Professional Bull Riders


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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.

Professional Bull Riders
File:Professional Bull Riders logo.jpg
SportBull riding
Founded1992
CompetitorsOver 800 total, 45 in highest ranked tour
Country United States
 Canada
 Mexico
 Brazil
 Australia
Most recent
champion(s)		United States Kody Lostroh
Official websitePBRNow.com

The organization began in 1992 through the efforts of 21 professional bull riders, who each contributed $1000[1]. 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, with two judges scoring the rider and two scoring the bull. 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 in the 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.

Randy Bernard became CEO of the PBR in 1995, a position he held until he resigned in 2010 to become the CEO of the Indy Racing League.[2]

The PBR publishes its own magazine, Pro Bull Rider, six times a year.

PBR World Champions

References

  1. ^ * Fried Twinkies, Buckle Bunnies & Bull Riders: A Year Inside The Professional Bull Riders Tour, Josh Peter, Rodale, 2005
  2. ^ http://www.pbrnow.com/release/?id=6094
  • Fried Twinkies, Buckle Bunnies & Bull Riders: A Year Inside The Professional Bull Riders Tour, Josh Peter, Rodale, 2005