January 23, 2026 Nolan Hughes

BeatBox will return as the presenting sponsor of the PBA’s signature team event

After Jason Belmonte delivered a strike in the ninth frame of last season’s PBA Elite League: Battle of the Brands championship match, the dagger in Storm’s victory over Motiv, he bellowed his team’s rallying cry: “We are Storm!”

Belmonte’s roar, and subsequent speech extolling the significance of the late-great Storm founder Bill Chrisman, captured the spirit of the PBA Elite League.

The league is more than groups of individuals who represent the same company; they are true teams fighting for supremacy in the name of pride.

Six teams, each representing a major bowling ball manufacturer, will pursue the Manufacturer’s Cup in 2026.

Storm Products Inc. will deploy the same three teams in 2026: Storm, Roto Grip and 900 Global.

Motiv, aiming to avenge their championship match defeat, will remain the lone independent manufacturer in the PBA Elite League.

The final two teams will be Brunswick and Hammer. The Brunswick brands will be consolidating their talented staff across two teams to create a pair of loaded rosters.

Teams will be able to designate up to 10 players from their staff at the start of the season.

A midseason transaction window will be open March 29-31 following the USBC Masters. During that time, brands may drop a player(s) from their roster, add a player(s) who was not previously rostered, or trade a player(s) to another brand. Both brands in any trade must agree.

REGULAR SEASON

The PBA Elite League regular season will consist of 14 title events. The first nine events will feature live championship rounds airing on CW.

The PBA World Series of Bowling XVII, which includes four animal pattern championship rounds airing on CBS Sports Network and the PBA World Championship finals airing on CBS, will round out the PBA Elite League regular season.

Brand managers will select five players from their roster before each event. Competition points earned by those five players will count for their respective team’s total.

Points are weighted based on the duration and prestige of the title event.

  • Standard-point events: PBA Animal Pattern 1-4 Championships
  • Double-point events: PBA Pete Weber Missouri Classic, PBA Illinois Classic, PBA Indiana Classic, PBA Ohio Classic, PBA New York Classic, PBA Tournament of Champions
  • Triple-point events: PBA Players Championship, U.S. Open, USBC Masters, PBA World Championship

During the regular season, players will be able to use any product-registered bowling ball available to them. For example, Roto Grip players can throw Storm and 900 Global equipment; Hammer players can throw Brunswick, Ebonite, Track, DV8, Radical and Columbia 300 equipment.

FINALS

Teams will be seeded for the stepladder finals based on their regular season point totals following the PBA World Championship finals on June 13. The finals will be held June 20 at Steel City Bowl and Brews in Bethlehem, Pa.

All matches will utilize the baker format as seen in previous iterations of the PBA Elite League.

In the finals, players’ ball selection will be limited to their respective brand. To continue the regular season example, Roto Grip players will only be able to throw Roto Grip equipment in the finals, but not Storm or 900 Global equipment.

Additionally, no player will be allowed to use urethane equipment. A player may be granted an exception by the tournament director to use urethane equipment exclusively for spare attempts.

TEAM MANAGERS

Brunswick — Billy Orlikowski, Brunswick Director of Consumer Product Management
900 Global — Daria Pająk, Global Ambassador of 900 Global
Hammer — Bugsy Kelly, Brunswick Director of Marketing
Motiv — Brett Spangler, MOTIV Tour Rep
Roto Grip — Chris Schlemer, Roto Grip Brand Manager
Storm — Tyler Jensen, President of Storm Products, Inc.

The first broadcast of the 2026 PBA Tour season will be the PBA Players Championship finals, airing live Sunday, Feb. 22 on CW.

Partners interested in working with the PBA can contact [email protected] for inquiries.

For the latest information and updates about the 2025 PBA Tour, visit www.PBA.com and follow the PBA on Instagram, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), TikTok, and YouTube.