The toughest sport on dirt is planting its western roots in America’s biggest city.

“Who ever thought there would be a PBR team in Brooklyn?” says Kody Lostroh, 2009 world bull riding champ and now head coach of the New York Mavericks.

The Mavericks along with the Oklahoma Wildcatters are the latest expansion clubs to join Professional Bull Riders (PBR), which now counts 10 franchises in its league.

Owned by Mark Lasry, veteran backer of the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks, the Mavericks buck their bulls at the Barclays Center, home of the Brooklyn Nets.

PBR has grown under the umbrella of Endeavor Group Holdings, Inc. (old WWE/IMG), the talent and media agency behind WWE, UFC, and Euro League basketball.

Endeavor acquired PBR in 2015 in a reported $100 million+ transaction, giving the organization access to lucrative partnerships around sports and entertainment.

According to latest figures by AdAge, PBR has over 78 million followers, a 24% increase over 2019. Some 1.25 million fans attended live events in 2023.

Carried by CBS and Merit Sreet, along with Spanish broadcaster Televisa/Univision, TV audiences last year surpassed 40 million viewers.

For investors, the pay-to-play fee to get in with a franchise has also increased from $3 million when the teams were first launched in 2022 to $23 million today.

The individual riders Tour, known as ‘Unleash the Beast’, runs from May to November, while team competitions take place over 12 events, culminating in Las Vegas for the playoff and championship.

 

“The Key to our growth is having great riders on the toughest bulls,” notes Andrew Giangola, VP of Strategic Communications at PBR.

In 2022, Giangola wrote ‘Love & Try’, a book that delves into the life and culture behind the thrills and spills of professional bull riding. Proceeds from sales are donated to support injured riders.

PBR was founded in 1992 when a group of bull riders broke away from the traditional rodeos to form their own standalone circuit.

They relied on ticket sales and corporate sponsorships for most of their revenues before landing media rights.

“In the early days, they bought their own media time,” says Giangola.

Since Endeavor took over, the octane-fueled entertainment that features man versus beast for an 8-second showdown, has been amped, packaged, and marketed to new cross-sections of America.

Cowboys are touted as athletes and even the bulls with names such as ‘Man Hater’ and ‘The Undertaker’, are treated as sports celebrities with statistical tables and bonus money paid to their owners.

It’s a far cry from the old days when ranchers and farm hands entertained folks in rodeos at county fairs.

In a carnival atmosphere, the edge-of-your seat bull-hanging tournaments are now accompanied by music, shows, and pyrotechnics.

The association of this gritty, macho pursuit with the romance of cowboys and the rugged American west is part of PBR’s marketing success.

Last year the league hired ‘Yellowstone’ actor, Cole Hauser, as its brand ambassador. A neo-Western television drama series, ‘Yellowstone’ has garnered millions of viewers.

Historically, bull riding was always the last and most popular spectacle in a rodeo show, which included roping, steer wrestling, bronco riding, barrel racing, etc.

“Guys did it for the love of bull riding. There was some money to be made, but not enough because of travel expenses,” Lostroh points out.

“Since the inception of PBR, riders can make a living, and a really good living if they’re good at it.”

Season champions earn a $1 million bonus and a gold buckle. Event winners strut off with $40,000.

Born and raised in Colorado, 39-year-old Lostroh started riding at the age of 7 and turned pro at 18. A coach now, he looks for sheer grit and dedication in his riders.

Beyond bringing passion to the sport, the best performers are typically 5’7 to 5’9 in height and around 150 lbs.

Because of the G-force exerted by the bull, these bucking athletes need to stay strong, flexible, and stocky-lean to keep from flying off.

“It’s all reaction since you can’t guess which way the bull is going to go. You can’t be stronger than the bull, but you can be faster.”

The bulls themselves are judged on their jumping, kicking, and spinning velocity. The fiercer the bull, the higher the score.

The bulls are owned by independent contractors and contrary to some popular beliefs, they are bred to buck and aren’t tortured to behave aggressively in the ring.

Like thoroughbred racehorses, they are trained from a young age with dummies on their backs before being released to competition.

Giangola likens the PBR story to NASCAR with its regional roots, tour schedules, sponsorships, and crew and team developments.

PBR got a boost during the pandemic when the bull riding events stayed open and were aired live, while much of the nation was quarantined  in front of the TV.

Similarly, NASCAR picked up a new following in early 1979 when the Daytona 500 was broadcast live for the first time from start to finish, while a snowstorm blanketed the north and kept millions of Americans at home.

Though still in the shadow of the top-tier sports properties, PBR as an asset is getting tossed between investors who see value in the enterprise at every turn.

In April of this year, Endeavor accepted a $13 billion public-to-private takeover by Silver Lake, a private equity firm. (PBR is expected to be split-off).

In media, PBR recently inked a 4-year deal with Dr. Phil’s Merit Street Media, a newly launched TV outlet, to broadcast the bulk of its bull riding competitions.

Included in the agreement are 50 episodes of ‘PBR Now’, a news, information, and analysis program.

Once again, bull riding is entering a new phase.