Professional Bowlers Association

In any competition where the outcome determines a first and second place finisher, the competitors will look for any possible advantage that they can gain over their opponent. A baseball pitcher may get into a batter's mind by throwing a 98 mph fastball at his chin "unintentionally." An NBA star might be willing to sacrifice a flagrant foul to send a message to the opposing team during the playoffs. Professional bowling is not exempt from this, and if you watch closely enough you may just be able to catch a little gamesmanship during the matches on TV.
 
It's not always blatant, and most times it's as subtle as the way you celebrate (or not) a good break during a match. A comment made by an opponent to Rob and Randy in the booth can fire you up, as in last year's "That ain't Brooklyn!" exchange between Chris Barnes and Brad Angelo. Sometimes gamesmanship works, and at times it doesn't. You may never hear a player acknowledge what his intent was mentally, but actions always speak louder than words. If you watch the end of the Norm Duke vs. Brian Goebel classic in Topeka when Goebel won 296-280. At the end of the match, Duke balks twice as if he all of a sudden can't slide on the one lane from one shot to the next. Did he step in something? Maybe. Was he trying to ice Goebel by keeping him in his seat a few extra minutes to think about the fact that not only did he have a chance at shooting 300 on TV (and a record $200,000 bonus), but that he also still needed to throw the first hit in the tenth and get count to win the tournament? Quite possibly. No one can say for certain, and in the end it didn't matter.
 
It can also be things that start in warmups. Your opponent may pull out the 500 grit abralon pad on one of his balls he doesn't intend to use and burn a nice little hole in the lane where you like to line up (case in point: Tom Smallwood vs. Norm Duke in the 2010 World Series of Bowling Scorpion Championship - watch it in the Xtra Frame archive here), taking you out of your comfort zone. It could be as simple as a comment like "Hey that shot looks like it's pretty good. Man if you can carry all night I might be in trouble". To some people, that may give them a false sense of confidence. It's win or lose, and as long as you're not doing anything outside of the rules or unethical (like putting a little of the oil from your nose on your fingers and "picking up the wrong ball") I don't see a problem with it.
 
In the end, mental fortitude can be the difference between who takes home the big check and who's sitting in the paddock wondering what they could've done differently. In a sport that already has so many variables and invisible obstacles to overcome, you'll never be successful on tour without being tough enough to fight back against any tactics that are deployed against you. So next time you watch the PBA on ESPN (this Sunday at 1pm ET is your next chance!) be sure to watch for gamesmanship...it is yet another subtle and exciting layer that goes on during a professional bowling event.