Rodeo - Professional Bull Riders(PBR), 1st Mariner Arena, Baltimore, MD, US.

Professional Bull Riders Baltimore Invitational.

Bull riding is the toughest sport on dirt.

Cowboys mosey their way into downtown Baltimore to take life by the horns during the Professional Bull Riders rodeo.

1st Mariner Arena, Baltimores largest indoor sports and entertainment facility, has long been considered an anchor, which contributed to the growth and prosperity of Baltimore.

Rodeo is a sport which arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain, Mexico, and later the US, Canada, South America and Australia.

Bull riding is a rodeo sport that involves a rider getting on a large bull and attempting to stay mounted for at least 8 seconds while the animal attempts to buck off the rider. The rider tightly fastens one hand to the bull with a long braided rope. It is a risky sport and has been called the most dangerous eight seconds in sports.

The rules are simple. Place a wiry 150-pound cowboy on the back of a hulking, snorting temperamental 2,000 pound bull and see if he can ride the beast for an eternal eight seconds . . . with one hand strapped to the bulls massive backside.

Headquartered in Colorado, the Professional Bull Riders, Inc. was created in 1992 when a group of 20 visionary bull riders broke away from the traditional rodeo scene seeking mainstream attention for the sport of professional bull riding.

Owned today by 44 cowboys, management and Spire Capital, the PBR celebrated its most successful year of existence in 2007, establishing milestones in organizational revenue, bull rider earnings, record breaking performances, and media attention.

More than 1,200 bull riders from the U.S., Australia, Brazil, Canada, and Mexico hold PBR memberships. They compete in more than 300 bull riding events per year on either the elite tour, which is the Built Ford Tough Series presented by Wrangler (BFTS), the 3 minor league tours, which are the Challenger Tour, the Enterprise Rent-A-Car Tour, and the Discovery Tour, or the PBR Internationalcircuits (PBR Australia, PBR Brazil, PBR Canada and PBR Mexico). The ultimate goal for PBR athletes each year is to qualify for the prestigious PBR World Finals in Las Vegas where the coveted title of PBR World Champion is decided.

The annual prize money has sky-rocketed to more than $10 million dollars.

With the success of the PBR and the increasing sponsorship interests, major television networks continue to support the PBR, as well. Additionally, foreign broadcasts reached 84 countries and more than 500 million households.

The combination of raw sport and quality entertainment has propelled the PBR to strong growth in live attendance as well. Impressive audience numbers indicate that the PBR is making an indelible impression on mainstream America.

Professional bull riding is a fierce, rough, and grueling sport with roots deeply imbedded in American culture. It is Americas original extreme sport. The PBR has evolved into a captivating and adrenaline charged sporting event that features an all star cast of the greatest bull riders and bucking bulls in the world.

The PBRs 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.

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

Criticism

There is a heated debate between animal rights organizations and bull riding enthusiasts over many aspects of the sport. The first controversy is over the use of a flank strap. Critics also claim that hot shots, electric cattle prods, are used to injure and torture the bulls. Cattle prods have not been used in the PBR tour for several years.

Spurs are also a source of controversy, though modern rodeo rules place strict regulations on the type and use of spurs, and participants point out that they are a tool commonly used in other non-rodeo equestrian disciplines.

Bull riding also has the highest rate of injury of any rodeo sport. It accounts for approximately 50% of all traumatic injuries to rodeo contestants, and the bullriders have the highest injury rate of any non-contestant group.

>City(s) = Baltimore; State(s) = MD; Country = USA.
>Title = Rodeo - Professional Bull Riders (PBR), Baltimore, MD, US - Video.
>Keywords = Rodeo, Professional Bull Riders, PBR, 1st Mariner Arena, Baltimore, MD, US, toughest sport, riding, Built Ford Tough Series, World Cup, Cowboys indoor sports, cattle herding, Spain, Mexico, Canada, South America, Australia, seconds, in, ourtripvideos, our, trip, videos, crlapindfrn, Colorado, Spire Capital, elite tour, Wrangler, BFTS, Challenger, Enterprise, Rent, Car, Discovery, Internationalcircuits Finals, Las Vegas, short go, 2010 (143)
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