PBR Bull Riding
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Professional Bull Riders, Inc. (PBR) is an international professional
bull riding Bull riding is a rodeo sport that involves a rider getting on a bucking bull and attempting to stay mounted while the animal tries to bucking, buck off the rider. American bull riding has been called "the most dangerous eight seconds in sports." ...
organization headquartered in
Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County, covering nearly into Denton County, Texas, Denton, Johnson County, Texas, Johnson, Parker County, Texas, Parker, and Wise County, Te ...
, United States. It is the largest bull riding league in the world, sanctioning hundreds of events every year in the United States, Canada, Brazil, and Australia. Over 800 bull riders from said countries, as well as others hold PBR memberships.''2020 PBR Media Guide'', ''PBR & Bull Riding Basics - The PBR at a Glance'', p.4.


History

The organization was founded on April 12, 1992, through the efforts of businessman Sam Applebaum and 20 professional bull riders; David Bailey Jr., Clint Branger, Mark Cain, Adam Carrillo, Gilbert Carrillo, Cody Custer, Jerome Davis, Bobby DelVecchio, Mike Erickson, David Fournier, Michael Gaffney,
Tuff Hedeman Richard Neale "Tuff" Hedeman (born March 2, 1963) is an American former professional rodeo cowboy who specialized in bull riding. He won the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) bull riding world championship three times (1986, 1989 and ...
,
Cody Lambert Cody Lance Lambert (born December 2, 1961) is an American former professional rodeo cowboy. He specialized in saddle bronc riding and bull riding. He was also a co-founder and vice president of the Professional Bull Riders (PBR). He created the ...
,
Scott Mendes Scott Mendes (born July 4, 1969 in Visalia, California) is an American former professional rodeo cowboy who specialized in bull riding. He won the 1997 Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) bull riding world championship, and is the inv ...
, Daryl Mills,
Ty Murray Ty Monroe Murray (born October 11, 1969), is an American former professional rodeo cowboy. He competed in the three "roughstock" events; bareback bronc riding, saddle bronc riding, and bull riding. He won nine world championships in the Profe ...
,
Ted Nuce Ted Nuce (born January 19, 1961) is an American former professional rodeo cowboy who specialized in bull riding. He was the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) World Champion bull rider in 1985, and was a co-founder of the Professional ...
, Aaron Semas, Jim Sharp, and
Brent Thurman Brent Cullen Thurman (March 3, 1969 – December 17, 1994) was an American professional rodeo cowboy who specialized in bull riding. He competed in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA), Bull Riders Only (BRO), and Professional Bul ...
; most of whom gathered in a hotel room in
Scottsdale, Arizona Scottsdale is a city in eastern Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, and is part of the Phoenix metropolitan area. Named Scottsdale in 1894 after its founder Winfield Scott (chaplain), Winfield Scott, a retired Chaplain Corps (United States ...
. The bull riders all rode in the
Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) is the largest rodeo organization in the world. It sanctions events in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, with members from said countries, as well as others. Its championship event is the N ...
(PRCA), the top
rodeo Rodeo () is a competitive equestrian sport that arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain and Mexico, expanding throughout the Americas and to other nations. It was originally based on the skills required of the working vaqu ...
organization in the world which had been around for many years, as well as
Bull Riders Only Bull Riders Only, Inc. (BRO) was a professional bull riding organization based in Englewood, Colorado, United States. History Inspired by years of successful unsanctioned stand-alone bull riding events, businessman and former bull rider, Shaw ...
(BRO), an all-bull riding organization that had been in existence for just one year. Each founder contributed $1,000 to forming the Professional Bull Riders, Inc. This group was seeking to break away from the rules set by the PRCA and BRO, and form their own bull riding competitions, which included them as well as other top bull riders. "We wanted to create a better product for the fans, so that when they tuned in they were seeing the best of the best every time," said PBR co-founder and nine-time world champion rodeo cowboy Ty Murray, who later served as the president. The PBR put on a small series of events in 1993 with
Bud Light Anheuser-Busch, a wholly owned subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV, is the largest brewing company in the United States, with a market share of 45 percent in 2016. The company operates 12 breweries in the United States and nearly 20 in oth ...
as the primary sponsor, and had its first championship season in 1994 with the
Bud Light Cup Series The Bud Light Cup Series (BLC) was the first tour and in its first year was the only tour of the Professional Bull Riders (PBR). When other tours were created, it became the major league tour of the PBR. Background This series ran from 1994 thro ...
(BLC). The organization has since grown to include five tours in the United States which stage over 100 events every year. Prize money for contestants had exploded from over $330,000 in 1994 to over $11 million in 2008. The original
CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...
of the PBR was Sam Applebaum.
Randy Bernard Randy Bernard (born January 31, 1967) is the former CEO of the Professional Bull Riders, IndyCar, and Rural Media Group. He is also the founder of RFD-TV's The American. He is currently the co-manager of Garth Brooks and chairman of the Academy o ...
became CEO of the PBR in 1995, a position he held until he resigned in 2010 to become the CEO of
INDYCAR IndyCar, LLC (stylized as INDYCAR), is an auto racing sanctioning body for American open-wheel car racing headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. The organization sanctions two racing series: the premier IndyCar Series with the Indianapolis ...
. When Bernard took over the position of CEO in 1995, it was just after the conclusion of the first World Finals at the
MGM Grand Garden Arena The MGM Grand Garden Arena is a 17,000-seat multi-purpose arena within the MGM Grand Las Vegas, MGM Grand resort, located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. The venue opened on December 31, 1993, with a concert by Barbra Streisand, and s ...
in
Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...
. At that time, the PBR's bank account held $8,000 and the organization was $140,000 in debt. Bernard, a bold and wise businessman, quickly went to work. At the end of his first year, he turned things around; the World Finals paid out $1 million in 1996, and increased to $1.5 million in 1999. In 1996, the PBR made bull riding protective vests, which were introduced three years earlier, mandatory for all contestants at their events. The same was done for bull riders in all other organizations. After a few years of rivalry between BRO and PBR, the former organization officially went out of business in the spring of 1998. In 2001, one month after that year's World Finals, the PBR held the Bud Light World Challenge in
Austin, Texas Austin ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and W ...
, which featured the top riders from the 2001 year-end world standings, as well as some international invitees. 2002 was the last year in which PBR
bullfighters A bullfighter or matador () is a performer in the activity of bullfighting. ''Torero'' () or ''toureiro'' (), both from Latin ''taurarius'', are the Spanish and Portuguese words for bullfighter, and describe all the performers in the activi ...
wore traditional make-up and baggy outfits. Since the 2003 season, they wear sport jerseys and shorts that feature corporate sponsor logos. Also in 2003,
Ford Trucks Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. The company sells automobil ...
, an official PBR sponsor since 2001, replaced Bud Light as the new Premier Series title sponsor; thus the Bud Light Cup Series became the
Built Ford Tough Series The Built Ford Tough Series (BFTS) was the Premier Series tour name of the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) competitions from 2003 through 2017. Inaugural season (2003) The BFTS kicked off its tour on November 16, 2002, with the Mohegan Sun Invita ...
(BFTS). Bud Light would remain a PBR sponsor through 2007. PBR world champions had always received a year-end money bonus, but starting in 2003, they received a $1 million bonus.
Chris Shivers Christopher Lee Shivers (born December 30, 1978) is an American former professional rodeo cowboy who specialized in bull riding, and competed on the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) circuit. He turned pro in 1997, and won the PBR world championshi ...
was the first world champion to claim that bonus. Also in 2003, the PBR purchased Buckers, Inc.; an organization that documented bucking bulls' lineages and put on futurity events for
stock contractor A stock contractor is an individual or business that provides animals for rodeo competition. Stock contractors supply rough stock - bucking horses for Bronc riding, saddle bronc and bareback bronc riding (called buck jumpers in Australia) and buck ...
s to showcase their young bulls for potential use in professional rodeo or bull riding events. They renamed it as American Bucking Bull, Inc. (ABBI) and continued with its practices. The ABBI holds several futurity events in the United States every year and the ABBI Finals have been held every autumn since 2004 in Las Vegas, Nevada. In 2005, the PBR opened offices in
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
,
Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
,
Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
, and
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
to produce tours in said countries starting the next year. In 2006, just shortly after that year's World Finals, the PBR held two events in
Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...
. The first was a regular lower-level event, the Myron Duarte Maui Challenge in
Wailuku Wailuku is a census-designated place (CDP) in and county seat of Maui Island, Maui County, Hawaii, United States. The population was 17,697 at the 2020 census. Wailuku is located just west of Kahului, at the mouth of the Iao Valley. In the ...
, followed by an event in
Honolulu Honolulu ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of Honol ...
, the Cheeseburger Island Style Hawaii All-Star Challenge, which featured the top 15 riders from the 2006 year-end world standings, as well as five riders that were voted online by fans to compete at the event. In April 2007, investment firm Spire Capital Partners acquired a majority stake in PBR. In 2008, the PBR launched the Million Dollar Bull Team Challenge; a series of events in which stock contractor bucked a certain number of bulls at select Built Ford Tough Series events to try to earn money and points for their respective teams. At the beginning of the year, 22 bull teams chipped in $50,000 a piece for their opportunity to win their share of the $1.1 million total competition purse. Out of the 33 Built Ford Tough Series stops held that year, 17 were Bull Team Challenge events, including the PBR World Finals. Each stop had between five and eight bull teams that included five bulls, plus two alternates per team. Each team could only compete in five events. At each Bull Team Challenge stop, the first place team won $20,000, while second place won $10,000. The top bull teams then competed at the PBR World Finals for a $500,000 purse, with $250,000 going to the champion team. The PBR discontinued the Million Dollar Bull Team Challenge after just one year. However, the concept was picked up by another bull riding organization,
Championship Bull Riding Championship Bull Riding, Inc. (CBR) was a professional bull riding organization that was based in Weatherford, Texas, United States. History Stock contractor Terry Williams and Texas businessman Joel Logan founded Championship Bull Riding (CBR) ...
(CBR) the following year, and the CBR Bull Team Challenge hosted several bull teams competing at regular events, as well as the CBR World Finals. The bull teams racked up points and money and from 2010 to 2018, a year-end CBR Bull Team Challenge champion was crowned. After CBR went out of business in the summer of 2018, the Million Bull Team Challenge returned to its roots by rejoining the PBR and its events are now held at U.S. lower-level PBR events. In the summer of 2008, the PBR Team Shootout was held. This was a series of five events in which the top 20 riders in the PBR world standings each selected a rider of their choice, and as a team competed against each other for the Team Shootout championship. Each team rode in two of the first four events, held respectively in
Del Mar, California Del Mar (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Of the Sea") is a beach city in San Diego County, California, located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean. Established in 1885 as a seaside resort, the city incorporated in 1959. The population was 3,954 ...
;
Paso Robles, California Paso Robles ( ), officially El Paso de Robles (Spanish for The Pass of Oaks), is a city in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. Located on the Salinas River about north of San Luis Obispo, the city is known for its hot springs, ...
;
Molalla, Oregon Molalla is a city in Clackamas County, Oregon, Clackamas County, Oregon. The population was 10,228 at the time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History Molalla was named after the Molalla River, which in turn was named for the Mo ...
; and
Guthrie, Oklahoma Guthrie is a city and county seat in Logan County, Oklahoma, United States, and a part of the Oklahoma City Metroplex. Its population was 10,191 at the 2010 census, a 2.7% increase from 9,925 in the 2000 census. First known as a railroad st ...
. Then, the top 10 teams rode at the finals event in Pueblo, Colorado. 2009 was the first year in which most of the contestants on the PBR's televised Premier Series rode with helmets instead of cowboy hats. In 2010, a week before the start of that year's World Finals, the PBR held an event in New York City's
Times Square Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and Neighborhoods in New York City, neighborhood in the Midtown Manhattan section of New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway (Manhattan), ...
which featured the top 10 riders competing for the chance to receive additional points towards the world standings. On February 23, 2011, the PBR announced that Jim Haworth had become its new CEO. Then on June 29, 2015, the PBR announced that Haworth was promoted to Chairman, while COO Sean Gleason had become the new CEO. After several years of only holding events in the United States, the ABBI expanded to having futurity events as well as year-end finals in Canada, Australia, and Brazil by the 2010s. After a few years, ABBI Brazil was discontinued. The ABBI also planned to hold events in Mexico by 2021. However, said project never materialized. Beginning with the 2013 season, the PBR made it mandatory that all contestants at their events who were born on or after October 15, 1994, ride with a full bull riding helmet. Those born before that date were grandfathered in and permitted to ride with a protective face mask underneath their cowboy hat or simply with their cowboy hat if so desired. In 2014, shortly before that year's World Finals, the PBR held an event at a beach in
Huntington Beach, California Huntington Beach is a seaside city in Orange County, California, United States. The city was originally called Pacific City, but it was changed in 1903 to be named after American businessman Henry E. Huntington. The population was 198,711 as of ...
, aptly titled "Bulls on the Beach", which featured the top 15 riders attempting to gain additional points towards the world standings. In April 2015, it was announced that events and talent management firm WME-
IMG img or IMG is an abbreviation for image. img or IMG may also refer to: Science, technology, and mathematics *IMG (file format), file that stores a complete and uncompressed copy of the contents of a storage device * IMG, a prefix for camera ima ...
(now Endeavor) would acquire PBR from Spire Capital Partners, reportedly paying around $100 million. In 2018,
Monster Energy Monster Energy is a brand of energy drink, energy drinks that was created by Hansen Natural Company (now Monster Beverage Corporation) in April 2002. In 2022, Monster Energy had a 30.1% Market share, share of the American energy drink market, th ...
, a PBR sponsor since 2013, replaced Ford Trucks as the new Premier Series title sponsor; thus the
Unleash the Beast Series The Unleash the Beast Series (UTB) is the Premier Series of the Professional Bull Riders (PBR). Monster Beverage Corporation is the current series sponsor for the premiership since 2018. From its founding in 1994 through 2002, it was sponsored b ...
(UTB) tour name replaced the Built Ford Tough Series (BFTS) tour name. That same year, the PBR celebrated its 25th championship season and awarded another $11 million in prize money, which included the bonus to the World Champion Bull Rider of $1 million and the $20,000 gold belt buckle. Ford would remain a PBR sponsor through 2022. In mid-March 2020, because of the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
, several events were either cancelled or rescheduled to later dates. In the spring, the PBR held three UTB events at the Lazy E Arena in Guthrie, Oklahoma, and all were closed to the public to avoid the spread of the virus. In the summer, the organization held the Monster Energy Team Challenge, a series of events in which several teams of four riders competed against each other, and each team was represented by a corporate sponsor. The regular events were held at the South Point Arena in Las Vegas, while the series finale was held at the
Denny Sanford Premier Center The Denny Sanford Premier Center is an indoor arena in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The building is located at 1201 North West Avenue, and is connected to the Sioux Falls Arena and Sioux Falls Convention Center. The Arena's naming rights partner ...
in
Sioux Falls, South Dakota Sioux Falls ( ) is the List of cities in South Dakota, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Dakota and the List of United States cities by population, 117th-most populous city in the United States. It is the county seat of Minnehaha Coun ...
. While the regular events were closed to the public, the championship event allowed fans to attend, but in limited numbers and they needed to socially distance themselves. For the rest of the year, PBR events, including the World Finals, consisted of limited and socially distanced crowds. The length of the PBR World Finals has changed throughout its history. The inaugural 1994 World Finals was a two-day event; the 1995 World Finals was a five-day event; from 1996 through 2003, it lasted four days; from 2004 through 2009 it lasted seven days, but was split into two weekends, with the first three days taking place the first weekend, followed by the next four days taking the following weekend; from 2010 through 2019, it was again a five-day event; in 2020 and 2021, it was again a four-day event; in 2022 and 2023, it went back to being a seven-day event with the first three days taking place one weekend, then the next four days taking place the following weekend. Since 2024, the World Finals is an eight-day event; the first four days of the event are followed by two days off, then the next two days are followed by another day off, then the final two days conclude the event. From 2007 through 2010, the PBR hosted a team competition format called the PBR World Cup, where 25 bull riders (altogether representing the five countries where PBR events are sanctioned) competed to win the title of best bull riding country in the world. The 2007 PBR World Cup was held at the
Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre The Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre (GCCEC) is located on the Gold Coast Highway in Broadbeach, Queensland, Australia. The venue was opened on 29 June 2004 at a cost of A$167 million. It is linked by a covered walkway to The ...
in
Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia The Gold Coast, also known by its initials, GC, is a coastal city and region in the state of Queensland, Australia, located approximately south-southeast of the centre of the list of Australian capital cities, state capital, Brisbane. It is ...
; the 2008 World Cup at the Manuel Bernardo Aguirre Gymnasium in Chihuahua, Chihuahua, Mexico; the 2009 World Cup at the Parque do Peão in Barretos, São Paulo, Brazil; and the 2010 World Cup at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. The PBR World Cup was never held in Canada. From 2017 through 2020, and again in 2022, another event, the
PBR Global Cup The PBR Global Cup was a bull riding team competition that was developed in 2017 by the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) organization and ran through 2022. It was intended to give the winning country the ability to say they had the best bull riders. ...
, offered bull riders a chance to compete in a five country competition. This event was a different format from the PBR World Cup; it was not a continuation of the old event. Like the World Cup, the Global Cup was staged annually across the countries where PBR events are sanctioned. National team riders were matched against the best of each. The home country was granted a competitive advantage. It was a series that visited each nation each year and continued until one nation held all five pieces of the Global Cup—including the native soil of each territory. Thus, only one country could be claimed the ''Toughest Nation on Dirt''. The 2017 PBR Global Cup was held at
Rogers Place Rogers Place is a multi-use indoor arena in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Construction started in March 2014, and the building officially opened on September 8, 2016. The arena has a seating capacity of 18,347 as a ice hockey, hockey venue and 20,73 ...
in
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada Edmonton is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region, and is in Treaty 6 terri ...
; the 2018 Global Cup at the
Qudos Bank Arena The Sydney SuperDome (currently known as the Qudos Bank Arena for sponsorship reasons) is a multipurpose arena located in Sydney Olympic Park suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It was completed in 1999 as part of the facilities for th ...
in
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
; and the 2019 & 2020 Global Cups at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, United States. Because the five PBR countries had different protocols during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Global Cup was ultimately not held in 2021. However, it returned to AT&T Stadium in 2022. The PBR Global Cup was never held in Mexico or Brazil. The PBR's Mexico circuit took a hard financial hit in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic; all scheduled events for the year were canceled due to pandemic restrictions and there were no events in 2021 due to continued restrictions. By 2022, things had returned to normal for the most part in the country, but there were still no PBR events. In the spring of 2023, a PBR event was held on Mexican soil for the first time since 2019. However, this would soon turn out to be PBR Mexico's final event and the circuit folded shortly thereafter. From 2020 through 2022, the PBR held Cowboys for a Cause; an event that featured sponsored teams of three bull riders competing against each other in a winner-take-all format while donating money to charitable causes. During its first two years, the event took place on the launch deck of the
USS Lexington USS ''Lexington'' may refer to these ships of the United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful ...
in
Corpus Christi, Texas Corpus Christi ( ; ) is a Gulf Coast of the United States, coastal city in the South Texas region of the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat and largest city of Nueces County, Texas, Nueces County with portions extending into Aransas County, T ...
, and was held in conjunction with the
Air Force Reserve The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a major command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, with its headquarters at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It is the federal Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the U.S. Air Force, consisting of commis ...
to support military causes in Texas. The 2020 event took place in the autumn, after the conclusion of that year's PBR World Finals, while the one in 2021 took place on Labor Day Weekend. The 2022 edition took place at
King Ranch King Ranch is the largest ranch in the United States. At some it is larger than the area of the European country Luxembourg. It is mainly a cattle ranch, but also produced the racehorse Assault (horse), Assault, who won the United States Tri ...
in
Kingsville, Texas Kingsville is a city in the South Texas, southern region of the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Kleberg County, Texas, Kleberg County. Located on the U.S. Route 77 in Texas, U.S. Route 77 corridor between Corpus Christi, Texas, Corpus C ...
, also during Labor Day Weekend and donations from that event went towards conservation and sustainability efforts across Texas. A donation to the
Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, Inc., is an organization established in 1877 by forty Texas cattlemen for the purpose of combating unbridled livestock theft. The association headquarters is located in Fort Worth. History The T ...
was also included and the money was to be distributed to multiple local and rural fire departments that helped landowners fight wildfires across Texas earlier in the year. On November 5, 2021, a new tour was announced; the PBR Team Series. It debuted in 2022 and runs from the summer to autumn of every year. The first eight teams and their respective owners were announced on January 6, 2022. The teams representing different regions of the United States go head-to-head against each other in events in each of the teams' respective hometowns, as well as two "neutral site" events. The season culminates with the Team Series Championship, which is held at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The year-end champion team wins a trophy shaped like a giant belt buckle, as well as a large money bonus. Each individual member of the champion team also wins a regular-sized championship belt buckle and money bonus. The team's ownership group also wins a money bonus. During the Team Series' inaugural 2022 season, the PBR awarded the MVP (the individual rider that scored the most points during the Team Series regular season) with a $50,000 bonus. Beginning in 2023, in addition to the award, the year-end MVP receives a 100,000 bonus. Since 2023, the PBR has also awarded an MVP of the Team Series Championship event with a $10,000 bonus. The other teams that finish in the top four of the Championship event, including each individual team member and ownership group, also receive a year-end money bonus. On February 23, 2024, the PBR announced the addition of two new teams to the series. The trophy cup that the PBR's annual individual world champion receives in addition to the gold belt buckle and money bonus was originally called the Bud Light Cup from 1994 through 2002. However, when Bud Light was no longer the Premier Series' title sponsor by 2003, it was referred to simply as the PBR Cup or PBR Championship Trophy. In 2022, the trophy cup was officially renamed the Jerome Robinson Cup; in honor of former bull rider and longtime PBR arena director Jerome Robinson, who died that year. In September 2022, it was announced that the PBR Hall of Fame would be located at the
National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum is a museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, with more than 28,000 Western and Native American art works and artifacts. The facility also has the world's most extensive collection of Amer ...
in
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...
, within the museum's American Rodeo Gallery. It opened the following year. From June through August 2022, the PBR hosted lower-level tour events on Sundays at
Cowtown Coliseum Cowtown Coliseum is a 2,400-seat arena in Fort Worth, Texas, United States, that hosts weekly rodeos. It also occasionally hosts concerts and local team sporting events. The venue was built in 1908 and was originally known as Grand Coliseum. Part ...
in
Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County, covering nearly into Denton County, Texas, Denton, Johnson County, Texas, Johnson, Parker County, Texas, Parker, and Wise County, Te ...
. Since 2023, these events take place at the venue on most Thursdays of the calendar year. Cowtown Coliseum was the site of the very first PBR event in April 1993. The PBR World Finals was held in
Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...
, for over 25 years. The inaugural 1994 World Finals was held at the city's
MGM Grand Garden Arena The MGM Grand Garden Arena is a 17,000-seat multi-purpose arena within the MGM Grand Las Vegas, MGM Grand resort, located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. The venue opened on December 31, 1993, with a concert by Barbra Streisand, and s ...
. The event remained at that venue through 1998. In 1999, the PBR moved the World Finals to the
Thomas & Mack Center The Thomas & Mack Center is a multi-purpose arena located on the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in Paradise, Nevada. It is home of the UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball team of the Mountain West Conference. History The facility first ...
. The organization was stretching its current arena's limits and really needed a bigger arena. They wanted to stay in Las Vegas, so the Thomas & Mack Center was the place to go. From 2004 through 2007, the first weekend of the World Finals was held at the
Mandalay Bay Events Center The Michelob Ultra Arena, formerly the Mandalay Bay Events Center, is a 12,000-seat multi-purpose indoor arena at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. It is owned and operated by MGM Resorts Int ...
, followed by the next weekend taking place at the Thomas & Mack Center. In 2008 and 2009, both weekends of the World Finals took place at the Thomas & Mack Center. The World Finals remained at the Thomas & Mack Center through 2015. In 2016, the PBR moved the World Finals to the
T-Mobile Arena T-Mobile Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Paradise, Nevada, United States. Opened on April 6, 2016, it is the home arena of the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League (NHL). A joint venture between MGM Resorts International ...
on the
Las Vegas Strip The Las Vegas Strip is a stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada, that is known for its concentration of resort hotels and casinos. The Strip, as it is known, is about long, and is immediately south of the Las Vegas city limits ...
. In 2020, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and Nevada state restrictions on large events, the World Finals were moved to
AT&T Stadium AT&T Stadium is a retractable roof stadium in Arlington, Texas, United States. It serves as the home of the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL), and was completed on May 27, 2009. It is also the home of the Cotton Bowl Classic ...
in
Arlington, Texas Arlington is a city in Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County, Texas, United States. It is part of the Mid-Cities region of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan statistical area, and is a principal c ...
, with a limited and socially distanced crowd for every day of competition. The event returned to T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas for the final time in 2021. The World Finals were relocated to
Dickies Arena Dickies Arena is a 14,000-seat multipurpose arena, located within the Will Rogers Memorial Center in Fort Worth, Texas. The venue hosted a public ribbon cutting on October 26, 2019. The first event held was a Twenty One Pilots concert on Novemb ...
in
Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County, covering nearly into Denton County, Texas, Denton, Johnson County, Texas, Johnson, Parker County, Texas, Parker, and Wise County, Te ...
, in 2022 and were held there in 2023, as well. Since 2024, the event has been split into two different venues in two different cities in the
Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex The Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, officially designated Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, is the most populous metropolitan statistical area in the U.S. state of Texas and the Southern United States, ...
; the first six days taking place at Cowtown Coliseum in Fort Worth, then the final two days taking place at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. The PBR was originally headquartered in
Irvine, California Irvine () is a Planned community, planned city in central Orange County, California, United States, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. It was named in 1888 for the landowner James Irvine. The Irvine Company started developing the area in the ...
, before moving to downtown
Colorado Springs, Colorado Colorado Springs is the most populous city in El Paso County, Colorado, United States, and its county seat. The city had a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, a 15.02% increase since 2010 United States Census, 2 ...
, in 1995. By 2007, the organization had enough of its cramped office in Colorado Springs, so they moved their world headquarters to a new four-story building on the
Historic Arkansas Riverwalk The Historic Arkansas Riverwalk is a riverwalk in the city of Pueblo, Colorado, along the Arkansas River The Arkansas River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River. It generally flows to the east and southeast as it traverses the U.S. ...
in
Pueblo, Colorado Pueblo ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Home rule municipality, home rule municipality that is the county seat of and the List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous municipality in Pueblo County, Colorado, United States. The ...
. In 2024, they once again relocated their world headquarters; this time to the Stockyards in Fort Worth, Texas. In October 2024, it was announced that PBR would be sold to
TKO Group Holdings TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (TKO) is an American media conglomerate created by Endeavor as part of a merger between World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (WWE) and Zuffa, LLC, the parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Since ...
—originally established as a merger between Endeavor-owned
mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting combat sport, sport based on strike (attack), striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-s ...
promotion
UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. The larg ...
and
professional wrestling Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to Real life, real- ...
company
WWE World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...
—as part of a larger, $3.25 billion agreement expected to close in 2025. The proposed sale is connected to
Silver Lake Partners Silver Lake Technology Management, L.L.C., is an American global private equity firm focused on technology and technology-enabled investments. Silver Lake is headquartered in Silicon Valley and New York, and has offices in London, Hong Kong, and ...
' plans to take Endeavor
private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...
, and also includes
IMG img or IMG is an abbreviation for image. img or IMG may also refer to: Science, technology, and mathematics *IMG (file format), file that stores a complete and uncompressed copy of the contents of a storage device * IMG, a prefix for camera ima ...
and sports hospitality firm On Location Experiences. The deal was completed on February 28, 2025. At the 2025 Cynopsis Sports Media Awards, PBR was honored as Sports League of the Year.


Organization

More than 800 bull riders from the United States, Canada, Brazil, Australia, and other countries hold PBR memberships, and compete in PBR-sanctioned events in the four mentioned countries. At the end of each season, the PBR world champion receives a $1 million bonus, trophy cup, and championship gold belt buckle. The PBR has become one of the most globally successful television sports programs. Total viewership, including live event attendees and the television audience, grew 52 percent between 2002 and 2004. In 2004, 16.4 million fans watched or attended a PBR event. By 2008, over 100 million watched the PBR on television, and over 1.7 million attended a live event. In 1995, roughly 310,000 fans attended an event. Now, around 3 million fans attend a live event.


Competition

A qualified ride is worth up to 100 points. That is, 50 points for the rider and 50 points for the bull when he successfully rides the bull for eight seconds. An event has four judges, all former bull riders themselves. Each judge may award up to 25 points. Two judges score the rider, and two judges score the bull. All of the judges' scores are tallied together. That figure is divided by two for the official score. One-half of the possible score is based on the bull's performance. The two judges score the bull on how rank (difficult to ride) he is. Two judges score the rider on how proficient he is. The rider has to stay on top of the bull for eight seconds and ride with one free hand. He is disqualified if he touches himself, the bull, the riding equipment, or the ground with his free arm during the course of the ride. Any ride that is scored 90 points or higher is deemed exceptional. The highest score in the PBR is 98.75 points. Each Premier Series event always has four judges. At the end of each event, the top 12 riders compete in the Championship Round; the rider with the highest point total from the entire event becomes the champion.


PBR tours

The PBR started their inaugural championship season in 1994 with one tour. Today, it offers five tours in the United States. Eligibility of contestants at each level is based on previous performance.


Current U.S. tours


Premier Series

The Premier Series is where the best riders and bulls compete, and it culminates at the PBR World Finals at the end of the regular season where the world champion is crowned. Due to sponsorship changes, the Premier Series has had different titles throughout its history. It was known as the
Bud Light Cup Series The Bud Light Cup Series (BLC) was the first tour and in its first year was the only tour of the Professional Bull Riders (PBR). When other tours were created, it became the major league tour of the PBR. Background This series ran from 1994 thro ...
(BLC) from 1994 through 2002, the
Built Ford Tough Series The Built Ford Tough Series (BFTS) was the Premier Series tour name of the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) competitions from 2003 through 2017. Inaugural season (2003) The BFTS kicked off its tour on November 16, 2002, with the Mohegan Sun Invita ...
(BFTS) from 2003 through 2017, and since 2018 has been known as the
Unleash the Beast Series The Unleash the Beast Series (UTB) is the Premier Series of the Professional Bull Riders (PBR). Monster Beverage Corporation is the current series sponsor for the premiership since 2018. From its founding in 1994 through 2002, it was sponsored b ...
(UTB). The PBR World Finals were held in
Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...
, for over a quarter century. They were held at the city's
MGM Grand Garden Arena The MGM Grand Garden Arena is a 17,000-seat multi-purpose arena within the MGM Grand Las Vegas, MGM Grand resort, located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. The venue opened on December 31, 1993, with a concert by Barbra Streisand, and s ...
from 1994 through 1998, the
Thomas & Mack Center The Thomas & Mack Center is a multi-purpose arena located on the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in Paradise, Nevada. It is home of the UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball team of the Mountain West Conference. History The facility first ...
from 1999 through 2015 (the first weekend of the World Finals from 2004 through 2007 was held at the
Mandalay Bay Events Center The Michelob Ultra Arena, formerly the Mandalay Bay Events Center, is a 12,000-seat multi-purpose indoor arena at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. It is owned and operated by MGM Resorts Int ...
), and
T-Mobile Arena T-Mobile Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Paradise, Nevada, United States. Opened on April 6, 2016, it is the home arena of the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League (NHL). A joint venture between MGM Resorts International ...
from 2016 through 2019. In 2020, due to
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
restrictions, the World Finals were relocated to
AT&T Stadium AT&T Stadium is a retractable roof stadium in Arlington, Texas, United States. It serves as the home of the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL), and was completed on May 27, 2009. It is also the home of the Cotton Bowl Classic ...
in
Arlington, Texas Arlington is a city in Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County, Texas, United States. It is part of the Mid-Cities region of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan statistical area, and is a principal c ...
. The World Finals returned to Las Vegas' T-Mobile Arena for the final time in 2021. In the past, the Premier Series schedule lasted the regular calendar year, with the concluding PBR World Finals taking place in the autumn. However, by 2022, the Premier Series schedule was shortened; running from winter to spring. Also, the PBR World Finals were moved to
Dickies Arena Dickies Arena is a 14,000-seat multipurpose arena, located within the Will Rogers Memorial Center in Fort Worth, Texas. The venue hosted a public ribbon cutting on October 26, 2019. The first event held was a Twenty One Pilots concert on Novemb ...
in
Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County, covering nearly into Denton County, Texas, Denton, Johnson County, Texas, Johnson, Parker County, Texas, Parker, and Wise County, Te ...
, that year and were held there in 2023, as well. Since 2024, the World Finals have taken place at two different venues in two different cities in the
Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex The Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, officially designated Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, is the most populous metropolitan statistical area in the U.S. state of Texas and the Southern United States, ...
; the first six days are held at
Cowtown Coliseum Cowtown Coliseum is a 2,400-seat arena in Fort Worth, Texas, United States, that hosts weekly rodeos. It also occasionally hosts concerts and local team sporting events. The venue was built in 1908 and was originally known as Grand Coliseum. Part ...
in Fort Worth, then the final two days are held at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.


Touring Pro Division

In 1995, the PBR launched the Touring Pro Division; a minor league tour that allowed riders to compete at lower-level events to work their way up to the elite series. In 2001, it was renamed as the Challenger Tour. In subsequent years, the PBR would launch other lower-level tours: the
Enterprise Rent-A-Car Enterprise Rent-A-Car is an American car rental agency headquartered in Clayton, Missouri, in Greater St. Louis. Enterprise is the flagship brand of Enterprise Holdings, which also owns other agencies including Alamo Rent a Car and National ...
Tour and the Discovery Tour. Money won on these two tours counted towards the Challenger Tour standings. On January 1, 2010, the PBR announced the discontinuation of the Enterprise and Discovery tours and the Challenger Tour was changed back to its original title of the Touring Pro Division. From 1997 through 2000,
Double-H Boots Double-H Boots manufactures western footwear. It is owned by H.H. Brown, a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway. History Double-H Boots was founded in 1955 in Richland, Pennsylvania. The original factory location was an area shoe com ...
was the Touring Pro Division's presenting sponsor. In 2001, when the series was renamed the Challenger Tour,
U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company (formerly United States Tobacco Company) is an American company that manufactures smokeless tobacco products, notably dipping tobacco, as well as chewing tobacco, snus, and dry snuff. The company is a subsidiary o ...
became its title sponsor, and this lasted through 2007. In 2008 and 2009, U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company's
Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...
brand was the tour's new title sponsor. In 2010, when the Challenger Tour was renamed back to its original title of the Touring Pro Division, the series did not have a title sponsor again until 2012, when
Lucas Oil Lucas Oil Products, Inc. is an American manufacturer and distributor of automotive oil, additives, and lubricants founded in 1989. History Lucas Oil was founded by trucker Forrest Lucas and his wife Charlotte in 1989. The company is a m ...
picked up the mantle, and this lasted through 2020. The Touring Pro Division has not had a title sponsor since then. The Touring Pro Division schedule used to last throughout the regular calendar year. However, as of 2022, like the Premier Series, now runs from winter through spring. From 1995 through 2012, the year-end champion of this tour was the rider who won the most money throughout the season and from 2013 through 2021, it was the rider who won the most points throughout the season. Throughout its history, the finals event for this tour was held respectively in different locations such as the Lazy E Arena in
Guthrie, Oklahoma Guthrie is a city and county seat in Logan County, Oklahoma, United States, and a part of the Oklahoma City Metroplex. Its population was 10,191 at the 2010 census, a 2.7% increase from 9,925 in the 2000 census. First known as a railroad st ...
; the National Western Complex in
Denver, Colorado Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...
; the Ohio Expo Center in
Columbus, Ohio Columbus (, ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Ohio, most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 United States census, 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the List of United States ...
; the Ford Center in
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...
; and the
Gwinnett Center Gwinnett County ( ) is located in the north central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It forms part of the Atlanta metropolitan area, being located about northeast of Atlanta city limits. In 2020 United States census ...
in
Duluth, Georgia Duluth ( ) is a city in Gwinnett County, Georgia, United States. Located north of Interstate 85, it is approximately northeast of Atlanta. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Duluth had a population of 31,873, and the United Stat ...
. 2009 was the last year in which this tour had a season-ending finals event.


Velocity Tour

Since 2014, The Velocity Tour features young and up-coming talent competing against the established talent of the sport, bringing events to cities across the United States that are not included in the Premier Series. Every winner of a Velocity Tour regular-season event is seeded at one Premier Series event during the season, and if that rider wins enough points at the Premier Series event, he has the chance to earn a full-time spot in said tour. BlueDEF was the Velocity Tour's first title sponsor, lasting from 2014 through 2016. In 2017 and 2018, Real Time Pain Relief was the tour's title sponsor. Since 2019,
Pendleton Whisky Pendleton Whisky is a brand of blended Canadian whisky, distilled in Canada, imported and bottled by Hood River Distillers, Hood River Distillers, Inc., of Hood River, Oregon, Hood River, Oregon, distributed by Proximo Spirits, and owned by Becl ...
has been the title sponsor. The Velocity Tour Finals take place a few days before the start of the PBR World Finals. During its first year in 2014, there was no Velocity Tour finals event, and the year-end champion was the rider who won the most points throughout the season after the completion of the last event of the year. However, there has been a Velocity Tour Finals since 2015. The first Velocity Tour Finals in said year was held at the
KFC Yum! Center The KFC Yum! Center is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Downtown Louisville, Kentucky, United States. It is named after the KFC restaurant chain and Yum! Brands, the parent company of KFC. Adjacent to the Ohio River waterfront, it is located on Ma ...
in
Louisville, Kentucky Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...
. From 2016 through 2019, the Velocity Tour Finals took place at the South Point Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. In 2020, due to COVID-19 restrictions, the finals were moved to the
Denny Sanford Premier Center The Denny Sanford Premier Center is an indoor arena in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The building is located at 1201 North West Avenue, and is connected to the Sioux Falls Arena and Sioux Falls Convention Center. The Arena's naming rights partner ...
in
Sioux Falls, South Dakota Sioux Falls ( ) is the List of cities in South Dakota, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Dakota and the List of United States cities by population, 117th-most populous city in the United States. It is the county seat of Minnehaha Coun ...
. The 2021 Velocity Tour Finals returned to the South Point Arena in Las Vegas for the final time. In 2022, the Velocity Tour Finals moved to the American Bank Center Arena in
Corpus Christi, Texas Corpus Christi ( ; ) is a Gulf Coast of the United States, coastal city in the South Texas region of the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat and largest city of Nueces County, Texas, Nueces County with portions extending into Aransas County, T ...
, to be held in conjunction with the World Champions Rodeo Alliance (WCRA) sanctioned Rodeo Corpus Christi, and like the Premier Series and Touring Pro Division, the Velocity Tour now takes place from winter to spring after having previously taken place throughout the regular calendar year and concluding in the autumn.


Team Series

Debuting in 2022, the PBR Team Series features teams of bull riders representing different regions of the United States competing against each other. There were eight founding teams during the first two seasons. Each team has seven protected roster riders and can have a maximum of five reserve roster riders in cases of riders on the protected roster getting injured during the season. There are regular-season events taking place in each respective team's hometowns, as well as two "neutral site" events. The season culminates with the Team Series Championship at
T-Mobile Arena T-Mobile Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Paradise, Nevada, United States. Opened on April 6, 2016, it is the home arena of the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League (NHL). A joint venture between MGM Resorts International ...
in
Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...
. The PBR Team Series runs from the summer to autumn of every year. In its inaugural year, there were two preseason events in
Bismarck, North Dakota Bismarck (; from 1872 to 1873: Edwinton) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat, seat of Burleigh County, North Dakota, Burleigh County. It is the state's List of cities i ...
, and Mill Spring, North Carolina. In 2023,
Camping World Camping World Holdings, Inc. is an American corporation specializing in selling recreational vehicles (RVs), recreational vehicle parts, and recreational vehicle service. They also sell supplies for camping. The company has its headquarters in Li ...
became the tour's title sponsor. In 2024, two new teams were added. During the first two seasons, all eight teams competed at the Championship at T-Mobile Arena. However, in 2024, only the top six teams in terms of points earned during the regular season were guaranteed to automatically qualify for the Championship. One day before the start of the Championship event, the bottom four teams competed in an elimination-style round known as the Ride-In Round, which took place at the South Point Hotel Arena, where they battled it out for the final two qualification spots to the Team Series Championship at T-Mobile Arena. In 2025, the PBR discontinued the Ride-In Round, meaning all 10 teams will compete at the Team Series Championship. The teams are as follows:


Challenger Series

Also new in 2022, the Challenger Series runs from the summer through autumn and works as a way for riders to compete at PBR events in the United States as individuals during the Team Series season. Riders that are members of a Team Series squad can compete at Challenger Series events when there is not a Team Series event scheduled on the same weekend. This tour also works as a series of scouting events for Team Series managements looking to add riders as alternates to their teams in cases of riders on the protected rosters getting injured or in cases of riders getting traded to different teams. The Challenger Series Championship takes place at the South Point Arena in
Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...
, before the start of the PBR Team Series Championship at Las Vegas'
T-Mobile Arena T-Mobile Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Paradise, Nevada, United States. Opened on April 6, 2016, it is the home arena of the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League (NHL). A joint venture between MGM Resorts International ...
.


International tours

In 2006, the PBR launched tours in
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
,
Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
,
Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
, and
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
. Each circuit has finals events that crown year-end champions for each respective country. In late 2014, a PBR-sanctioned event was held in
New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
. Also in 2014, the PBR had plans to host some events in
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
. However, they never took place. After three years of struggling to hold events, the Mexico circuit officially closed its doors in 2023.


Broadcasting

; 1993–2002 :
The Nashville Network The Nashville Network, usually referred to as TNN, was an American country music-oriented cable television network. Programming included music videos, taped concerts, movies, game shows, syndicated programs, and numerous talk shows. On September ...
(TNN) began televising a small number of PBR-sanctioned events in 1993. The following year, the PBR had its first official championship season with the
Bud Light Cup Series The Bud Light Cup Series (BLC) was the first tour and in its first year was the only tour of the Professional Bull Riders (PBR). When other tours were created, it became the major league tour of the PBR. Background This series ran from 1994 thro ...
(BLC), which included a year-end world finals event with TNN remaining the organization's official channel. TNN's name was changed from The Nashville Network to The National Network late in the 2000 season. After the 2001 season, a special PBR event, the Bud Light World Challenge in
Austin, Texas Austin ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and W ...
, was broadcast on
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
. The National Network was rebranded as The New TNN in late 2001. The final event of the 2002 BLC regular season was broadcast on
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...
. The New TNN remained the PBR's primary channel through the 2002 Bud Light Cup World Finals. ; 2003–2011 : The PBR's Premier Series, known as the
Built Ford Tough Series The Built Ford Tough Series (BFTS) was the Premier Series tour name of the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) competitions from 2003 through 2017. Inaugural season (2003) The BFTS kicked off its tour on November 16, 2002, with the Mohegan Sun Invita ...
(BFTS) as of the 2003 season, was now primarily televised on the Outdoor Life Network (OLN) with select events being broadcast on NBC. From 2003 through 2006, select BFTS events were also broadcast on
Telemundo Telemundo (; formerly NetSpan) is an American Spanish-language terrestrial television network owned by NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises, a division of NBCUniversal, which in turn is a wholly owned subsidiary of Comcast. It provides content ...
for Spanish-speaking viewers. During that same time period, OLN also televised some PBR Challenger Tour events. Late in the 2006 season, OLN's name was changed to Versus. Non-BFTS PBR events that were televised on Versus included the 2006 Cheeseburger Island Style Hawaii All-Star Challenge in
Honolulu, Hawaii Honolulu ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of Honol ...
; the 2006 Challenger Tour Finals in
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...
; the 2007
World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the name is ...
in
Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia The Gold Coast, also known by its initials, GC, is a coastal city and region in the state of Queensland, Australia, located approximately south-southeast of the centre of the list of Australian capital cities, state capital, Brisbane. It is ...
; the 2007 Challenger Tour Finals also in Oklahoma City; the 2008 World Cup in Chihuahua, Chihuahua, Mexico; the 2009 World Cup in Barretos, São Paulo, Brazil; the 2009 Challenger Tour Finals in
Duluth, Georgia Duluth ( ) is a city in Gwinnett County, Georgia, United States. Located north of Interstate 85, it is approximately northeast of Atlanta. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Duluth had a population of 31,873, and the United Stat ...
; and the 2010 World Cup in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. The final long rounds and championship rounds of the last few regular-season BFTS events from 2006 through 2008 were broadcast on
Fox Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush"). Twelve species ...
. In the summer of 2008, the four regular-season events of the PBR Team Shootout were televised on
ESPN2 ESPN2 is an American multinational pay television network owned by ESPN Inc., a joint venture between the Walt Disney Company (which owns a controlling 80% stake) and Hearst Communications (which owns the remaining 20%). ESPN2 was initially ...
, while the championship event was broadcast on
ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...
. In 2010, CBS broadcast a bonus round that was held in New York City's
Times Square Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and Neighborhoods in New York City, neighborhood in the Midtown Manhattan section of New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway (Manhattan), ...
, which featured the PBR's top ten riders competing for a chance to win additional points a week before that year's World Finals. In April 2011, the Last Cowboy Standing BFTS event in
Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...
, was televised via
pay-per-view Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast. Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program ...
. Versus remained the PBR's primary channel through the 2011 Built Ford Tough World Finals. ; 2012–2021 : In 2012,
CBS Sports Network CBS Sports Network (a.k.a. CBSSN) is an American digital cable and satellite television network owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global. When it launched in 2002 as the National College Sports Network (later College Sports ...
became the PBR's primary channel, while CBS and NBC began to broadcast the 15/15 Bucking Battle; a bonus round that featured the top 15 PBR riders at the time of competition against 15 of the top PBR bulls in select regular-season BFTS events that gave the riders an opportunity to earn additional points. That same year, Versus became
NBC Sports Network NBCSN (also known as NBC Sports Network) was an American sports television channel owned by the NBC Sports Group division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It originally launched on July 1, 1995, as the Outdoor Life Network (OLN), w ...
and select BFTS events were also televised on said channel. By 2013, PBR events in the United States were now televised exclusively on CBS Sports Network and CBS. In July of that year, PBR live-streamed an event via pay-per-view on the now-defunct Epicentre.tv. It was the Touring Pro Division event in
Big Sky, Montana Big Sky is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Gallatin and Madison counties in southwestern Montana, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 3,591, up from 2,308 in 2010. It is by road southw ...
. Said website live-streamed some BFTS events in Spanish later that same year and in 2014 free of charge. In 2014, some PBR Touring Pro Division and Velocity Tour events, the ''Bulls on the Beach'' 15/15 Bucking Battle in
Huntington Beach, California Huntington Beach is a seaside city in Orange County, California, United States. The city was originally called Pacific City, but it was changed in 1903 to be named after American businessman Henry E. Huntington. The population was 198,711 as of ...
, as well as the World Finals were also streamed live for free on the ''PBR LIVE'' website. In 2015, PBR LIVE streamed the BFTS and Velocity Tour for free on CarbonTV. In May of that year, the PBR again made an event available via pay-per-view; it being the Velocity Tour event in
Decatur, Texas Decatur is the county seat of Wise County, Texas, United States. Its population was 6,538 in 2020. History Wise County was established in 1856, and Taylorsville (in honor of Zachary Taylor) was made the county seat. Absalom Bishop, an early s ...
. The main draw of the event that year was a segment called ''Unfinished Business'', in which eight retired PBR riders attempted to ride one final bull and the winning rider earning a large winner-take-all money prize. In 2016 and 2017, PBR LIVE went back to being its own independent website (which would eventually become defunct) and events were again streamed there for free. The PBR's website and mobile app live-streamed the 2017 Global Cup in
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada Edmonton is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region, and is in Treaty 6 terri ...
. In 2018, the PBR's Premier Series name was changed from the Built Ford Tough Series (BFTS) to the
Unleash the Beast Series The Unleash the Beast Series (UTB) is the Premier Series of the Professional Bull Riders (PBR). Monster Beverage Corporation is the current series sponsor for the premiership since 2018. From its founding in 1994 through 2002, it was sponsored b ...
(UTB). That same year, the organization launched a subscription-based
over-the-top Over the top may refer to: Music * "Over the Top", a 2017 song by Hey! Say! JUMP * ''Over the Top'' (Cozy Powell album), 1979 album by British drummer Cozy Powell * ''Over the Top'' (Infinite album), 2011 album by South Korean band Infinite * ...
service known as ''RidePass'', which streamed UTB events and lower-level tour events, as well as PBR-produced events for other western-sport organizations. RidePass also streamed the 2018 Global Cup in
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
, and the 2019 Global Cup in Arlington, Texas, United States. From 2018 to 2020, the PBR's events on RidePass were also streamed on
FloSports FloSports is an over-the-top subscription sports broadcaster and streaming service. The company is based in Austin, Texas, United States, and was founded in 2006. FloSports streams live sporting events to audiences around the world. History L ...
' now-defunct FloRodeo service. In 2019, the PBR signed on to have CBS Sports as their exclusive television partner through 2028. CBS Sports Network televised the regular-season events of the Monster Energy Team Challenge held in Las Vegas, while CBS broadcast the championship event in
Sioux Falls, South Dakota Sioux Falls ( ) is the List of cities in South Dakota, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Dakota and the List of United States cities by population, 117th-most populous city in the United States. It is the county seat of Minnehaha Coun ...
. CBS Sports Network also televised the 2020 and 2022 Global Cup; both also in Arlington, Texas. CBS televised the 2020 and 2021 ''Cowboys for a Cause'' events; both aboard the
USS Lexington USS ''Lexington'' may refer to these ships of the United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful ...
in
Corpus Christi, Texas Corpus Christi ( ; ) is a Gulf Coast of the United States, coastal city in the South Texas region of the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat and largest city of Nueces County, Texas, Nueces County with portions extending into Aransas County, T ...
. In July 2021, RidePass was relaunched as a
free ad-supported streaming television Free advertising-supported streaming television (FAST) is a category of streaming television services which offer traditional linear television programming ("live TV") and studio-produced movies without a paid subscription, funded exclusively by a ...
(FAST) service, carried on
Paramount Global Paramount Global (Trade name, d/b/a Paramount) is an American multinational mass media and entertainment Conglomerate (company), conglomerate controlled by National Amusements and Headquarters, headquartered at One Astor Plaza in Times Square, ...
sister platform
Pluto TV Pluto TV is an American free ad-supported streaming television service owned and operated by the Paramount Streaming division of Paramount Global. Founded by Tom Ryan (business executive), Tom Ryan, Ilya Pozin and Nick Grouf in 2013 and based in ...
. ; 2022–2023: The UTB series season went from lasting all year to being condensed to winter and spring beginning in 2022. CBS Sports Network continued to televise the regular-season UTB events and the World Finals, while CBS broadcast the 15/15 Bucking Battles. Beginning in 2022, UTB events were also streamed on
Paramount+ Paramount+ (formerly known as CBS All Access in the United States and 10 All Access in Australia) is an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, stream ...
. Also beginning that year, the PBR Team Series, which runs from summer to autumn, was televised on CBS Sports Network and CBS, and streamed on RidePass and Paramount+. CBS televised the 2022 edition of Cowboys for a Cause at
King Ranch King Ranch is the largest ranch in the United States. At some it is larger than the area of the European country Luxembourg. It is mainly a cattle ranch, but also produced the racehorse Assault (horse), Assault, who won the United States Tri ...
in
Kingsville, Texas Kingsville is a city in the South Texas, southern region of the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Kleberg County, Texas, Kleberg County. Located on the U.S. Route 77 in Texas, U.S. Route 77 corridor between Corpus Christi, Texas, Corpus C ...
. In July 2023, the PBR reached an agreement with
TelevisaUnivision TelevisaUnivision (formerly known as Univision Communications) is a Mexican-American media company headquartered in Miami and Mexico City that owns American Spanish language broadcast network Univision and free-to-air channels in Mexico such as ...
for Spanish-language rights in the United States and Mexico, airing on
TUDN TUDN (pronounced tu-de-ene; formerly called Univision Deportes Network) is a Mexican Spanish language sports channel. Owned by TelevisaUnivision, it is an extension of the company's sports division of the same name, with TUDN the acronym of Tel ...
and streamed on
Vix Premium Vix (stylized as ViX) is an over-the-top streaming service owned and operated by TelevisaUnivision. The service primarily shows content either owned by TelevisaUnivision or acquired from third-party content providers, including television series ...
. This lasted through 2024. ;2024–present: 2024 was the last year of the 15/15 Bucking Battles. That same season, PBR renewed its contract with CBS Sports (which was to originally expire in 2025) through 2030, expanding it to 25 hours of programming annually. This would continue to include selected Team Series and UTB events, as well as American Bucking Bull Inc. (ABBI) futurity events. In addition, PBR reached an agreement with
Phil McGraw Phillip Calvin McGraw (born September 1, 1950), also known as Dr. Phil, is an American television personality and author who is best known for hosting the talk show '' Dr. Phil''. He holds a doctorate in clinical psychology, though he ceased ...
's new broadcast and over-the-top network
Merit Street Merit TV (also branded as Dr. Phil's Merit TV) is an American digital multicast television network and streaming service owned by Merit Street Media, a Fort Worth, Texas-based company founded by Phil McGraw. The channel primarily carries news dis ...
, under which they would carry Team Series and UTB Series events (replacing the package formerly seen on CBS Sports Network). Under this contract, PBR began to adopt standardized broadcast windows allowing for live coverage. It also began to introduce pre- and
post- ''Post-'' (stylized in all caps) is the third solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Jeff Rosenstock, released on January 1, 2018, without any promotional lead-up. The album was released on Polyvinyl Record Co. in the United States and ...
shows, as well as the studio show ''PBR Now''. In November 2024, PBR terminated its contract with Merit Street, citing ongoing disputes with the company and non-payment of rights fees. The coverage previously carried on Merit Street became available for free via PBR's mobile app, PBR's
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
channel, and RidePass on Pluto TV. Since 2025, the majority of UTB regular-season events include Team Series exhibition games known as the Monster Energy Team Challenge presented by Camping World. They consist of two teams competing against each other after the completion of the first round of the regular UTB event. The Monster Energy Team Challenge events are broadcast on CBS. The 2025 PBR World Finals were also televised live on
The Cowboy Channel The Cowboy Channel is an American cable television network in over 42 million cable and satellite homes, which carries Western programming and rodeo sports. The network was founded in 1979 as the National Christian Network, later took the name ...
. PBR events in Canada, Brazil, and Australia are televised and streamed in their respective countries.


Current statistics

The PBR website tracks many statistics regarding the performances of bull riders and bulls during the season and throughout its history. There is the 90-Points Club, which has been tracking rides that have been scored over 90 points since 1998. Then there is the high marked bull ride statistic, which has been tracked for many seasons. Each season it tracks the highest bull scores throughout and until the Finals have concluded. And then there is the all time money earners statistic, which tallies the bull riders in order of who has earned the most money in their careers. Additionally, the success rate for an 8-second ride was 46 percent in 1995, had dropped to 26 percent by 2012, then climbed roughly 3 percent to about 29 percent for 2017 and 2018. This lower modern rate has been attributed to the selective breeding of bulls.


90-Point Club

In 2002, the
U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company (formerly United States Tobacco Company) is an American company that manufactures smokeless tobacco products, notably dipping tobacco, as well as chewing tobacco, snus, and dry snuff. The company is a subsidiary o ...
developed the original 90-Point Club. Each contestant who scored 90 or more at a Bud Light Cup Series event shared in bonus money of $90,000. The money was distributed after the World Finals event. It was divided equally by all the qualified rides. The competitor with the most 90-point rides received an additional bonus of $10,000. That competitor also became the 90-Point Club Champion. In 2003, it was added that for each 90-point ride that a bull makes, the stock contractor received $1,000. For that $1,000, half came from the U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company and the other half came from B&W Trailer Hitches. The first statistic kept is the most 90-point rides since 1998.
Chris Shivers Christopher Lee Shivers (born December 30, 1978) is an American former professional rodeo cowboy who specialized in bull riding, and competed on the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) circuit. He turned pro in 1997, and won the PBR world championshi ...
holds first place with 94 rides;
José Vitor Leme José Vitor Leme Batista (born August 15, 1996) is a Brazilian professional rodeo cowboy who specializes in bull riding. He is the 2020, 2021 and 2025 Professional Bull Riders (PBR) World Champion, and holds the record on the bull Woopaa for the ...
is in second place with 87 rides; J.B. Mauney holds third place with 75 rides;
Justin McBride Justin Travis McBride (born August 7, 1979) is an American former professional rodeo cowboy who specialized in bull riding. In his career, he competed on the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) circuit. He was the 2005 and 2007 PBR World Champion, has ...
is at fourth place at 74 rides; and
Guilherme Marchi Guilherme Antônio Marchi (pronounced Gih-lare-mee Marky) (born July 22, 1982) is a Brazilian former professional rodeo cowboy who specialized in bull riding, and competed in the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) circuit. He was the 2008 PBR World Ch ...
is at fifth place with 51 rides. Shivers, Mauney, McBride and Marchi are all retired, so all their numbers will stay the same. New for 2018 was the most 90-point rides for the year and the contractor 90-point rides for the year. Lastly, are the historic 90-point rides trailing all the way back to 1998. They are ordered by the highest to lowest ride score. The rides list the rider, the bull, the contractor, the location, and the ride score.


High-marked bull

These statistics keep track of the current season's elite tour event's high marked bulls. B.O.T. stands for buck off time. Each event has a high-marked bull. The top 100 bulls scores are also tracked here.


Highest scored ride

The perfect score in bull riding is 100 points. For several years, the highest score in the PBR was 96.5 points, which was achieved four times. The mark was originally set by Bubba Dunn, who rode Promise Land (owned by Terry Williams) at the 1999 Bud Light Cup event in
Tampa, Florida Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...
. The record was later tied in 2000 by
Chris Shivers Christopher Lee Shivers (born December 30, 1978) is an American former professional rodeo cowboy who specialized in bull riding, and competed on the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) circuit. He turned pro in 1997, and won the PBR world championshi ...
, who rode Jim Jam (owned by Logan & Williams) also at the Bud Light Cup event in Tampa. Shivers would repeat the score in 2001 when he rode Dillinger (owned by Herrington Cattle Company) in
Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...
, at the PBR World Finals. The most recent 96.5 point ride was in 2004, when Michael Gaffney rode
Little Yellow Jacket Little Yellow Jacket #P761 (August 20, 1996 – September 19, 2011) was an American bucking bull. He was a three-time Professional Bull Riders (PBR) World Champion Bull, winning the title in consecutive years from 2002 through 2004. At the ti ...
(owned by Berger Bucking Bulls) at the
Built Ford Tough Series The Built Ford Tough Series (BFTS) was the Premier Series tour name of the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) competitions from 2003 through 2017. Inaugural season (2003) The BFTS kicked off its tour on November 16, 2002, with the Mohegan Sun Invita ...
event in
Nampa, Idaho Nampa () is the most populous city in Canyon County, Idaho, United States. The population was 100,200 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is Idaho's List of cities in Idaho, third-most populous city. Nampa is about west of Boise, Id ...
. In 2021, new records for third highest, second highest, and highest scored rides in PBR history were all set on the same bull, Woopaa (owned by Barker Bulls and Hookin' W Ranch). The new record for highest scored ride was originally set in the summer, when
José Vitor Leme José Vitor Leme Batista (born August 15, 1996) is a Brazilian professional rodeo cowboy who specializes in bull riding. He is the 2020, 2021 and 2025 Professional Bull Riders (PBR) World Champion, and holds the record on the bull Woopaa for the ...
rode
Woopaa Woopaa #124 (born March 9, 2017) is an American retired bucking bull. He is the 2021 Professional Bull Riders (PBR) World Champion Bull. In 2023, Woopaa was ranked No. 7 on the list of the top 30 bulls in PBR history. Background Woopaa was born ...
for 97.75 points at the
Unleash the Beast ''Unleash the Beast'' is the thirteenth studio album by English heavy metal band Saxon, released in 1997. It is their first studio album with Doug Scarratt on guitar. Track listing All tracks written by Biff Byford, Nibbs Carter, Nigel Gloc ...
event in
Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa ( ) is the List of municipalities in Oklahoma, second-most-populous city in the U.S. state, state of Oklahoma, after Oklahoma City, and the List of United States cities by population, 48th-most-populous city in the United States. The po ...
. A new record for second-highest score in PBR history was later set in the autumn when Dalton Kasel rode Woopaa for 96.75 points at the Unleash the Beast event in
San Antonio, Texas San Antonio ( ; Spanish for "Anthony of Padua, Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the List of Texas metropolitan areas, third-largest metropolitan area in Texa ...
. The record for highest scored ride in PBR history was later broken at the World Finals in Las Vegas when José Vitor Leme rode Woopaa for 98.75 points. In September 2024, the record for second-highest scored ride in PBR history was broken when Cássio Dias rode Man Hater (owned by Jane Clark and Gene Owen) for 98.25 points at the Camping World Team Series event in
Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County, covering nearly into Denton County, Texas, Denton, Johnson County, Texas, Johnson, Parker County, Texas, Parker, and Wise County, Te ...
.


Highest bull score

Even though riders receive no score if they buck off their bulls before the required eight seconds, bulls receive scores for every outing, with the perfect bull score being 50 points. For several years, the highest bull score in PBR history was 49 points, which was achieved twice; the first time being in 2000 when Hercules (owned by Flying U / Rosser Rodeo) bucked off Gilbert Carrillo at the Bud Light Cup event in
Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...
, and again when Hammer (owned by Tony Sharp and Zaunbrecher) bucked off Cory Rasch at the 2003
Built Ford Tough Series The Built Ford Tough Series (BFTS) was the Premier Series tour name of the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) competitions from 2003 through 2017. Inaugural season (2003) The BFTS kicked off its tour on November 16, 2002, with the Mohegan Sun Invita ...
event in
Uncasville, Connecticut Uncasville is a village in the town of Montville, Connecticut, United States. It is located in southeastern Montville, at the mouth of the Oxoboxo River where it flows into the Thames River. The name is now applied more generally to all of the ...
. In 2024, the record for highest bull score in PBR history was broken when Man Hater bucked off
Sage Kimzey Sage Steele Kimzey (born August 26, 1994) is an American professional rodeo cowboy who specializes in bull riding. For most of his career, he competed in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA), winning seven bull riding world champions ...
at the Camping World Team Series event in
Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City, Missouri, abbreviated KC or KCMO, is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri by List of cities in Missouri, population and area. The city lies within Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson, Clay County, Missouri, Clay, and Pl ...
, and was scored 49.5 points.


All-time money earners

The all-time moneys show off the PBR's claim that they have changed bull riding into a real sport that does more than just pay the riders' fees. PBR bull riders make a true living, and some are millionaires several times over. Three-time world champion
José Vitor Leme José Vitor Leme Batista (born August 15, 1996) is a Brazilian professional rodeo cowboy who specializes in bull riding. He is the 2020, 2021 and 2025 Professional Bull Riders (PBR) World Champion, and holds the record on the bull Woopaa for the ...
has earned the most money of any PBR bull rider at over $8.3 million. He is followed by two-time world champion J.B. Mauney at over $7.4 million. In third place is three-time world champion Silvano Alves at over $6.7 million. They are followed by fellow world champions
Guilherme Marchi Guilherme Antônio Marchi (pronounced Gih-lare-mee Marky) (born July 22, 1982) is a Brazilian former professional rodeo cowboy who specialized in bull riding, and competed in the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) circuit. He was the 2008 PBR World Ch ...
with over $5.3 million and
Justin McBride Justin Travis McBride (born August 7, 1979) is an American former professional rodeo cowboy who specialized in bull riding. In his career, he competed on the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) circuit. He was the 2005 and 2007 PBR World Champion, has ...
with over $5.1 million.


Previous challenges


Mossy Oak Shootout

Starting with the 2000 season, this challenge sponsored by the Mossy Oak camouflage brand was a bonus ride that was featured during first night of each two-day Premier Series event. The Shootout matched up the event's first-round winner against a prearranged bucking bull. The rider had to make an eight-second qualified ride to win the Mossy Oak Shootout bonus. In the event that he failed, $5,000 would be added to the bounty, and the new amount would be offered at the next two-day event's Mossy Oak Shootout. The bonus capped out at $100,000, and when a rider made the whistle and collected his bonus, the bounty was then reset to $5,000 at the next event. If the rider made a qualified ride, he was given a score, but those points did not count towards the world standings. During the
Bud Light Cup Series The Bud Light Cup Series (BLC) was the first tour and in its first year was the only tour of the Professional Bull Riders (PBR). When other tours were created, it became the major league tour of the PBR. Background This series ran from 1994 thro ...
(BLC) era,
Justin McBride Justin Travis McBride (born August 7, 1979) is an American former professional rodeo cowboy who specialized in bull riding. In his career, he competed on the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) circuit. He was the 2005 and 2007 PBR World Champion, has ...
was the first rider to successfully conquer his bull and win the Mossy Oak Shootout bonus by riding Freckles for $15,000 in Greensboro, North Carolina, in 2000. Subsequent winners of the Shootout included Aaron Semas who received $15,000 on Copperhead (St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri; 2000),
Chris Shivers Christopher Lee Shivers (born December 30, 1978) is an American former professional rodeo cowboy who specialized in bull riding, and competed on the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) circuit. He turned pro in 1997, and won the PBR world championshi ...
who acquired $5,000 on Dillinger (
Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County, covering nearly into Denton County, Texas, Denton, Johnson County, Texas, Johnson, Parker County, Texas, Parker, and Wise County, Te ...
; 2000), Chris Shivers again who pocketed $10,000 on Vertigo (Billings, Montana; 2000), Justin McBride again who got $30,000 on Rampage (Houston, Houston, Texas; 2000), Ross Coleman who racked up $100,000 on Tuff-E-Nuff (
Columbus, Ohio Columbus (, ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Ohio, most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 United States census, 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the List of United States ...
; 2001), and Jim Sharp who banked $85,000 on Dillinger (Fort Worth, Texas; 2002). During the
Built Ford Tough Series The Built Ford Tough Series (BFTS) was the Premier Series tour name of the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) competitions from 2003 through 2017. Inaugural season (2003) The BFTS kicked off its tour on November 16, 2002, with the Mohegan Sun Invita ...
(BFTS) era, Owen Washburn collected $90,000 on Hammer (Bossier City, Louisiana; 2003), Wiley Petersen netted $20,000 on Ace of Hearts (Billings, Montana; 2003), Cory Melton secured $35,000 on Werewolf (Laughlin, Nevada; 2003), Ednei Caminhas earned $65,000 on Red Alert (Tacoma, Washington; 2004), Justin McBride took $15,000 on Blond Bomber (Albuquerque, New Mexico; 2004), Brendon Clark gained $40,000 on Tombstone (Laughlin, Nevada; 2004), Fabricio Alves cashed $45,000 on Red Alert (Tacoma, Washington; 2005), Kody Lostroh attained $35,000 on Thunder River (Uniondale, New York; 2005), Mike White procured $15,000 on Leroy (
Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa ( ) is the List of municipalities in Oklahoma, second-most-populous city in the U.S. state, state of Oklahoma, after Oklahoma City, and the List of United States cities by population, 48th-most-populous city in the United States. The po ...
; 2005), Justin McBride again bagged $25,000 on Frontier Justice (
Tampa, Florida Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...
; 2006), Chris Shivers obtained $25,000 on Bo Kat (Reno, Nevada; 2006),
Guilherme Marchi Guilherme Antônio Marchi (pronounced Gih-lare-mee Marky) (born July 22, 1982) is a Brazilian former professional rodeo cowboy who specialized in bull riding, and competed in the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) circuit. He was the 2008 PBR World Ch ...
captured $90,000 on Scene of the Crash (Greensboro, North Carolina; 2006), and Mike Lee (bull rider), Mike Lee carried off $15,000 on Big Show (Columbus, Ohio; 2006). The Mossy Oak Shootout was discontinued after 2006.


Ford Truck Moment of Truth

In this challenge sponsored by
Ford Trucks Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. The company sells automobil ...
which started in 2001 and lasted through 2009, the average leader going into a BLC/BFTS regular-season event's Championship Round got a chance to win $5,000. If this leading rider won the event, he also won the ''Ford Truck Moment of Truth'' bonus money. If the average leader did not win, the prize money increased by $5,000. This repeated until a bull rider was successful. After a rider won the money, the whole pool started over again.


Wrangler High Marked Ride

Circa 2003, there was a contest where Wrangler (jeans), Wrangler Jeans used to reward the rider with the highest marked ride at the majority of BFTS events. If there was a tie, both riders were awarded.


Ford Super Duty Challenge

From 2005 through 2008, this challenge gave the top 45 bull riders an opportunity to compete for a $1 million bonus. One elite bull rider won a Ford Super Duty, Ford Super Duty pickup truck and one won a $1 million bonus through the achievement of performance milestones. The bull riders competed at seven pre-determined BFTS events. Winners of these events became eligible for incentives. A bull rider who won two or more events became eligible to win the $1 million bonus and had to win the PBR BFTS World Finals event. The bull rider that finished the highest in the event aggregate won the Super Duty truck. Adriano Moraes (bull rider), Adriano Moraes drove away with the 2005 Ford Super Duty.


Enterprise Rent-A-Car Ride with the Best Bonus

Beginning in 2004, the rider who won the previous BFTS event had a chance to win $5,000 courtesy of
Enterprise Rent-A-Car Enterprise Rent-A-Car is an American car rental agency headquartered in Clayton, Missouri, in Greater St. Louis. Enterprise is the flagship brand of Enterprise Holdings, which also owns other agencies including Alamo Rent a Car and National ...
if he successfully covered his bull during the first round of the next BFTS two-day event. If he rode his first round bull, then he had the chance to ride for an additional $5,000 during the second round. By 2007, the challenge was modified; the rider who won the previous long round at a regular season BFTS event, regardless if it was a two or three-day event, was offered the chance to win $5,000 if he successfully rode his next long-round bull. If the rider failed to make a qualified ride, the money went to the bull's stock contractor, stock contractor(s).


Cabela's World's Foremost Ride

From 2005 through 2009, Cabela's paid the rider who scored the highest-marked ride at each BFTS regular-season event a $1,000 bonus. At the PBR World Finals, Cabela's awarded $25,000 to the rider who scored the highest-marked ride of the BFTS regular season. If multiple riders tied for the highest-marked ride, the money was split between them. Cabela's also awarded the riders who scored the second-highest and third-highest marked rides of the BFTS regular season $10,000 and $5,000, respectively. The rider who scored the highest-marked ride of the World Finals was also awarded a $10,000 bonus.


Salem NationaLease High Mark Bull Bonus

From 2007 through 2009, the High Mark Bull Bonus sponsored by Salem NationaLease was paid to the stock contractor of the bull. The bonus was designated to the bull who received the highest bull score at each BFTS event. The bonus amount was a weekly amount of $1,250. The PBR World Finals were excluded.


Zantrex-3 Insta-Shot Grudge Match

Beginning in the middle of the 2008 BFTS season, the rider who won the previous event went up against another BFTS rider of his choice at the next event. Each rider would get on a bull selected by the then-PBR Director of Livestock,
Cody Lambert Cody Lance Lambert (born December 2, 1961) is an American former professional rodeo cowboy. He specialized in saddle bronc riding and bull riding. He was also a co-founder and vice president of the Professional Bull Riders (PBR). He created the ...
at the end of the event's regular first round. The rider who successfully rode his bull or the rider who scored more points if both covered their bulls won $5,000 courtesy of Zantrex-3 Insta-Shot. If neither rider covered his bull, the bounty increased by $5,000 at the next BFTS event. If a rider won the money, the bounty reverted back to $5,000 at the following event. This challenge only lasted from the middle to the end of the 2008 BFTS regular season and points won by riders for eight-second qualified rides did not count towards the world standings.


Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (RMEF) Trophy Bull Challenge

In 2009 and 2010, this challenge sponsored by the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation was added. It was a season long challenge. Cody Lambert selected three bulls from every long round of each BFTS event. If the bull bucked the rider off, the stock contractor received one point. If the rider achieved a successful ride, the rider received a point. The winners of the challenge, the top three riders and stock contractors with the most points received an RMEF outdoor adventure of their choice, which happened at the end of the season.


Champions and awards

The Professional Bull Riders: Heroes and Legends, Heroes and Legends Celebration lists the Ring of Honor, Brand of Honor, Sharon Shoulders Award, Jim Shoulders Lifetime Achievement Award, and Ty Murray Top Hand Award. The Ring of Honor for bull riders and Brand of Honor for bulls are equivalent to a hall of fame induction.


Country bars

In 2006, the PBR, in partnership with The Cordish Companies, Cordish, opened a western-themed Bar (establishment), bar in
Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City, Missouri, abbreviated KC or KCMO, is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri by List of cities in Missouri, population and area. The city lies within Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson, Clay County, Missouri, Clay, and Pl ...
, called ''PBR Cowboy Bar''. It eventually became a franchise and expanded to several other locations in the United States throughout the years. The other PBR Cowboy Bar locations are in
Arlington, Texas Arlington is a city in Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County, Texas, United States. It is part of the Mid-Cities region of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan statistical area, and is a principal c ...
; Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia; Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland; Bossier City, Louisiana; Cary, North Carolina;
Columbus, Ohio Columbus (, ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Ohio, most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 United States census, 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the List of United States ...
; Greensburg, Pennsylvania; Hampton, Virginia;
Louisville, Kentucky Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...
; Miami, Miami, Florida; Nashville, Tennessee; Norfolk, Virginia; Orlando, Florida; Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri. As of 2025, another location is planned in Pompano Beach, Florida.


See also

* Lists of rodeo performers * American Bucking Bull * Bull Riding Hall of Fame *
Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) is the largest rodeo organization in the world. It sanctions events in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, with members from said countries, as well as others. Its championship event is the N ...
* ProRodeo Hall of Fame * International Professional Rodeo Association *
Bull Riders Only Bull Riders Only, Inc. (BRO) was a professional bull riding organization based in Englewood, Colorado, United States. History Inspired by years of successful unsanctioned stand-alone bull riding events, businessman and former bull rider, Shaw ...
*
Championship Bull Riding Championship Bull Riding, Inc. (CBR) was a professional bull riding organization that was based in Weatherford, Texas, United States. History Stock contractor Terry Williams and Texas businessman Joel Logan founded Championship Bull Riding (CBR) ...
* Women's Professional Rodeo Association * Canadian Professional Rodeo Association * ''8 Seconds'' * ''Cowboy Up'' * The Ride (2010 film), ''The Ride'' (2010 film) * The Longest Ride (film), ''The Longest Ride'' (2015 film) * Fearless (2016 TV series), ''Fearless'' (2016 TV series) * The Ride (TV series), ''The Ride'' (2023 TV series) * ''The Last Rodeo''


Footnotes


References


Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * *


External links

* Official sites of Professional Bull Riders, Inc.:
Official website

Team Series site

Canada

Australia

Brazil

PBR Cowboy Bar

American Bucking Bull

Feature story about PBR on Hossli.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Professional Bull Riders TKO Group Holdings Professional Bull Riders, Sports organizations established in 1992 Rodeo organizations Organizations based in Texas Sports in Albuquerque, New Mexico Sports in Anaheim, California Sports in Arlington, Texas Sports in Austin, Texas Sports in Duluth, Georgia Sports in Fort Worth, Texas Sports in Glendale, Arizona Sports in Kansas City, Missouri Sports in Las Vegas Sports in Manhattan Sports in Nashville, Tennessee Sports in New York City Sports in Oklahoma City Sports in Sacramento, California Sports in Springfield, Missouri Sports in Sunrise, Florida Belmont Park Rodeo in the United States Rodeo in Canada Rodeo in Brazil Rodeo in Australia Bucking bulls Rodeo competition series Bull sports Professional Bull Riders: Heroes and Legends Bull riders Professional sports leagues in the United States