Professional Bull riders

Professional
Bull Riders
media kit
PBR 101
•This is bull riding, and the first step is just to stay alive.
• The PBR has 37 international broadcast partners and is
available in half a billion households in 114 territories
• There are no timeouts. No towels to throw in.
• There is only one man, one bull, and 8 desperate seconds.
• In 1992, 20 bull riders each invested $1,000 to get it started.
• In 2012, the PBR will award over $10 million, including a $1 million bonus to the World Champion.
• Fans around the globe have learned that adrenaline is the same, no matter who you are or where you are from.
• This is pain…and fear…and blood…and courage…and glory.
• This is the PBR…the Toughest Sport on Earth™.
• World’s premier bull riding organization.
• Founded in 1992 by bull riders for bull riders.
• One of the fastest-growing sports properties in history.
• World’s best bull riders against the fiercest bucking bulls on the planet in an 8-second showdown.
• More than $100 million awarded; more than 20 riders have earned over $1 million each.
• PBR tour annually awards over $10 million in prize money
• Two-time World Champion Justin McBride earned $5.5 million, the most of any Western sports
athlete in history.
• More than 100 million viewers tune in each year on CBS Sports Network, CBS Sports, VERSUS, and NBC.
• Nominated for 2010 Sports League of the Year by Sports
Business Journal alongside the National Football League, the National Basketball Association and Major League Baseball.
• Nearly 2 million fans attend Built Ford Tough Series and Touring
Pro Division events each year.
• Over 1,200 bull riders compete in PBR-sanctioned competitions
in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
PBR Bull Rider
PBR Bull
One of the biggest differences between the Professional Bull Riders and other
sports is that bull riders do not get paid if they don’t ride.
PBR bulls possess tremendous physical strength, and bring intensity and desire to each ride. They are born and bred to
buck, requiring very little training. Negative stimulation is never required to get them to buck.
Bull riders in the PBR must be not only physically strong, but also mentally tough
and well-conditioned enough to survive the rigors of the Toughest Sport on Earth™.
Physical and mental preparation are critical to success, and play an important role
in mitigating the effects of inevitable injuries.
Top bucking bulls in the PBR can sell for more than $1 million.
Bulls range from 1,200 pounds to more than 2,000 pounds. Smaller bulls are typically quicker, relying on finesse to
dismount their riders. Larger bulls are generally stronger and use power to toss the cowboys from their backs.
Bull riders possess a pound-for-pound strength unrivaled in sports, but they also must have balance and timing, as the bull is 10 times the size of the rider. Each of the riders in the PBR is fearless, with an unshakable desire to win.
Bushwacker
The Ride
Each ride is worth up to 100 points: 50 points for the bull, and 50 points for the rider
if he successfully rides the bull for 8 seconds. Four judges award up to 25 points
each to the rider and the bull. All four of the judges’ scores are combined and then
divided by two for the official score.
Half of the 100 points possible is based on the
performance of the bull and how difficult he is to ride.
Judges look for bulls with speed, power, and drop
in the front end, kick in the back end, directions
changed, and body rolls. A body roll occurs when
a bull is in the air and kicks either his hind feet or all
four feet to the side. The more of these characteristics a
bull displays during a ride, the higher the degree of difficulty.
Judges are allowed to award a cowboy a “re-ride” if they feel the
bull did not perform at the level of other bulls in the competition and
did not give the rider a fair chance to earn a high score.
Dickies®
DuraBullfighters
If facing a rampaging 1,800-pound animal for 8 seconds isn’t daunting enough, how about doing it for six hours a
weekend, and being responsible for the safety of the world’s top bull riders? That is just another day at the office for the
Dickies® DuraBullfighters. The Secret Service agents of the PBR regularly place their bodies in front of heads, horns, and
hooves to protect the bull riders. These brave men are Jesse Byrne of Okotoks, Alberta; Shorty Gorham of Cotulla, Texas;
and Frank Newsom of Paoli, Okla.
The other half of the 100 points is based on how adept the rider is. Judges look for constant control and good body position for the rider
throughout the ride. The rider must stay aboard the bull for 8 seconds to receive a score. Spurring the bull is not required, but extra style points are awarded for doing so. The clock begins when the bull’s
shoulder or hip crosses the plane of the bucking chutes and stops when the bull rider’s hand comes out of the rope or he touches the
ground. The bull rider must ride with one hand and is disqualified if he touches himself or the bull during the 8-second ride.
Rides of 90 points or higher are considered outstanding. The highest
score in PBR history is 96.5 points. Bubba Dunn set the record on
Promise Land at Tampa, Fla., in 1999. Chris Shivers tied the mark on
Jim Jam at Tampa in 2000 and on Dillinger at the PBR Built Ford Tough
World Finals in 2001. The last rider to tie the record was Michael Gaffney at Nampa, Idaho, in 2004.
Flint Rasmussen
Entertainer
Since 1998, Flint Rasmussen has captivated fans young and old every night on the Built Ford Tough Series as the official barrel man and entertainer of the Professional Bull Riders. The former high school math and history teacher from Choteau, Mont., uses his quick wit, comical stunts, and dance moves to keep the crowd engaged during television commercial breaks and other lulls in the action.
The PBR Tours
Built Ford Tough Series
The Built Ford Tough Series is the nationally-televised elite tour
featuring the top bull riders and the fiercest bucking bulls in
the world. The BFTS makes approximately 30 stops annually
across the country. In 2012, a four-week stadium tour was
introduced, with first-time visits to Ford Field in Detroit and
Reliant Stadium in Houston, as well as return engagements
at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, and Cowboys Stadium in
Arlington, Texas. The season opens each year at world-famous
Madison Square Garden, and concludes in Las Vegas with
the PBR Built Ford Tough World Finals. The World Finals are
the richest bull riding event on the planet, with a total purse
of more than $2 million, including a $1 million bonus to the
PBR World Champion, who also receives the coveted World
Champion buckle.
Touring Pro Division
The TPD provides an opportunity for riders to compete in
PBR-sanctioned events while earning money to qualify for the
nationally-televised Built Ford Tough Series, which is comprised
of the Top 40 bull riders in the world. Every five events on the
BFTS, the Top 5 riders (based on money earned) from the TPD
are allowed to move into the BFTS.
Attendance
The PBR is an action-packed and high-adrenaline sport, and those who attend a live show have described the experience
as incredible and awe-inspiring. The combination of intense sports action, state-of-the-art production, pyrotechnics, and
entertainer Flint Rasmussen will have fans cheering, gasping, laughing and dancing. The PBR has wowed crowds across
America, regularly selling out arenas, including the world’s most-famous, Madison Square Garden in New York.