On Saturday, March 22, the newest professional sport entered the scene. Men’s human bowling, a former niche sport, has exploded in popularity. The rules remain the same as standard bowling, but the bowler must roll themselves forward in a massive inflatable ball instead of simply rolling a ball on a slippery wooden floor. A very exciting and interesting take on a timeless sport.
Derek Kendig, a proud human bowler and now president of the league, believes that this will be great for the athletic world. “Unlike regular bowling which can only account for accuracy, power, spin and technique, human bowling allows a definitive way to balance teams: weight classes and their respective carriage capabilities.”
Despite the league’s youth, Kendig remains optimistic for its future.
“Of course, the league is still in its waking stages, and what you might see today won’t even look close to the leagues of next year and the year after. My goal as our executive in chief is to expand the number of teams on board so that we can host our inaugural NHBL tourney in the near future,” he said.
Kendig also expects the league to explode in popularity over the coming years, expecting the sport to become an Olympic event in the next Winter Olympics being hosted by the United States. He hopes that the teams will be able to generate enough revenue to sustain this ambitious project and provide the support needed for investments from larger businesses.
The League will comprise of 52 teams, one for each state and two teams from Canada, those being Toronto and Ottawa. Each team will host tryouts in the coming months to fill their 12 man rosters. Kendig hopes the league will capitalize on youthful risk takers who want to do the sport for the thrill of it. With many youthful adrenaline junkies on the hunt for something new, Kendig expects the usual participants to be of college age.
Safety is of course a big concern for the new sport, but Kendig ensures new participants and spectators that safety is of the utmost priority for the league. “Each athlete signs consent forms, and routine checks ensure there is no harm done. All participating athletes wear the expected pads, helmets and sleeves, but recently we’ve added another step to keep things moving: oil. The lanes might be slippery enough for balls to come through just fine, but in testing we had a hard time making the full stretch,” Kendig said. He expects that these issues will be resolved by the first competition.
The first ever season of professional human bowling will begin on June 22, 2026, where Toronto will face off against Los Angeles.
