 Organization and increased popularity Bowling has long been seen as a sport of the working classes. Accordingly, most bowling alleys at the turn of the century were small, private establishments, mainly frequented by men. This began to change as the sport became increasingly regulated and generally gained in prestige. Although it has not shed its working class image entirely, today bowling is not only a unisex sport, but it is also enjoyed by families the world over. In 1895 the American Bowling Congress was started in New York City . This was soon joined by similar organizations geared toward female bowlers. These groups began creating the standard rules for bowling that have survived to the modern day. At the same time, the sport's image among the upper classes was enhanced by the opening of more luxurious and elegant lanes like ''The White Elephant'' in New York City, opened by restaurateur Joe Thum , whom many consider to be the father of bowling, along with Dick Weber . Thum created the first bowling organization in the United States on September 9 , 1895 , when he pulled together representatives of various regional bowling clubs into an overarching organization, the American Bowling Congress (ABC). This spurred greater interest in the game, with the number of officially sanctioned lanes rising from 450 in 1920 to 2,000 in 1929. 1940 to 1960 The period from 1940 to 1960 is known as the golden age of bowling due to the sport's great popularity and advances in its play. Indeed, by 1945, bowling was a billion dollar industry. Promotion by the U.S. Armed Forces and its image as a sport for the common man made bowling an enticing choice of activity for Americans. For this reason, racial integration was perhaps inevitable. The American Bowling Congress had been a whites-only organization throughout its existence, but lobbying by numerous labor organizations and individuals after the war quickly led to a reversal of this policy. 7 This era also saw a great increase in bowling technology. Pins had previously been set by "pin boys", but with the invention of the semi automatic Pinsetter in 1936, the process became much easier. In 1946 AMF Bowling launched the first commercial fully automatic pinspotter to replace the earlier Brunswick semi automatic and fully manual bowling establishments. The Television age of the 1950s also helped to increase the popularity of ten pin bowling, as the sport began to enter the homes of millions across the country. Eddie Elias founded the Professional Bowlers Association in 1958, and its Pro Bowlers Tour became a permanent part of ABC's sports lineup. 1960 to the present Ten-pin bowling was introduced in the United Kingdom in 1960. This was driven by the opening of the Stamford Hill and Golders Green bowling alleys in London . Ten-pin bowling took the UK by storm, with alleys opening up one after the other. At its peak there were over one hundred and sixty bowling alleys in the UK, but a lack of re-investment and waning interest left the fad in a sorry state. This led to a general deterioration of bowling alleys, with a commensurate decline in their image. In the 1970's a major chain operator pulled out of bowling and converted many of the more luxurious alleys into Bingo Halls . The industry nearly collapsed, with two thirds of the exisitng alleys closing over the next few years. Until the mid 1980's there was little, if any, new investment in the sport with the decline in interest being attributed to the complex scoring system, especially as it was a manual process then. However, this all changed with the introduction of computers and automated electronic scoring systems. This meant that the general public only had to enter their names into the computers and everything else was done automatically. This changed the face of bowling in the UK and was largely responsible for the new found interest in the sport. AMF carried this revitalization of the sport by embarking on a major refurbishment programme. This re-investment led to the construction of many bright, modern and attractive sites and began the second golden age of bowling. During the late 1980's and early 1990's the number of ten-pin bowling alleys across the country rose to over two hundred. This was higher than it had ever been in the sixties, then the peak of the sport's popularity. |
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