It probably is just a death by a thousand cuts rather than any one specific thing. The pace of the sport is slow. It's doesn't have the level of physicality o

It probably is just a death by a thousand cuts rather than any one specific thing. The pace of the sport is slow. It's doesn't have the level of physicality of other sports. The players are not necessarily good looking or in good physical condition. Some of the top guys are fairly old with beer guts and probably remind people of their grandparents. etc, etc. It probably could be at the level of golf if bowling companies were able to sell high-end products. But for better or worse, bowling is a pretty cheap sport to play and doesn't require owning any gear whatsoever.