How to Get a Bowling Sponsor

Bowling is one of the most participated in sports in the world, and many out there may be like me and want to make a living in the sport of bowling. However, without sponsorship, this dream can be difficult to reach. Here is a few tips on how to get sponsorship for bowling.

Since I did not do so in the introduction, let me clarify that this is not an article on how to get sponsored by a major bowling manufacturer like Hammer and bowl on the tour successfully. If you did not bowl in college and make a name for yourself, now you have to prove yourself. The first step is to obtain a local sponsorship. Many local pro shops may want to sponsor a good local bowler to bowl in tournaments and try and drive business to his shop. The shop owner may not pay you, but a significant discount on bowling merchandise, or paid entries for tournaments goes a long way when all you have to do is wear a shirt that advertises his shop and tell people how great it is.

Once you have completed this step, you may want to build yourself a bowling resume. Try and document all your accomplishments in the bowling world, as well as video of yourself bowling. This will be a great way to try and get local sponsorship from a restaurant or local retail store. Most businesses biggest expenditure, other than paying their employees, is advertising. If they can get you to advertise in front of hundreds of bowlers every week for cheap, they may be interested. Just do not walk in wearing a wife beater and too short jean shorts and ask for sponsorship. Treat this as a legitimate opportunity and explain to them how you can help their business, not just how they can help your career.

Finally, in the rare case that you become a successful bowler and are winning tournaments, try your luck in the PBA. I recommend using equipment from the same manufacturer so if a bowling ball representative is at the tournament, and you succeed throwing their equipment, it could increase your chances of getting sponsored and really hitting it big. Remember, if you try hard, practice hard, and really focus, you can make your game better. The better your game, the better your chance of getting sponsored and helping yourself and the company sponsoring you!