BTM Tournaments

Can’t make it to Reno? You can still bring home a piece of the National Bowling Stadium! 🎳

Official National Bowling Stadium branded apparel and merchandise are now available online through two great retailers:

🛍️ Shop at I AM Bowling: https://iambowling.com/national-bowling-stadium/
🛍️ Shop at Shirts2Bowl: https://shirts2bowl.com/nbs/

Whether you're commemorating your visit, gearing up for the USBC- Open Championships, or just showing your love for bowling’s most iconic venue, there’s something for every fan.

Shop now and represent the National Bowling Stadium wherever you roll! 🎳

Sabre Lanes, Super Bowl, and the bigger picture behind Bowlero
I want to share something with the Fox Valley community, especially those who bowled at Sabre Lanes, worked there, had birthday parties there, joined leagues there, or simply remember what that building meant to Menasha.
Sabre Lanes was not just another business.
It was a 62-year-old community institution.
It was league nights, tournaments, youth bowling, birthday parties, friendships, first jobs, family traditions, and generations of people walking through the same doors.
I know this personally because Sabre Lanes was my first job at 16 years old. I worked there for years. I saw what that place meant to people.
Now Sabre Lanes is permanently closed.
Bowlero, now part of Lucky Strike Entertainment, owned both Sabre Lanes in Menasha and Super Bowl Family Entertainment Center in Appleton. When Sabre closed, Bowlero’s own website directed Sabre customers to Super Bowl, about 7 miles away.
That matters.
Because this does not appear to be just one local bowling alley closing. It appears to fit into a much larger corporate strategy.
Bowlero’s own public filings describe acquisition as a key part of its growth strategy. The company specifically says it has an established blueprint for “in-market acquisitions.” In plain English, that means buying locations within markets where they already operate or want to strengthen their position.
In 2022, Bowlero announced it was acquiring Super Bowl Family Entertainment Center, Sabre Lanes, and JB’s on 41 in Wisconsin. Less than four years later, Sabre Lanes is gone, and customers are being routed to Super Bowl.
This same type of redirection has happened elsewhere.
Lucky Strike Wrigleyville in Chicago permanently closed, and customers were directed to Lucky Strike Chicago, about 5 miles away.
Lucky Strike Montgomery Mall permanently closed, and customers were directed to Lucky Strike Bethesda, about 15 minutes away.
Bowl America Glen Burnie in Maryland closed after Bowlero acquired the Bowl America chain. That location had also served its community for roughly 60 years.
Not every closure has the exact same cause. Some locations may close because of leases, property issues, repairs, redevelopment, or business performance. I want to be fair about that.
But when a corporation buys multiple centers in the same region, closes one, and directs customers to another center it also owns, the community deserves to ask questions.
What happens to league bowlers when there are fewer lanes?
What happens to local competition?
What happens to pricing?
What happens to youth programs, tournaments, and traditional bowling culture?
What happens when community spaces become assets on a corporate spreadsheet?
This issue is now bigger than Menasha.
Lucky Strike Entertainment, the parent company of Bowlero, is currently facing a federal class-action antitrust lawsuit. According to reporting, bowlers in multiple states allege the company used aggressive acquisitions to dominate bowling markets, raise prices, reduce service quality, and reduce competition. The company denies those allegations and says the lawsuit is baseless.
So this post is not about spreading rumors.
It is about paying attention.
Sabre Lanes was part of Menasha’s history. It was part of the Fox Valley’s bowling culture. For many people, it was part of their childhood, their family, their friendships, and their weekly routine.
When places like that disappear, we should not just shrug and move on.
We should ask who benefits.
We should ask what was lost.
And we should remember that a bowling alley can be more than lanes, pins, and arcade games.
Sometimes it is a community.
Sometimes it is home.
Rest easy, Sabre Lanes.
1964–2026