By: James Youness
PUEBLO, Colo. – Five years ago, if you had asked folks anywhere from top PBR executives to fans within dozens of popular tour markets to the riders themselves what their thoughts about a 5-on-5 bull riding league were, you would’ve lost half of the crowd by introducing the concept alone.
And a good four-fifths of those who may have stuck around to hear the idea out in whole before swiftly denouncing the format.
Rightfully so, as the sport of bull riding has always been a standalone sport (once upon a time breaking away from traditional rodeo to put on the true show), not to mention it’s traditionally been just one rider vs. one bull for … well, quite some time.
Yet after 29 years of allowing the cowboys to truly do their own thing, competing as individuals within Unleash The Beast, Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour, Touring Pro Division events and beyond, PBR CEO Sean Gleason and company took a leap of faith in attempting to transform the sport as we know it.
Part of being a cowboy; better yet, part of being an American, is showcasing bravery and seeking opportunity.
Just ask Cole Hauser, PBR’s most recent Western star to represent the organization within its enhanced branding campaign.
 Part of championing the new frontier involves risk.
So, when each of the eight founding owners and ownership groups decided to pull the trigger on giving this whole PBR Teams thing a whirl, they were doing so with a bit of uncertainty in the format, but plenty of confidence in the athletes and tour personnel themselves.
And thanks to a whole lot of dedication, a bunch of rank rides and one of the Western world’s most entertaining spectacles to date in the 2023 PBR Teams Championship once again invading Las Vegas and T-Mobile Arena and putting one hell of an exclamation mark on the second season of 5-on-5 thrills, the tour is only getting started …
… as the league welcomed its ninth and tenth organizations Friday morning, respectively, introducing the New York Mavericks and Oklahoma Wildcatters!
Both of which will be hosting early-season events in 2024, as the two new squads are wasting no time in getting fans familiarized with their new home team!
Starting with the Oklahoma Wildcatters, as Talor Gooch’s FJS Ventures has become a player in the bull riding industry after Gooch was named the 2023 LIV Golf Player of the Year. Partnering with Preston Lyon, CEO/President of Lyon Sports Group to form the company’s first business venture, the duo have returned a professional bull riding team to Oklahoma just one month after the Oklahoma Freedom relocated to Florida en route to becoming the Florida Freedom.
Set to compete within Paycom Center July 12-14, fans, riders and media members alike will get a reminder of how passionate Oklahoma bull riding supporters down that way really are, as the Wildcatters prepare to host the first homestand of the 2024 season in thrilling fashion.
Seeing one of the most entertaining and high-scoring short rounds in PBR history take place in Tulsa, Oklahoma, last month, we already know the bull power and dedicated fanbase await. We’ll just have to see what the team’s front office and coaching staff (expected to be announced next week) have in store for their inaugural team-building approach!
Across the country, Avenue Sports Fund, a venture recently launched by Avenue Capital Group, is primed to bring the New York Mavericks to Barclays Center Aug. 9-10 as the organization prepares to make a BANG in the Northeast.
With the 2022 World Champion in Daylon Swearingen hailing from Piffard, New York, and crowds continuing to pack arenas throughout the great Empire State, including stellar showings inside both Madison Square Garden (New York City) and MVP Arena (Albany, New York) earlier this season during Unleash The Beast events, it’s no surprise that Marc Lasry, Avenue Capital’s Chairman, CEO and Co-Founder, and company were interested in bringing North America’s quickest-erupting sport to New York.
 While the team will set up shop in Brooklyn, New York’s Barclays Center, the organization didn’t exactly stumble into bringing one of the country’s (and world’s) largest media, sports and entertainment markets in New York City.
Fans can expect to see the PBR Teams logo right alongside the team’s established branding throughout the marketing-maven of a region, as the league plans to support both of the new squads in ensuring year one is closer to a grand slam than your run-of-the-mill home run.
With the complete 2024 PBR Camping World Team Series schedule expected to be shared next month, the league’s schedule will feature 12 regular season events, with each of the 10 organizations hosting events in their respective markets and two neutral-site showdowns planned for Duluth, Georgia, and Anaheim, California.
Regarding schedule specifics, we’ll know more in the coming weeks, but regular season bye weeks are expected to be introduced, meaning 8 teams are likely to continue competing at each event, providing teams an occasional opportunity to rest throughout the action-packed season.
Speaking of personnel, two teams joining the fun means even more drama, as the league will now shift gears and prepare to host the first-ever PBR Teams Expansion Draft, allowing both the Mavericks and Wildcatters an opportunity to welcome talent from the existing eight teams.
With room for seven protected roster riders and up to five reserve roster riders, the organizations will then participate in the 2024 New Rider Draft, welcoming another wave of talent to their growing squads.
Once the pair of drafts pass and both teams understand what they’ve established, what they may want and who they need, they’ll join the other eight squads in embracing the free agency period, able to execute potential signings and releases as they fine-tune their opening night rosters.
 Thankfully for the Texas Rattlers and Nashville Stampede, they were able to capture the elusive gold buckle and PBR Teams Championship honors during their inaugural efforts of building successful squads.
For the other six teams who have given their all in assembling similar championship-caliber rosters, they’ll be forced to potentially revisit the drawing board and potentially even press the reset buttons as each squad is likely destined to lose at least one rider.
With the third year of action quickly approaching and March right around the corner, teams have already begun exploring the process of which riders they’ll chose to protect, thus leaving the remaining riders subject to being selected by either team during the 2024 Expansion Draft.
And after soaking in all of the electric drama that the 2023 PBR Teams Championship had in store, we can’t help but get excited to see how rosters are going to shake out when things are all said and done!
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