PBA World Championships

Every sports fan would like to ask a question of a player or announcers during the heat of competition, so the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) is going to give fans that opportunity during live telecasts of Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour events starting Sunday, Dec. 13.

During ESPN’s live coverage of the championship round of the PBA World Championship from Northrock Lanes in Wichita, Kan., at 1 p.m. ET on Dec. 13, fans will be directed to visit pba.com where they will find a link to the PBA fan page on the popular social networking site Facebook.

Using that link, fans will be able to submit their questions during the show. One of the questions will be relayed to the selected player during competition. The live fan-to-player interaction is an extension of the PBA’s innovative “Inside Angle” feature which was introduced during the season-opening PBA World Series of Bowling telecasts.

During the World Series events, ESPN play-by-play announcer Rob Stone and color commentator Randy Pedersen introduced the ability to talk directly to players during competition. “During the PBA World Series of Bowling, fans were able to get inside the minds of the greatest players on the planet,” said Pedersen, a 13-time Tour titlist.

“We heard the player’s unique insights, strategies, adjustments and more. Now we are taking that feature one step further by allowing PBA fans to chip in with a question live on ESPN.”

Stone and Pedersen experimented with the on-air player communications idea during last summer’s GEICO PBA Team Shootout hosted by Six Flags. Players wore an earpiece and microphone which enabled them to communicate with the announcers while competition was underway.

The interaction allowed announcers to ask the bowlers about their equipment choices, strategies and adjustments employed during the matches. The Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour’s first live telecast of the season will showcase the first major championship of the 2009-10 campaign.

The World Championship will feature Bill O’Neill of Southampton, PA, vs. Thomas Smallwood of Saginaw, MI, in the first semifinal match. Reigning PBA Player of the Year Wes Malott of Pflugerville, TX, will face Rhino Page of Wesley Chapel, FL, in the other semifinal match. The winners will then battle for the $50,000 first prize, a two-year Tour exemption and the first major title for whomever wins.