Professional Bull Riders
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| Professional Bull Riders | |
|---|---|
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| Sport | Bull riding |
| Founded | 1992 |
| No. of competitors | Over 800 total, 45 in highest ranked tour |
| Country |  United States Canada Mexico Brazil Australia |
| Current champion | Template:Guilherme Marchi |
| Official website | PBRNow.com |
Professional Bull Riders, Inc. (PBR) is an international professional bull riding organization based in Pueblo, Colorado, USA. PBR events are televised on Versus, FOX, CBS,and NBC. More than 800 cowboys from the U.S., Canada, Brazil, Australia, and Mexico hold PBR memberships.
The organization began in 1992 through the efforts of 20 professional bull riders, who each contributed $1000. Since that time, the organization has grown to include four tours which collectively stage over 300 events worldwide every year. Prize money has exploded from $250,000 in 1994 to over $11 million in 2008.
The PBR's premier tour, the Built Ford Tough Series, includes 31 events across the country every year. Pyrotechnics, pulsating music and special effects open each event, and each features the top 40 riders in the world at the time. Riders attempt to stay on a bucking bull for eight seconds, and rides are judged based on both the rider's and the bull's performance. At the end of each event, the top 15 riders compete in the short round, or "short go"; the rider with the highest point total from the entire event becomes the winner.
Since 2007, PBR also host a team competition format called PBR World Cup, where 25 bull riders compete to win the title of best bull riders nation.
Total viewership, including event attendees and the television audience, grew 51.93 percent between 2002 and 2004. In 2004, 16.4 million fans watched or attended a PBR event. In 2008, over 100 million watched the PBR on television, and over 1.7 million attended a live event.
Since 1995, Randy Bernard runs the PBR as CEO.
The PBR publishes its own magazine, Pro Bull Rider, seven times a year.
[edit] External links
- Professional Bull Riders, Inc.
- TeamPBR - official fan club
- Professional Bull Riders ticketing information
- Feature story about PBR on Hossli.com
- [1] World's best bull riders are ready for their 8 seconds
