Several months ago, I used this valuable space to express my opinion about an event in our industry that has garnered a great deal of promotion and earned a lot of industry attention.
When I wrote that editorial about the Brunswick World Team Challenge (BWTC) tournaments, which some saw as negative, I thought things probably couldn’t get much worse.
Shortly after my column was published, things did get worse—much worse.
Basically, what I said was that the BWTC diminishes the integrity of the sport because its directors have allowed brackets to get out of control, and its dumb Baker format makes good bowlers look like fools on television. I also said I don’t understand the attraction for women to compete in these events that don’t even give them a chance to break even on expenses.
I expressed my view that even Darold Dobs, the late ABC boss who created this event, would have a problem with some of its shortcomings.
How could it get worse, you ask?
On October 19 in Columbus, Ohio, there was a widespread belief that some of the best bowlers our sport has to offer were sandbagging to keep from winning that BWTC event.
Why would they do that?
Because if your team wins a BWTC event to qualify for the Grand Championship, your team is no longer eligible to compete in future local events.
So why is that a problem?
Because the Columbus event was only the second event on the schedule, and the winning team would not be eligible to compete in the remaining 18 events on this season’s schedule. That means that those players would not have a chance to win an estimated $2 million in bracket money.
Wow!
This is just one more sordid chapter in the story of a tournament that is plagued with problems.
Apparently, some ABC officials thought the allegations had merit because a few days after the Columbus event, BWTC Tournament Director Tom Boedecker sent suspension letters to two teams informing them that their entries would not be accepted at any future BWTC events this season (until July 1998). All players were given 15 days to appeal, and our understanding is that all 10 have appealed.
The teams receiving the letters were the Turbo 2-N-1 team of Chesterfield, Mich., and Evil Hoooks of Davidsonville, Md. Captain of the Turbo team is ABC Hall of Famer Steve Fehr, who captured two national titles while a PBA touring player and also won the 1994 ABC Masters. His teammates are Pat Healey Jr., Bill Hoffman, Mika Koivunienic, and Ted Hannahs. This is the same team that won the $25,000 top prize at last year’s BWTC Grand Championship Tournament in Reno.
Evil Hoooks members include five-time TEAM USA player Chris Barnes, U.S. Amateur Champion John Gaines, Mike Neumann, Kurt Pilon, and Brad Angelo. All are current or former TEAM USA players.
Did it really happen?
I don’t know. I spoke with several of the accused players, and they all denied the charges. I also spoke with several others who were present in Columbus that day and had little or no doubt that it did happen.
No matter how it turns out, this is just one more sordid chapter in the story of a tournament that is plagued with problems because those responsible have lost sight of its original purpose.
Dobs wanted the Team Challenge tournaments to revive interest in the team aspect of the sport, and he wanted its finals televised to provide commercial exposure for ABC and WIBC. I don’t recall ever hearing anything about turning it into a big team pot game.
Since the BWTC has lost its television contract, there is no longer a need for the Baker format. And since there is more than $100,000 in bracket money in an average event, why don’t they just raise the entry fee from $500 to $2,500 and let everyone play for a decent prize fund?
Put $2,000 of the entry into an event, and you would have a tournament that paid $120,000 with 60 teams. The next step might be to limit the brackets, but if teams were playing for $25,000 for first in every event, maybe they wouldn’t want brackets at all.
My advice to ABC is that they pull the plug on the BWTC at the end of the season and start over with a clean slate.
But since when did they ever listen to my opinion?
I never have cared much for sequels. I hope we don’t see another one on the BWTC.
Jim Goodwin, a BWAA director and LPBT’s regional program director, is the award-winning editor/publisher of Stars & Strikes, in which the preceding originally appeared. Subscription rates are $20 per year (Pin Point Publishing, 2850 Red Valley Run, Rockwall, Texas 75087 .. voice/fax: 972/771-0069).
(EDITOR'S NOTE: This site, as well as BOWL Magazine, will keep you informed on the aforementioned BWTC situation.)