It's ridiculous to think about now, but in the early 1960s, bowling was big ratings on TV. "Championship Bowling" made big money for NBC, and other stations boasted shows like "Celebrity Bowling" and "Make That Spare." So it was only a matter of time before somebody got the genius idea to create a league of champion bowlers.
The National Bowling League made its debut in 1961, but by then the PBA had already locked down television contracts, so the fledgling company needed to make its money on ticket sales. Think on that for a moment - the only revenue stream for the National Bowling League was people paying to come watch people bowl.
The NBL was also team-based, but as the franchises started bleeding money it became harder and harder to even set up games. The league limped to a close in 1963.
