The Professional Bull Riders, Inc. (PBR) will rock the Music City when the elite Built Ford Tough Series presented by Wrangler (BFTS) rolls into Nashville's Sommet Center on August 29 & 30, 2008. The Jack Daniel’s Invitational gets underway at 8 p.m. on Friday and 7:50 p.m. on Saturday. This is the PBR’s ONLY televised event stop in Tennessee during the 2008 season. The Jack Daniel’s Invitational will air on VERSUS on Saturday, August 30 at 9:30 p.m. and on Sunday, August 31 at 8 p.m. (Eastern Time).
For as little as $10, fans will be treated to more than two hours of heart-pounding action, showcasing the classic battle of man vs. beast with world-class production, pyrotechnics and rock-n-roll. Tickets can be purchased through the Sommet Center Box Office, ticketmaster.com or by phone at 800-448-7849.
To kick off the event, fans can stop by the free PBR Fan Zone located at Sommet Center Plaza - 5th & Broadway at 4:30 p.m. on Friday and 3:30 p.m. on Saturday. Fans will be treated to live entertainment on the Cooper Stage. On Saturday, fans can meet some of their favorite PBR riders, get autographs, and walk through interactive sponsor booths.
The Nashville event also will be one of the featured stops on the Bull Team Challenge Tour where twenty-two teams are competing for their share of the $1.1 million total tour purse and the $250,000 prize for the top team of 2008. In stop fourteen of seventeen, the Bull Team Challenge will present $20,000 to the team whose total score is the highest for the weekend and $10,000 to the second-highest scoring team.
Topping the list of contestants in Nashville is current number one man Guilherme March (Leme, SP, Brazil), two-time PBR World Champion Justin McBride (Elk City, Okla.) (2005 and 2007) along with PBR World Champions Mike Lee (Decatur, Texas) (2004) and Ednei Caminhas (Presidente Alves, SP, Brazil) (2002). Each will ride alongside legendary three-time PBR World Champion Adriano Moraes (Cachoeira Paulista, Sao Paulo, BZ) (1994, 2001 and 2006) in this two-day man vs. beast competition. Moraes announced earlier this year that 2008 will be his last season riding bulls; this is Nashville’s last chance to see the most decorated bull rider in PBR history in action.
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About the PBR:
More than 100 million viewers tune in each year to the PBR on FOX, NBC, VERSUS, ESPN2 and on a host of foreign networks across the globe. With approximately 400 hours of prime time programming annually PBR ranks among the most prolific sports on air, in addition to attracting over one and one half million live event attendees each year with its multi-tiered event structure which includes the marquee Built Ford Tough Series presented by Wrangler, the Copenhagen Bull Riding Challenger Tour, the Enterprise Rent-A-Car Tour, and the Discovery Tour, designed specifically for entry level contestants. The PBR's governing board of directors is comprised of renowned bull riders who have developed the event into a stand alone sport which is experiencing unprecedented growth in global popularity. The PBR is headquartered in Pueblo, Colo., and has over 1,200 PBR bull riders compete in more than 300 PBR sanctioned competitions in the United States, Australia, Brazil, Canada, and Mexico.
The Professional Bull Riders, Inc. (PBR) is pleased to announce its return to The World’s Most Famous Arena, Madison Square Garden as the 2009 elite Built Ford Tough Series presented by Wrangler (BFTS) bucks into New York City for the Madison Square Garden Invitational. The top 45 bull riders in the world will battle the top bovine athletes on January 9-11, 2009 with action getting underway at 8:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday. For three action-packed performances, the world’s best riders will put on a bull riding competition unlike any other the Big Apple will see all year.
“The Madison Square Garden event has quickly become the most popular stop on our tour besides the World Finals,” PBR CEO Randy Bernard commented. “We’re thrilled to make our third trip back to this historic arena.”
"The Professional Bull Riders have become a highlight of our annual sports and entertainment calendar and Madison Square Garden is thrilled to host the PBR for its third consecutive year," said Joel Fisher, executive vice president, MSG Sports.
New Yorkers will be treated to sights and sounds that are not an everyday occurrence---more than 700 tons of dirt will be loaded into the Garden, cowboy hats, boots, and jeans will be the fashion trend for the weekend, and the sounds of bulls snorting rather than car horns will be heard on the streets. Past activities included bull riders taking on their animal counterpart on the corner of 33rd & 8th in a special exhibition and the bulls being driven down the streets of New York. Stay tuned for all the exciting events that will take place as the PBR invades the city in 2009!
PBR fans will be treated to rides by top athletes such as Guilherme Marchi (Leme, SP, Brazil) who looks to be on track for his first world title after finishing runner-up for three consecutive years. Marchi will be joined in the Garden by 2007 NYC champ Valdiron de Oliveira (Aparecida de Goiania, GO, Brazil), two-time PBR World Champion Justin McBride (Elk City, Okla.) and fan favorite J.B. Mauney (Mooresville, N.C.).
Tickets go on sale for this premier event, exclusively to TeamPBR Fan Club members starting Tuesday, September 2 at 10 a.m. EST by calling 800 732 1727. On Friday, tickets are available starting at $10 and then increase to $15, $30, $45, $95, and $195. For Saturday and Sunday, tickets start at $10 and increase to $15, $35, $50, $95, and $195. For more ticket information, please visit http://www.pbrnow.com/pbr-newyork-tickets/.
To become a TeamPBR Fan club member and enjoy privileges such as purchasing tickets to all Built Ford Tough Series presented by Wrangler events before the general public, please visit http://www.teampbr.com/site.php.
Tickets will be available exclusively online at www.Ticketmaster.com from Wednesday, September 10 at 10 a.m. EST to Friday, September 12 at 11:59 p.m. EST. Starting on Saturday, September 13, the general public will have access to tickets by phone at 866 448 7849, in person at the Madison Square Garden Box Office, and online at TheGarden.com.
The format of the Madison Square Garden Invitational consists of four rounds of competition with the first three rounds featuring the top 45 qualified riders randomly matched against the sport’s rankest bulls. The top 15 riders based upon their total cumulative score after three rounds will qualify for the Built Ford Tough Championship Round, the final decisive round of action which will happen at the conclusion of the third performance on Sunday, January 11th. The rider with the highest score on four bulls will take the coveted event title!
For more information on the Professional Bull Riders and their return to the Big Apple, please contact Katharine Sherrer at 719 242 2800 ext. 3372 or visit www.pbrnow.com.
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About the PBR:
More than 100 million viewers tune in each year to the PBR on FOX, NBC, ESPN, VERSUS, and on a host of foreign networks across the globe. With approximately 400 hours of prime time programming annually, PBR ranks among the most prolific sports on air, in addition to attracting over one and one half million live event attendees each year with it multi-tiered event structure which includes the marquee Built Ford Tough Series presented by Wrangler, the Copenhagen Bull Riding Challenger Tour, the Enterprise Rent-A-Car Tour, and the Discovery Tour, designed specifically for entry level contestants. The PBR is headquartered in Pueblo, Colo., with additional offices in Australia, Brazil, Canada, and Mexico. The PBR prides itself in its 1,000 plus stock contractor relationships and over 1,200 PBR bull riders competing in more than 300 PBR sanctioned competitions in five countries.
About Madison Square Garden:
MSG Sports Properties is part of Madison Square Garden, L.P. owned by Cablevision Systems Corporation and includes the New York Knicks (NBA); the New York Rangers (NHL); the New York Liberty (WNBA); the Hartford Wolf Pack (American Hockey League); MSG Entertainment, which includes concerts and events at Radio City Music Hall, Madison Square Garden, The WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden, the Beacon Theatre, as well as the legendary Chicago Theatre; and which manages wholly-owned live entertainment properties including the Radio City Rockettes and the Radio City Christmas Spectacular; MSG Media, which is comprised of television networks MSG and MSG Plus, and MSG Interactive which oversees all company wireless and online initiatives; Fuse, the music television network; and the Madison Square Garden arena complex, located in the heart of the New York metropolitan area.
Question: Earlier this year, when you made your Built Ford Tough Series debut, what was your goal for the 2008 season?
Answer: The first event I went to all I wanted to do was to do good. Rookie of the Year, that wasn’t even … I hadn’t even thought about it until people started talking about it. I just wanted to do good and ride my bulls. Whatever they run under me, whatever I draw, I just wanted to win.
