The Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) has partnered with Bowlero to introduce the League Bowling Certification (LBC) Awards. These NFT-based honors will recognize achievements in bowling leagues and will be distributed as free tokens on the Avalanche blockchain.

The LBC Awards, referred to as "digital awards" by the PBA, cannot be traded or sold once received, making them soulbound tokens. Initially, the program will offer NFT awards for accomplishments such as a league player scoring their first 200-point game, a perfect 300-point game, a series of 700 or 800 total points, or scoring a game 50 or 100 points above the player's average.

Previously, physical awards were given for certain milestones in bowling leagues, but the practice was discontinued. To address this, the PBA aims to fill the void with its LBC program and digital awards.

Working with Layer 3 Labs, Bowlero and the PBA launched this initiative, which bridges the gap between Web1 and Web3. The PBA will utilize a dedicated subnetwork on Avalanche to handle the digital awards, ensuring network stability. Players registered on the PBA's LeaguePals platform will be eligible to receive the digital awards without needing to handle cryptocurrencies.

Future phases of the program may include redeemable points for physical products like bowling balls and equipment, as well as physical trophies. Avalanche will be used to authenticate achievements and determine eligibility for physical benefits.

The PBA plans to extend the program beyond Bowlero leagues and offer it to bowling leagues across the United States and potentially worldwide. For now, they will refine the execution within Bowlero leagues before expanding. The ultimate goal is to engage millions of bowlers in Web3 through the PBA's digital awards program.

By integrating Web3 into a real business model, this initiative represents the future of the industry, according to Jonathan Teplitsky, CEO of Layer 3 Labs. The PBA's focus on a physical sport transitioning to the digital realm sets it apart from typical NFT projects.

Editor's note: This article was updated to clarify details about previous physical rewards provided to league participants.