Before any endorsement contract or business income is counted, the PBA has officially paid EJ Tackett $2,388,391.22 in tournament prize money. That is the verified number. Most estimates place his full net worth at $5 million, and after 14 years on the PBA Tour, 27 titles, a 10-year MOTIV Bowling contract, a co-owned bowling center in Indiana, and an HBO documentary series that premiered three days ago, that figure holds up under scrutiny.
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PBA Prize Money: What the Record Books Show
Tackett turned professional in 2012 and won his first PBA Tour title in June 2015. His earnings climbed steadily from there, then accelerated sharply once his peak years arrived.
| Season | Official PBA Earnings |
|---|---|
| 2017 | $230,000+ |
| 2023 | $458,450 |
| 2024 | $265,792 |
| 2025 | $438,549 |
| Career Total (January 2026) | $2,388,391.22 |
His 2023 earnings of $458,450 were the second-highest single-season total in PBA history, trailing only Kyle Troup’s $496,900 from 2021. In 2025, he led the entire tour by more than $100,000 over the next highest earner, while also finishing first in scoring average and top-ten finishes.
Two financial milestones worth noting:
- Crossed $1 million in official career earnings during the 2021 season
- Crossed $2 million in early 2025
These are strictly tournament payouts. Sponsorship income, business revenue, and media fees are entirely separate.
The MOTIV Contract: 10 Years, Bowling History
Tackett has thrown MOTIV Bowling equipment since the first day he stepped onto the PBA Tour in 2012, without a single exception. In November 2020, he formalized that relationship with a 10-year endorsement contract, keeping him under the MOTIV banner through 2030.
Bowling Center Management Magazine reported the deal at the time. MOTIV’s Staff Manager Brett Spangler said:
“It is a huge point of pride for me that every shot EJ Tackett has ever thrown as a PBA Tour member has been as a MOTIV staff player. I could not be happier than I am right now knowing that he is going to be with us for 10 more years.”
To understand the scale of this, only a handful of bowlers in the history of the sport have signed endorsement deals stretching beyond five years. Don Carter signed bowling’s first $1 million contract with Ebonite in 1964. Chris Barnes signed an eight-year, $1 million deal with Columbia 300 in 2006. Tackett’s 10-year agreement is longer than either. The financial terms were never made public.
He currently competes with the MOTIV Venom Shock and has a limited-edition signature ball, the MOTIV VIP, through which he raised $10,000 for the Epilepsy Foundation.
Other Sponsors, Endorsements, and EZ Bowl
Beyond MOTIV, Tackett’s confirmed sponsor list includes five additional partnerships:
- Dexter — bowling shoes
- JoPo Grips — finger grips
- Genesis — kinesiology tape
- High 5 Gear — sportswear
- Tony Stewart Racing — his only non-bowling sponsor, a relationship rooted in the fact that both Tackett and NASCAR Hall of Famer Tony Stewart are Indiana natives
Financial terms for all five remain private.
Off the lanes, Tackett co-owns EZ Bowl in Bluffton, Indiana alongside his brother Zac, who also competes on the PBA Tour. Their parents originally purchased the center. As their father moves toward retirement, EJ and Zac are taking over operations. Tackett told the Journal Gazette in 2024: “My dad’s ready to retire and be able to go out and have a dinner on a Friday or Saturday night.”
When he is back in Indiana between tournament runs, roughly 200 days a year on the road, Tackett bowls in local leagues at EZ Bowl. It keeps him connected to the sport without the weight of competition.
Born to Bowl: Professional Bowling on HBO
On March 16, three days before this article was published, HBO premiered “Born to Bowl” — a five-part documentary series following five PBA Tour professionals through the 2026 season.
Tackett is one of the five central figures, alongside Kyle Troup, Anthony Simonsen, Jason Belmonte, and rookie Cameron Crowe. The production credentials are notable:
- Executive produced by Ben Stiller (Red Hour Productions) and A24
- Narrated by Liev Schreiber
- Directed by James Lee Hernandez and Brian Lazarte, the Emmy-nominated team behind HBO’s McMillion$
New episodes air weekly on HBO and stream on HBO Max. Episode 3, on March 30, focuses specifically on Tackett at the Pete Weber Classic in Springfield, Missouri.
The series puts professional bowling in front of a mainstream HBO audience that extends well beyond the sport’s core following. It is the most prominent media platform the PBA has had in decades. Production appearance fees were not disclosed, but the exposure adds real value to Tackett’s broader commercial profile at a moment when his career is already at its peak.
Where He Stands Today: March 19, 2026
As of today, Tackett is competing at the PBA Indiana Classic in Fort Wayne, a homecoming event for the Huntington native. The tournament runs through March 22, with the championship round airing live on The CW. He finished runner-up at this same event in 2024.
The 2026 season has not produced a title yet. His closest result was the Players Championship on February 22, where rookie Brandon Bonta bowled a perfect 300 in the championship match, beating Tackett 300-238. At the U.S. Open, he finished 12th. At the Illinois Classic, he reached the semifinals before losing to Santtu Tahvanainen, 247-185.
He currently sits second in 2026 PBA Tour points, behind Anthony Simonsen.
The most consequential date remaining on his calendar is June 12 to 13, when the PBA World Championship is held in Allen Park, Michigan. Tackett won it in 2023, 2024, and 2025. A fourth consecutive title would be the first time any bowler in PBA history has won the same major four times in a row. Simultaneously, he is pursuing a fourth straight PBA Player of the Year award, a feat no one has achieved in the association’s 60-plus-year history.
Family, Indiana, and the Epilepsy Foundation
Tackett lives in Ossian, Indiana on 3.5 acres. He has been married to Natalie (Goodman) Tackett since 2019. Natalie is a competitive bowler and MOTIV-sponsored athlete who won the 2024 USBC Indiana Queens championship. Their son is named Tripp.
His brother Zac lives with epilepsy, which led to some of the most consistent off-lane work of Tackett’s career. He donated $10,000 to the Epilepsy Foundation through sales of the MOTIV VIP signature ball and has participated in multiple charity events and fundraising streams for the organization.
Before bowling took over, Tackett was one of Indiana’s top junior golfers. He earned All-State honors twice at Huntington North High School, competed in the USGA Junior Amateur and the Junior PGA National Championship, and won a college golf scholarship to what is now Purdue Fort Wayne. He left after his freshman year to pursue bowling. He still carries a plus-1 handicap. His description of life back in Ossian, given to the Journal Gazette, was straightforward: “I’ve got 3.5 acres in Ossian and I like to mow. It’s kind of my peacetime.”
Breaking Down the $5 Million Net Worth Estimate
No official figure has ever been confirmed for Tackett’s personal wealth. The $5 million consensus estimate is drawn from the following known income streams:
| Source | What Is Confirmed |
|---|---|
| PBA career prize money | $2,388,391.22 — verified through January 2026 |
| MOTIV contract (2020 to 2030) | Active 10-year deal, financial terms undisclosed |
| Five additional active sponsorships | All confirmed, terms undisclosed |
| EZ Bowl, Bluffton, Indiana | Co-owned with brother Zac, private business |
| MOTIV VIP signature ball royalties | Per-unit arrangement, undisclosed |
| HBO Born to Bowl appearance | Active production, fee undisclosed |
| Exhibition and pro-am fees | Estimated $1,000 to $5,000 per event (industry standard) |
The verified prize money alone accounts for more than $2.38 million. A decade of parallel endorsement income, business co-ownership, and a growing media presence account for the rest. The estimate of $5 million, while not officially confirmed, reflects the realistic accumulation of all those streams over 14 years.
Tackett competes in Fort Wayne today, second in tour points, with his family’s bowling center up the road and an HBO series airing Monday nights. In June, he lines up in Allen Park for a chance to win the PBA World Championship four consecutive times, something no bowler in the history of the sport has ever done. That match has a $100,000 first prize attached to it. Whether he wins or not, the financial picture around EJ Tackett in 2026 is more extensive, and more verifiable, than it has ever been.
Sources: PBA.com, Wikipedia, Journal Gazette (Fort Wayne), Bowling Center Management Magazine, Huntington County Honors, Tuko.co.ke, Born to Bowl / HBO.
