While most sports are still shut down thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, there are a few events coming back, from the Bundesliga to the UFC and boxing to The Match. Now, we can add professional bowling to the mix. The PBA Tour, which Fox picked up rights to beginning last year, announced this week that it plans to return in June, and it’s doing so with some new events.
🚨 🎳BOWLING IS BACK! New events this summer on FOX kicking off June 6th! pic.twitter.com/GxbPAKSvyA
— PBA Tour (@PBATour) May 22, 2020
Here’s more from their release:
 The Professional Bowlers Association will be back live on FOX, Saturday, June 6, from 7-9 pm ET, with the first-ever PBA Strike Derby, beginning a series of exciting special events over the next two months featuring the greatest bowlers in the world.
Go Bowling! PBA Tour stars Tommy Jones, Kyle Troup, Sean Rash, EJ Tackett, Kris Prather, Shawn Maldonado, Anthony Simonsen and Bill O’Neill will be getting back on the lanes in compelling bowling formats involving 2020 individual event top finishers, satisfying fans craving for action and serving notice: Bowling is back!
All of the competition will be held at Bowlero Jupiter in Florida, without fans in attendance and an abundance of caution towards the safety of the players, officials and TV production crew.
“We are so excited to be one of the first properties bringing live sports back to broadcast television,” PBA CEO Colie Edison said. “This dynamic series of events will showcase the immense talent of our elite bowlers to a wide audience and we look forward to welcoming new fans to the Professional Bowlers Association.”
The Strike Derby will see the eight players involved competing in a elimination-bracket timed competition where they have two minutes to record as many strikes as they can. The next week, on Saturday, June 13, Fox will feature a “PBA Summer Clash” with a one-ball elimination format, and it will include WPBA stars Shannon O’Keefe and Danielle McEwan as well as the eight PBA Tour contestants. And July will feature a four-night PBA King of the Lanes series on FS1. Meanwhile, the regularly-scheduled PBA Tour events postponed thanks to COVID-19 are being rescheduled for the fall and winter. So this isn’t quite normal PBA action, but it is some sports content for Fox and for FS1, and it’s something for bowling fans to check out.
[PBA Tour]
