Bowling's US Open Canceled—Due to Disinterest

Just how bad have things gotten for professional bowling? So bad that the sport's governing body just canceled one of its biggest tournaments for the second year in a row because they couldn't find anyone willing to sponsor it. The 2014 US Open had already been canceled, but now the Bowling Proprietors Association of America says it's giving up on the 2015 edition as well, CBS News reports. The group says it needs about $500,000 to run the tournament, and no advertisers are stepping up to provide it.

The bowling community is "in an uproar" over the decision, according to Daily Advance bowling columnist Lee Owen. "You have to wonder what this means for the sport of competitive bowling as we know it," he writes. One top pro said on Facebook that he was "disappointed and frustrated" that the BPAA had given up on 2015 so early. But a BPAA official says sponsors simply aren't interested in bowling's aging fan base. "Bowling isn't what it was 10, 20, or 30 years ago … you can't make money magically appear." (More bowling stories.)