Ten-pin bowling over the Model A), all three versions are still in widespread use. The television age of the 1950s also helped to increase the popularity of ten-pin bowling, as images of the sport began to enter the homes of millions across the United States. Nationally televised programs like "Jackpot Bowling" and "Make That Spare" became popular on Friday nights from the late 1950s into the early 1960s. Following many years of debate over what constituted a professional bowler versus an amateur, Eddie Elias founded the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) in 1958. The PBA's "Pro Bowlers Tour" became a permanent part of
Bowling pin bowling pins due to their similar shape. The two differ greatly in construction and weight. Bowling pin Bowling pins are the target of the bowling ball in various bowling games including tenpins, five-pins, duckpins, and candlepins. Pin specifications are set by the United States Bowling Congress (USBC). World Bowling, formerly World Tenpin Bowling Association, has adopted the USBC specifications. Pins are wide at their widest point and tall. They weigh , pins weighing up to are approved. The weight of the pin was originally based on the idea that a single pin should be around 24 percent the weight of