FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, April 8th, 2019

NBC SPORTS PRESENTS BOWLERO ELITE SERIES OPENING EVENT WITH MORE THAN $500,000 IN PRIZE MONEY ON THE LINE IN CHICAGO TOMORROW ON NBCSN AT 9 P.M. ET

Tune In to See Top Amateur League Bowlers Compete Directly Against Professionals for One of the Largest Prize Pools in Bowling History

Pro Football Hall of Famer and Bowling Celebrities Hall of Famer Jerome Bettis to Serve as Guest Analyst

STAMFORD, Conn. – April 8, 2019 – NBC Sports will present the first event of the Bowlero Elite Series from Bowlero Romeoville in Chicago, Ill., tomorrow on NBCSN at 9 p.m. ET. This first event will feature top amateur bowlers competing directly against professionals in a unique single-elimination tournament for over $500,000, one of the largest prize funds in the sport’s history. In addition, a $1 million bonus prize will be awarded to anyone who bowls a perfect game during the telecast.

Pro Football Hall of Famer and Bowling Celebrities Hall of Famer Jerome Bettis will serve as a guest analyst during the two-hour telecast on NBCSN. Bettis will be joined by play-by-play announcer Todd Harris, analyst and PBA Hall of Famer Chris Barnes, and reporter Leila Rahimi. The event, which was held on April 2 at Bowlero Romeoville in Chicago, Ill., features eight professional bowlers competing alongside eight amateur Bowlero league members. The amateurs represent some of the top performers amongst Bowlero’s over 300,000 league bowlers across the nation and have a true opportunity to best the pros.

The eight professional bowlers featured in the opening event include:

  • Four-time PBA Player of the Year Jason Belmonte;
  • 2012 PBA Player of the Year Sean Rash;
  • Reigning PBA Player of the Year Andrew Anderson;
  • Three-time PBA Tour champion Kyle Troup;
  • 2015 PBA World Championship winner Gary Faulkner Jr.;
  • Four-time PWBA champion Danielle McEwan;
  • 2017 PWBA Rookie of the Year Daria Pajak;
  • Reigning PWBA Player of the Year Shannon O’Keefe.

 

The eight amateur bowlers selected to compete in the event are some of Bowlero’s best league bowlers and include Luis Gonzalez, TJ Van Gorden, Kara Mangiola, Alexander Jensen, Larry Chilton, Irene Wilson, Wes Soper, and Tyler Troup.

The second event will take place at Bowlero North Brunswick, N.J., and will air on NBCSN on Wednesday, September 11, at 9 p.m. ET. Year one of the Bowlero Elite Series culminates on Saturday, December 28 at Bowlero Jupiter, Fla., at 3 p.m. ET on NBC. More than $1 million in prize money will be awarded across all three Bowlero Elite Series events this year.

Coverage will also be available for streaming on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app.

Date

Event

 Time (ET) Network
Tues., April 9 Bowlero Elite Series – Chicago, Ill. 9 p.m. NBCSN
Wed., Sept. 11 Bowlero Elite Series – North Brunswick, N.J. 9 p.m. NBCSN
Sat., Dec. 28 Bowlero Elite Series – Jupiter, Fla. 3 p.m. NBC

 

ABOUT THE BOWLERO ELITE SERIES

The Bowlero Elite Series is a groundbreaking sports property that brings together Bowlero Corp league bowlers and professional bowlers from across the sport to compete for cash prizes in excess of $1 million dollars. The Bowlero Elite Series is sponsored by Bowlero Corp, the world’s largest owner and operator of bowling centers, with over 300 locations under four distinctive brands: Bowlero, Bowlmor Lanes, AMF, and Brunswick Zone. For more information on Bowlero Corp and the Bowlero Elite Series, please visit BowleroCorp.com and BowleroEliteSeries.com.  

 

ABOUT NBC SPORTS GROUP

NBC Sports Group serves sports fans 24/7 with premier live events, insightful studio shows, and compelling original programming. The sports media company consists of NBC Sports, NBC Olympics, NBCSN, Golf Channel, Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA, NBC Sports Regional Networks, NBC Sports Radio and NBC Sports Digital, which includes NBCSports.com, NBCOlympics.com, GolfChannel.com, the digital assets of the NBC Sports Regional Networks, Rotoworld, the NBC Sports Talk franchise, multiple apps, and two transactional sports businesses, GolfNow and SportsEngine. NBC Sports Group possesses an unparalleled collection of television rights agreements, partnering with some of the most prestigious sports properties in the world: the International Olympic Committee and United States Olympic Committee, the NFL, NHL, NASCAR, INDYCAR, PGA TOUR, The R&A, PGA of America, Churchill Downs, Premier League, Tour de France, French Open, and many more.

-NBC SPORTS-