The sport of bowling is a time-honored sport in the American Deaf community; bowling alleys have long served as a social outlet for many deaf and hard of hearing folks. The first regional deaf bowling tournament was held in 1934, and the same regional tournament has been held almost every year ever since. Nowadays, there are more than a few regional Deaf bowling leagues, plus many deaf or hard of hearing bowlers play in all types of bowling leagues.
The US Deaf Bowling committee encourages friendly competition among all deaf and hard of hearing bowlers and assists in the hosting of regional and national bowling tournaments. The committee is responsible for the selection of the national teams to represent the USA in international competitions.