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Jul 6, 2003
Are the ESPN, ESPY’S sexist in bowling? The answer is YES!
ESPN treats women’s bowling like a bastard child when it comes to the ESPY'S! (Editorial)

In the age of title, nine who would believe sexism is not only prevalent but status quo. Well that is the case for bowlers just ask the ladies of the PWBA and more specifically Carolyn Dorn-Ballard read how the Bowler of the year award 2002 was handed to an inferior performance simply because of gender.


As this years ESPY’s approach I am drawn back to last year. With a great amount of disgust I wrote to ESPN about a serious inequity during the 2002 Espy Awards. They failed to provide an equal opportunity for female bowlers that they provided for females in other sports such as tennis, golf, etc.

Since there is no head to head competition between male PBA bowlers and female PWBA bowlers, Espy should have afforded the same opportunity they did to tennis players, basketball players and even soccer! One simple look at the years performance by each bowler showed the inequity provided the lady bowlers. Clearly, Carolyn Dorn Ballard was the bowler of the year, winning the most titles in a record setting fashion. Carolyn was so dominant in the 2001 season that she had arguably the best season ever in the history of the sport. Dorn Ballard played in 23 tournaments and tied Patty Costello's 1976 record for the most professional bowling titles in a single season, with seven. She closed out the year as the PWBA leader in earnings ($135,045), competition points (17,415) and average (214.73). In addition, she led all PWBA players in televised finals appearances with a record 18 telecasts! Dorn Ballard broke or set eleven other PWBA records. Clearly Dorn Ballard Should have been handed the ESPY for Bowler of the year.

It is important to point out the ESPY Bowler of the Year award is not a lifetime achievement award and yet Pete Webber was shoved into this award for exactly that. While I am a Webber fan, he was clearly NOT the year’s peak performer. Probably not even the male bowler of the year. Instead, the ESPY’s were unduly gender biased. Handing the award to a male was clearly an injustice. What should have been a non-issue will raise it's ugly little head again in the future. ESPN currently televises the PWBA tour and displays the elite women of the PWBA. Kudos to ESPN for airing the women live. Now take the president and add the female award retroactively and give the award to the real bowler of the year. Carolyn Dorn-Ballard.

Permanently add the male and female distinction to this award. Cover the sport on sports center and recognize that this is a sport where women, on any given day, can crush their male counterparts, as Dorn Ballard did in 2001.

Lance Granum

stats courtesy of PWBA.

Contributed by:
Lance
©2003Lance Granum bowling is my bag
Email: lance@granum.us
Website: granum.us