Bowling is Our Most Democratic Sport

My bowling league plays on Friday mornings.  The bowling alley we meet at knows its customers.  We are boomers.  So when we get to the alley, they are playing the music of the ‘60’s loud and proud.  This Friday we were busy getting on shoes, getting money to the treasurer and getting excuses in order when Manfred Mann’s song, “Do Wah Ditty Ditty” came over the sound system:

There she was just walkin' down the street
Singin', "Do wah diddy, diddy, dum diddy do"

People started singing the words.

Snappin' her fingers and shufflin' her feet
Singin', "Do wah diddy diddy, dum diddy do"

My end of the alley spontaneously shouted out the next line.

She looked good, she looked find

And right on cue, the far end of the alley answered us in a perfect “call” and “response” style.

(Looked good, looked fine)

We followed that pattern with the final two lines of that very familiar chorus.

She looked good, she looked fine
And I nearly lost my mind

This impromptu sing along dissolved into laughter and we continued with prepping for a morning of bowling.  This entire incident reinforces what I have always felt, that bowling is America’s true national game. 

This is not to say that American’s invented bowling, but it was embraced by American’s from Rip Van Winkle on forward.  In the United States, bowling originally was a tavern game, but during prohibition bowling disassociated itself from saloons.  It then became a family game with women and children joining the fun.  Bowling today is seen as an anaerobic exercise, a low impact workout similar to walking with free weights.  You move, you bend, and you twist.  It is also a sport that can be enjoyed well into old age.  Bowling is good exercise.

But what makes it an all-American sport?  First, it can be enjoyed by everyone.  It is inexpensive.  Bowling alleys are everywhere.  Truman and Nixon even had them in the White House.  Bowling is enjoyed by men, women and children.  They even have bumpers for young children so the ball always knocks something over by the time it gets to the end of the alley.  You can always get better at bowling—but you can also enjoy an evening at the alley regardless of the score.  Maybe it is the noise, the casual atmosphere, or the blue-collar ambience, but it is hard to get frantic about how well you are doing at bowling.  Having a good day?  Great!  Having a bad day?  It doesn’t matter. 

But the most democratic thing about bowling is that magical equalizer called the “handicap.”  The handicap is a mathematically adjusted score that gives you “x” number of added points.  The worse your game is, the higher your handicap.  Mine is 69, which means I’m a pretty poor bowler.  But it also means that my team gets to take my score and add 69 pins to it during every game.  On a league, if they don’t love you for your game, they still love you for your handicap. 

So here is America’s game.  You still have to show up, give it a try and roll the ball yourself.  But everyone is welcome to participate.  The handicap gives a nod to talent but also recognizes your personal limitations and gives you a break to keep you competitive.  You get to be brash and noisy, eat, drink and sing.  You get to dress as casually and as colorfully as you want.  Bowling is all so American to me. 

Go bowling this week and have some fun while keeping the faith.