I am a life-long Milwaukeean who has managed to build a career in professional sports marketing and event management. My face may not be as familiar as Channel 4's Lance Allan, but many of the projects I have worked on have had local and national impact.
As a contributing blogger for OnMilwaukee.com, I look forward to providing a behind-the-scenes perspective on sports productions past, present and future tinged with a distinctive Milwaukee edge.
One of the sports I have worked with in my career is bowling. Bowling is imprinted on the very DNA of Milwaukee. You probably are not aware that there are two Milwaukeeans involved with the production of professional bowling -- myself and Tom Clark, PBA's Chief Operating Officer. We say bowling is primed for a big comeback in a world with a crowded sports landscape.
How do you turn America's favorite participation sport -- bowling, into a spectator sport? What is happening with other sports trying to entertain their fans in the latter years of the first decade of the 21st century?
At Yankee Stadium the familiar voice of Bob Sheppard firmly announces the next hitter, "now batting for the Yankees, the shortstop, Derek Jeter, No. 2," and your pulse quickens. Chris Paul, guard for the NBA New Orleans Hornets hits a buzzer-beater before halftime, the horn blares and the public address announcer riles the crowd, "Chris Paul for threeeee!"
From the National Football League to minor league sports there are mascots, public address announcers, music and video programming to keep the crowd into the game. Each production recognizes the value of entertaining the audience and improving their overall game experience. We hear the music and clap along to the beat whether we are at the game or watching on television. Could it be that great events automatically make great television, inspire an audience, increase attendance, media exposure and corporate sponsorship?
Why not bowling?
Over the years bowling fans have become accustomed to the rhythm of a bowling television production. Quiet before the show, quiet before the shot and squint at a scoreboard while trying to figure out who is winning the match. On television the announcers tell us what is going on shot by shot. The audience in the arena or the bowling center does not have that luxury.
A few fans may be able to quantify a plus-minus situation in bowling as fast as Tiger Woods hits another fairway. The rest of us are left to scratch our heads and try to get into a match. Improved game productions can play a part in changing bowling television programs, making them more exciting to watch, easier to anticipate a game-changing shot, easier to appreciate the skill of a great bowling athlete.
Can a bowling television production match the intensity of a gritty tennis finale or a hotly contested hockey game? The Chris Paul PBA Celebrity Invitational presented by Ebonite featured PBA stars matched up with five of the NBA's greatest personalities including Chris Paul, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. The event was the latest example of this new presentation for bowling, which aired on ESPN Oct. 19.
As the on-site producer for the Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour, we feature entertaining music, videos and public address announcements to introduce the players and keep the fans in the game. Music, giveaways and match updates let the fans stay in the game and be ready to witness the next great bowling moment.
That energy translates to a more informed and excited crowd. A more informed and excited crowd surely fires up the players and the television announcers. Who does not want to perform at their highest level in a charged, exciting venue like that? Check your local ESPN listings, the Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour, Sundays at Noon.
