It is nice to say we want to grow the legacy of Bowling rather than spend it, but why? We are all very busy in our lives today. The last thing we are looking for is something more to read or another item on our seemingly endless “Action List”. Why go through all of the hassles of creating change? Why spend the time, effort, money, and emotion building and then working a plan for Bowling to be successful in 2035?

The easy, knee-jerk-answer to the question of, “Why do it?” is, Bowling deserves to have a future worthy of its past, a line I used in several of my visits to the BPAA podium. The real answers are, however, not quite so easy. There are as many correct answers to the questions above as there are stakeholders for Bowling. If we are going have a plan that will work, we need to understand the needs of each stakeholder. The first step is to identify the stakeholders for Bowling and then to determine the needs of each. The list below is a starting point (no particular order intended):

         √ Bowling Participants

         √ Bowling Operating Businesses

         √  Manufacturers and Suppliers

         √ Communities served by Bowling Centers

         √ Bowling Pro Shops/Skill Centers

         √ Bowling Coaches

         √ Bowling Press

         √ Training and Support Companies

         √ Bowling Tournament Operators

         √ General Vendors to Bowling

         √ Lenders to Bowling Businesses

         √ Staff of Bowling Businesses

Note that the USBC and the BPAA are not on the list. Both organizations exist to represent the interests of stakeholders. The BPAA exists to serve bowling operators. The USBC exists to serve the sport of bowling, and therefore, a segment of bowling participants and bowling operators. Support organizations have no right to a future past their present ability to provide value to their stakeholders. Also note, the major groupings of stakeholders can be broken into categories. As an example, Communities Served by Bowling Centers would include schools, local government, religious and civic organizations, along with businesses.

Who is missing from the list? What are the needs of the each stakeholder? Will the current needs of each stakeholder change over the next twenty-five years?

Please reply with a couple of additions to the list, your thoughts on the needs of a couple of the stakeholders, along with your thoughts as to whether the needs will change over the next twenty-five years.

Joe