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
Nine-pin bowling the United States, as well as regionally popular "small-ball" bowling sports of various types, do not have many facilities in existence for the nine-pin game in the 21st century. On the other hand, a modified version is played in the US state of Texas. This game is played by rolling a ball down an alley towards nine pins. Unlike the ten-pin ball — and like the ones used for the eastern North American "small-ball" bowling sports of five pin bowling, candlepin and duckpin — the ninepin ball mostly has no holes for the fingers, though there exist special balls with