How Much Do Professional Bowlers Make?

Bowling is one of the best pastimes. Bored? Go bowling.

Want to play a sport but too tired? Go bowling.

Got a date? Go bowling.

Want to hang out with friends? Go bowling. 

But all this bowling makes one wonder: how much do professional bowlers make? 

How amazing would it be to play your favorite sport and get paid for doing so? But we assure you, not everything is fun and games when it comes to professional bowling. So, if there are any bowlers you know getting paid, they have certainly earned their keep. 

How Much Do Professional Bowlers Make?

No professional athlete gets paid the same, and bowlers are no different. They are professional athletes, after all! They generally get paid anywhere between $16,000 to a whopping $100,000. But don’t get too excited; not all of them get paid this high an amount!

Their annual salaries are not the same and depend on a lot of factors. These may be the scholarships they land, their skill sets, endorsements, and even their location. Some bowlers get paid more simply because they live in a particular region. That seems unfair, but what can we do? 

If we draw a rough sketch, most professional bowlers earn around $40,000 to $50,000 without their sponsorship. The game changes if they get sponsored! 

Let’s not get too invested in the math of it all, I don’t want you to feel like you’re in school. But if you count their sponsorships and endorsements, a top professional bowler can earn more than $200,000 to $300,000 annually. 

How Do Professional Bowlers Make Money?

Some people think professional bowlers throw balls at pins to make a living and earn more if they get more strikes. This is true to some extent. They do bowl for a living, but that isn’t all they do. 

There are so many other ways for professional bowlers to make money. Some of them are very obvious, but we don’t usually think of them! We’re talking about tournaments, sponsorships, advertisements, and many more! 

Tournaments

Winning a tournament is the obvious means of income for professional bowlers. Bowling competitions can have dozens of participants, but obviously, not all of them win the glittery victory check. And the grand-winning prizes are not modest. They can range from $50,000 to even $150,000 and more! 

Bowlers who come in second and third places also win money. It’s not enough to touch the six-figure mark, but it can be anywhere from $20,000 to $50,000. 

If you need a real-life example, we’ve got you covered. Let’s talk about the PBA Players Championship that took place in 2021.

Try not to gasp when you hear its winning prize fund: a whopping $1 million! Not all bowling competitions have this big a prize, so you’ll have to show high levels of skill to be able to compete.

The winner got a $250,000 prize. The second-place contestant got $130,000, which is pretty good for second place. 

No matter how big these numbers may sound, you cannot expect a professional bowler to spend his life on tournaments alone. What if they fall down a slump and don’t win several competitions in a row? 

Plus, traveling to different tournaments around the country is not cheap. You may have to live on the road and practice daily to become the best in the game.  

Sponsorships

With tournaments not a sensible singular source of income, most professional bowlers turn to sponsorships. Landing a sponsorship may be hard, but it can quite literally make your life. But what is a sponsorship, you may ask? Let us break it down for you. 

A sponsorship is a two-way agreement signed by a bowler and a sponsor. The sponsor provides the player with money, and the player promotes the sponsor. 

Sponsors usually buy professional bowling equipment and clothes for the players. What do the players do? They represent the sponsor in events. It’s a win-win for both. 

You may be wondering what kinds of companies offer sponsorships to professional bowlers. They can be any kind, especially bowling alleys, bowling ball manufacturers, bowling accessories retailers, and even bowling coaches. 

Endorsements/Advertisements

Successful professional bowlers can also land endorsement deals. In simpler words, we call these advertisements. A professional bowler advertises a particular brand, item, or service of a company, and the company, in turn, supports them financially. This is no different from most other sports.

You might have seen famous basketball players or footballers promoting various products, ranging from beverages and food to perfumes. Do they do all that for free? Absolutely not. 

Brands usually pay professional bowlers to advertise their items and use their image to increase authenticity. The bowlers may also include the company’s logo on their bowling shirts, bags, or shoes for further promotion. 

Personal Appearances

Did you know event planners and venue owners pay professional bowlers to show up to fan meetings? This is another good way for bowlers to make money.

But they need to be quite famous for this avenue to work because who would come to meet an athlete no one knows? 

The bowlers may give out autographs, take pictures with their fans, and even give a short speech. 

Event Management

Professional bowlers who know the basics of event management and hosting can make this a source of income too. They may host a show or two and make their mark by appearing on TV. 

How Much Do Female Bowlers Make Compared to Males?

Across the United States corporate sector, for every 96 cents a woman makes, a man makes a dollar. This disturbing gender pay gap exists in professional bowling as well. 

Women earn less than men in the field, usually making around $46,000 a year. Men, on the other hand, earn between $50,000 to $100,000. 

Who is the Highest Paid Bowler?

The highest-paid bowler is… drum roll… Kyle Troup! Kyle set the record in 2021 when he participated in the PBA Tour season and set the world on fire. He made a whopping $496,900 during the season! 

Before him, Walter Ray Williams held the record. He made $419,700 during the PBA Tour Season of 2002 to 2003. This record was pretty amazing, which is why it took around two decades for another player to break it! 

Why Are Bowling Salaries So Low Today?

We have often heard our parents talking about how their times were different. But were the 1960s and 70s really that different from the world of today? Yes. Absolutely yes. 

And we don’t mean this just in terms of technology. The 60s and 70s had a special interest in bowling, which is why millennials call them the “golden age” of bowling. 

Professional bowlers in the 60s were practically icons. People thought of them as international celebrities and gave them million-dollar contracts. You may not believe this, but they made more money than NFL stars of today! 

It sounds unbelievable that the first person in the world to sign a million-dollar deal was a professional bowler!

But things started going downhill with the dawn of the new century. People lost interest in bowling, and professional bowlers lost their high salaries. 

Today’s professional bowlers have salaries lower than those in all other major sports. Times really have changed!

The Future of Bowling Income

We do not know what the future holds for bowling. But one thing’s for sure: if we want the golden age of bowling to come back, some things need to change. 

First of all, bowling associations and clubs need to promote the sport to win the younger generation to their side. It’s all about whose side the youth is on! 

Television, social media, and popular streaming services can all play their part in increasing the popularity of this sport. 

Conclusion

Professional bowlers make quite a lot of money, anywhere between $50,000 to more than $300,000 a year. But these numbers are not constant. They are different for different players, depending upon factors such as sponsorships and endorsements. 

We hope this article quenches your curiosity about the earning potential of your favorite professional bowlers! So, the next time you go bowling, maybe think about turning it into a profession? Who knows, you might be the one to bring bowling back into a golden age!

FAQs