This Is Not A Rodeo
This Is Not A Rodeo, the declaration that marks the opening of every Professional Bull Riders event. A simple statement that summarizes the mission of the 20 bull riders who parted ways with Rodeo in 1992 to start a bull riding league of their own. No longer would the men that considered themselves the true stars of Rodeo share the spotlight, and more importantly, prize money, with inferior Rodeo contestants. Steadfast in their confidence, each man was willing to part with $1, 000 of his own money to make bull riding a stand-alone sport. A seemingly modest investment, but for Rodeo athletes of that era, this was a giant leap of faith. From their $20,000, the Professional Bull Riders, or PBR, was born. An organization that is now among the fastest growing in all of sports. In 2007 the PBR merged with a New York based capital group for a sum approaching $100 million, thus culminating one of the great American success stories in recent history. Like any worthwhile story, this one is not w