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Dubai Based World Bowling League To Launch In 2024

Author Joe Winner
WORLD BOWLING LEAGUE ANNOUNCE STRIKING PLANS FOR THE SPORT

Bowling just got a whole lot bigger, with MUCH bigger prize money. The World Bowling League is set to launch next year. WBL Global will feature between 12-15 events per year in iconic locations in the US, UK, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, India, Singapore, South Korea and Japan amongst other nations. The hopes are of expanding the calendar in three to five years’ time. It is anticipated that between 8-12 franchise teams will compete in season one. Each team having a gender-balanced squad of between four and six competitors.

As for the teams, “Smokey this is not ‘Nam, this is bowling, there are rules.”* It’s mixed doubles with the league. At least 2 of the members of each four-person WBL team will be female. And here’s where things get big. Collective prize money across WBL properties will reach $3–5m in year one. There’s hopes of hitting $10m in year two. That’s depending on the growth of the league.

League Sports Co Chief Executive Adi K Mishra states “In five years, I expect the WBL to transform bowling into a leading aspirational product for both athletes and viewers,” he says. “Athletes will be competing for significant prize money, elevating the sport’s commercial appeal and status. Financially, I anticipate the league to be highly profitable, backed by a global audience that spans multiple age groups and demographics. The commercial side will be robust, driven by sponsorships, merchandising, and media rights and we are in preliminary discussions with cities worldwide.”

It looks like the World Bowling League is planning to take over bowling in the same way that LIV golf took over, well, golf.

Above all, with money. The biggest earning bowler last year on the PBA Tour was Jason Belmonte who made $302,525. The WBL plans on distributing millions. Bowling just got a whole lot bigger.

* I was told I need a Big Lebowski reference. It really tied the article together. 

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Florida Halloween Candy Power Rankings 2023

Halloween Candy is everywhere!  Stores start selling it in August.  Halloween Candy also begins the three-legged tour to weight gain.  It begins the Halloween – Thanksgiving – Christmas food fest that forces everyone to make weight loss the number one New Year’s resolution.  What’s the best Halloween Candy? There are so many to choose from. However, no job is too big to tackle on ESPN Southwest Florida.

In fact, being the staff sugar-holic, I jumped at the chance to lead the charge. It’s a big job but somebody had to do it.

First of all, I have a massive amount of candy eating experience. I’ve been doing it regularly since I was a kid!  And, since I’ve been eating candy for so long I am able to remember the classics as well as be aware of the newcomers.

Secondly, we have to remember to consider the many groups of candies available to us. For example, we have the chocolate bar. In fact, Hershey’s has made the simple classic chocolate bar for over 120 years.  And it’s still great today. But now, in addition to the flat chocolate bar on the market, there are chocolate bars stuffed with caramel, nougat, nuts, pretzels and anything else you may think of.  May, I also add, chocolate-based candy is way better than hard candy? That’s just a fact.

Then there are the fruit flavored candies. Some are hard. Some are soft. Many are sweet and some are sour. There are so many to choose from.  So sit back and enjoy our Power Rankings of Halloween Candy.

And Happy Halloween!

–Craig Shemon

  • 40. CANDY CORN

    The worst. And yet here they are. Have you ever walked into a Halloween party and not seen a bowl of these somewhere? Why? May I suggest putting out a platter of giant candy bars instead?

  • 39. DOTS

    Dots do nothing for me personally. But they are everywhere and make the list. My biggest problem is the way Dots stick to your teeth. Too much effort is required to eat them. It’s exhausting.

  • 38. MIKE AND IKE

    Used to eat a lot of these as they were readily available at my school. They were never my favorite. They were just readily available and a cheap way to get some quick, unhealthy energy.

  • 37. TWIZZLERS

    Never a big Twizzler’s guy nor do I like licorice of any kind in general. And black licorice is out of the question. It’s icky!

    Twizzlers

    Take a bite out of this: A replica of the film’s Hybrid Fighter Jet made out of over 360 lbs. of Twizzlers at a special red carpet screening of Fox’s Independence Day: Resurgence at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre on June 20, 2016 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Rachel Murray/Getty Images for Twizzlers)

  • 36. JOLLY RANCHERS

    Good taste until they stick in your teeth (or break your teeth)! But the flavors are really good. Candy scientists have done a great job of mixing fruit flavored chemicals and making them taste better than real fruit.

  • 35. ALMOND JOY/MOUNDS

    I hated coconut as a kid but I love it as an adult. Something about the texture of coconut is strange for a young palette. It also got in the way of the chocolate. But, like I said, I can tolerate it now.

  • 34. YORK PEPPERMINT PATTY

    Nice change of pace and crisp and cool. But have you ever gone out of your way to buy one? No, I didn’t think so.

  • 33. TOOTSIE POP

    Another old time classic. One of my favorite treats as a kid. Chocolate, grape and cherry were the best. Hated orange as a kid. But I like it now. I would be impatient after a while and start chewing on it to get to the Tootsie Roll center. Hence, the classic commercial from my youth:

  • 32. AIR HEADS / LAFFY TAFFY

    Didn’t really get into these until I had kids. My children turned me on to them and they taste really good. Strong on the flavor scale!

  • 31. RAISINETS

    Honestly, I have not eaten a lot of these but when I have I found them to be surprisingly good. Still, I don’t think I have ever intentionally bought these.

    Raisinettes

    A box of Nestle Raisinets are seen on a store shelf, (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

  • 30. SOUR PATCH KIDS

    Not my thing but my kids love them so they make the list. I prefer sweet candy as opposed to sour candy.

    Sour Patch Kids

    Bags of Sour Patch Kids candy are seen on display at Ideal Food Basket (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

  • 29. THREE MUSKETEERS

    It has its place but gets lost next to Snickers and Milky Way. May I add, it is also too whip-creamy-ish in the middle.

  • 28. CHARLESTON CHEW

    An old classic everyone likes to mention. But when was the last time you ate one?

  • 27. JUNIOR MINTS

    It’s very refreshing! An entire Seinfeld episode was created around this candy. So it has to be a classic.

  • 26. NERDS

    Didn’t get these until later in life. Nice change of pace from chocolate if you want a fruity kick.

  • 25. SWEDISH FISH

    Not my thing but they pack a powerful taste.

  • 24. SMARTIES

    They are not great but you get addicted to the sugar real fast and then you’ve eaten two pounds of them before you realize it. They might be made of 200 percent sugar if that is possible.

  • 23. SWEETARTS

    Ate a ton of these as a kid. Total sugar buzz after school because this is 100 percent sugar!

  • 22. BUTTERFINGERS

    I used to love these. As I get older and my taste buds change, this is just too sweet. And, again, this is a candy you will be scraping off your teeth for hours. I also find with many adults that you either love Butterfingers or hate them. There is very little in-between.

  • 21. PAYDAY

    Sweet and salty! This is under rated. I didn’t go for them much as a kid and I don’t now. But every once in a while this candy bar delivers a pleasant surprise.

  • 20. BABY RUTH

    Highly under rated! Strong candy bar. Not much to complain about here.

  • 19. TAKE 5 REESE'S

    This is a relatively new item. One of my kids just introduced me to this product.  Take all the things you like about Reese’s and add caramel and pretzels and put it in a candy bar. In fact, this may be under rated here. Or maybe this candy bar is trying too hard. It has a lot of fun little ingredients combines into a powerful taste punch.

  • 18. MILKY WAY

    The classic of classics. This is the first chocolate bar I remember eating as a small child. It’s still solid today.

  • 17. 100 GRAND

    I don’t eat them often but when I do it is very satisfying.

  • 16. WHOPPERS

    I love Whoppers. Chocolate. Crunchy. Light and airy. Solid effort. And even though I’m bothered by candy that remains stuck in your teeth, I make an exception for these. They also make great mixers into a vanilla ice cream.

  • 15. STARBURST

    Starburst’s fruit flavors taste better than real fruit flavors. One of my most consistent go-to snacks in a movie theatre.

  • 14. SKITTLES

    This is like an M&M version of Starburst. Just as good. And no candy wrappers. Easy access allows for massive quantities to be consumed.

  • 13. TOOTSIE ROLLS

    Large or small this is a safe staple any time of year. Have you ever warmed one up in the microwave? That will give you an idea of how they come fresh out of the factory.

  • 12. CLASSIC HERSHEY'S BAR

    This has been an enjoyable classic for 120 years. Great then. Great now. No need to change or eat one with almonds. Just plain chocolate please.

  • 11. ROLO

    This is a majorly under rated candy. Chocolate and caramel are never bad. Sometimes a simple combo is the best. And you can roll a Rolo to your pal.

  • 10. SNICKERS

    If this were a sports league, Snickers would be a dynasty.  Although, like teams that win every year, I grow tired of them. But I don’t want to knock this classic too much.

  • 9. M&M'S

    I don’t need fancy Godiva chocolates when I can just load up on M&M’s by the pound! Fistful after fistful.

    M&M's

     (Photo by Stephen Chernin/Getty Images)

  • 8. PEANUT M&M'S

    What is a better snack than Peanut M&M’s and a Diet Mt. Dew? This remains my go-to after all these years!

  • 7. NESTLE CRUNCH BARS

    Chocolate with crunch. Strong effort by Nestle.

  • 6. HEATH BAR

    Personally, this is my favorite. I will not apologize for this high ranking. I’d rank it even higher but I don’t think you all could handle it!  A hard toffee center surrounded by soft chocolate. This is a completely overlooked candy bar. Plus it’s versatile. You ever crumble one on a bowl of ice cream? How about a DQ Blizzard or Culver’s Mixer? Ever have a toffee-chocolate cookie? Yeah, Craig right again. And you are welcome!

  • 5. MILK DUDS

    One of my all-time favorites. Despite complaining about candies that stick to your teeth I make a major exception here. Love, love, love these!!!

  • 4. KIT KAT

    A formidable classic in any list.

  • 3. REESE'S PEANUT BUTTER CUP

    Do you bite this or just shove the entire thing in your mouth? Either way, it’s awesome!

  • 2. TWIX

    Chocolate and caramel with a cookie crunch. Anytime you can combine candy with a cookie you have a winning formula. And the left tastes as great as the right. Nothing else to say!

  • 1. REESE'S MINI'S

    Regular Reese’s vs Mini Reese’s: More effort to unwrap more mini’s.  However, is it me, or is the taste more condensed and power packed inside a mini? Maybe this is a quantity vs quality issue I have?

Joe Winner spends his days combing through memes and off beat stories to bring you the side of Florida not always seen.

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