When rumors abound about certain players, I cringe. There isn't a way to clear the rumors and innuendo when the organizations that govern the sport don't subject the players to random testing. Given the poor image bowling suffers by nonbowlers, something as simple as random drug tests would go a long way to associate bowling with other sports by treating bowling like a sport and a business. And like other sports, I'm not asking for a witch hunt to find players with problems. A player that tested positive could be given confidential help and a set of contingencies set to their return, substance free.
Image is everything.
From a marketing or public relations point of view, pro bowlers interact with the fans on a much closer level than almost any other sport. If a pro has a drug problem, it's certainly in the organization's best interest to have the player treated. Whether or not there is a drug problem among professional bowlers remains to be seen. But if testing is good for Major League Baseball and the National Football League, then maybe the PBA and PWBA could take a page from their books. If not, then professional bowlers are allowing rumor and suspicion to tarnish the image of the athletes in this sport.