Well, after a period of time we finally got rid of the life-size posters of Michael Jordan in the bowling centers. Now, when you walk in to most bowling centers, you see a life-size poster of some "professional" wrestler named Goldberg. I punctuated professional because it’s difficult for me to understand how all this scripted, profane, and violent junk could possibly be called professional.
I will admit that it draws fans and, according to U.S. News & World Report, the World Wrestling Federation's (WWF) "RAW IS WAR" is the number one-rated show on cable television, outpacing "Monday Night Football." Personally, I’m not so sure that most everything doesn’t outpace "Monday Night Football."
But, do we really want our kids exposed to the type of violence and vulgarity that pro wrestling brings to the screen?
The man responsible for cranking up the sex and vulgarity is Vince McMahon. McMahon, an admitted steroid abuser who claims he can’t spell, now controls a company with revenues of $500 million a year. He has had episodes that featured mock crucifixions, S&M scenes, and wrestlers "mooning" the audience. (Remember "professional"?)
In his quest to be number one against Ted Turner, who televises World Championship Wrestling, McMahon brought on more violence, sex, and obscenities.
An Indiana University–"Inside Edition" study of 50 WWF telecasts reported 1,658 instances of grabbing or pointing to one's crotch, 157 instances of an obscene finger gesture, 128 episodes of simulated sexual activity, and 21 references to urination.
McMahon admits that 15 percent of the audience, or more than one million viewers, is 11 years old or younger. What message are we sending to those children?
Bowling needs to separate itself from pro wrestling. Our kids don’t need it, and bowling doesn’t need it. Let’s remove the life-size poster of these wrestlers and replace them with posters of college-educated, PBA Rookie of the Year Chris Barnes. How about the greatest ambassador to bowling, Dick Weber? Or, how about each month a life-sized poster of a PBA Hall of Famer? The poster could reflect their contributions to the sport, records, and history.
I have not seen any figures that reflect the Michael Jordan promotion brought any new bowlers into our centers. I doubt seriously that Goldberg will bring any new bowlers, either. Jordan may have helped to sell a few bowling balls, but nothing positive will come from the Goldberg promotion or bowling’s affiliation with wrestling.
I know I wrote about this subject earlier, but I feel very strongly that we need to teach our children to be better citizens, and sportsmanship can be a big factor.
There’s enough violence in our lives. We don’t need to promote it.
Don Wright is a member of the Bowling Writers Association of America. His web site is available at http://www.vvm.com/~wrightd.