Bowling: A Growing Sport

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Bowling: A Growing Sport
Statistically speaking, bowling is the most popular sport played among Americans each year. On average, within the last four years there have been eighty-two million Americans per year participating. For a relatively small cost friends and families can go roll balls for sport and fun.
The sport itself dates back several centuries. Rolling a ball to knock down various targets has been the object of many games in different countries and continents throughout history. Evidence of this was found in ancient tombs in Egypt and even on some Polynesian Islands. The game discovered on the Polynesian Islands appeared to be about a century older than the game in Egypt (History-Bowling).
Modern bowling, however, most likely grew out of a German religious ceremony. In the third century A.D. every German peasant carried around a kegel, a club for protection. Eventually it became a customary test of faith in churches for a parishioner to set up his kegel as a target. The kegel represented the heathen and the object was to roll a stone in attempt to knock it down. If successful the peasant was free of sin (History-Bowling).
Eventually bowling moved out of the church and became a popular secular sport, with a wooden ball replacing the stone and multiple pins, with numbers ranging from three to seventeen, replacing the single kegel. From here evidence of bowling could be found in many places around the world. In 1650, the Dutch in Amsterdam were bowling ninepins. The pins were arranged in a diamond pattern of one-two-three-two-one. The “alley” was a plank about one and a half feet wide and ninety feet long. Once ninepins hit America it took off and developed into ten pins and the game that it is today (History-Bowling).
Currently, bowling is one of the oldest and most popular indoor sports in the world. More and more Americans compete in bowling, with it’s widespread popularity over the past ten years especially. Now it is the most popular sports in the United States, Canada, Japan and most of the Latin American Nations. Other forms of bowling that exist in these countries are boccie, candle pins, duck pins, five pins, lawn bowling and nine pins. There exist many bowling organizations in the world toda...

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...ounger age bowling can be enjoyed throughout life and is a good light workout for older folks. So as America’s most participated sport, Bowling is expanding and will continue to do so for many years as many experts of the game believe. With an extremely interesting history and a bright future bowling is expected to remain on top for many years to come.

Works Cited
Bowling Industry.com. 26 Feb. 2005 http://www.bowlingindustry.com
Campos, Johnny. “Sport Bowling is Growing Up.” Bowling Digest Fall 2004. Ebscohost. Albright Memorial Library. 15 Feb. 2005 http://web20.epnet.com
“History-Bowling.” HickokSports.com. 28 Feb. 2005 http://www.hickoksports.com/history/bowling.shtml
Martin, Joan L. Bowling. Dubuque, Iowa: Wm. C. Brown Company Publishers, 1966.
May, Mike. “Bowling Popularity High in a Game Under Reconstruction.” SGMA International. 20 Feb. 2002. Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association. 15 Feb. 2005 http://www.sgma.com/press/2002/press1013020876- 17362.html

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