• by Adam Buckman , Featured Columnist, March 16, 2026

Anyone who has ever bowled will love “Born to Bowl,” a new, five-part docuseries about professional bowling that is coming to HBO and HBO Max on Monday.

Those who do not bowl or have never bowled just might like it just as much. It is a fascinating look at the contemporary world of professional bowling.

Narrated by Liev Schreiber, the doc brings us up to date on the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA), the sanctioning body of professional bowling, and some of its current stars.

Professional bowling is not a sport of country clubs and million-dollar purses like golf and tennis. 

On the contrary, pro bowling is more working-class. Indeed, the top pros often have regular jobs, and they pay their own way to tournaments, most of which are held in some of our smaller cities.

The most prestigious of the PBA tournaments is the annual U.S. Open, held in Indianapolis. Like golf’s Masters, a coveted green jacket is bestowed upon the winner of bowling’s U.S. Open.

Directed by James Lee Hernandez and Brian Lazarte, “Born to Bowl” is a pleasure to watch. It shows us a world most of us will never visit ourselves, and it does so with affection and respect for its subject.

At no point in the series is the pastime of bowling ever derided or unfavorably compared with other professional sports that attract more money and TV contracts. Instead, the doc is focused primarily on the enthusiasm of the bowlers and their fans. 

“Born to Bowl” is built around the lives and bowling careers of five pros -- including EJ Tackett, winner of 23 PBA titles (photo above).

The rest are bushy-haired Kyle Troup (known as “the pro with the ’fro”), Anthony Simonsen, Jason Belmonte and a rookie named Cameron Crowe (not to be confused with the movie director of the same name).

Starting with Episode One, we learn about the nomadic lives of these bowling hopefuls who spend four months a year -- January through April -- on the PBA tournament circuit.

Once upon a time, professional bowling was a prestigious network sport. ABC Sports had PBA rights for years and PBA tournaments were staples of weekend afternoons on ABC, with the late Chris Schenkel calling the matches.

That was a long time ago. But there are glimmers of hope that professional bowling might regain its status as a TV attraction.

In fact, just last month, PBA bowling returned to network TV on The CW, which is now airing PBA tournaments on Sunday afternoons.

“Born to Bowl” makes the world of pro bowling seem like a great place to visit. Who knows? With this infectious documentary and the return of PBA championship play on network TV, televised bowling could be on the threshold of a comeback.

“Born to Bowl” premieres Monday (March 16) at 9 p.m. Eastern on HBO and HBO Max.