Professional Bull Riders (PBR) gave USA TODAY Sports an exclusive, behind-the-scenes sneak peek of Cole Hauser’s campaign shoot during the World Finals in Fort Worth, Texas. Hauser, who stars as Rip Wheeler on television’s No. 1 drama “Yellowstone,” is PBR’s newly minted brand ambassador and “the epitome of cowboy culture and Western values like hard work, toughness and determination,” said PBR Commissioner and CEO Sean Gleason.
The finals were all country and rock ‘n roll with Kid Rock surprising fans during a break in the action by taking the stage to sing “All Summer Long” with PBR’s official entertainer Flint Rasmussen.
As the world’s premier bull riding organization, PBR is celebrating 30 years of the annual Unleash The Beast tour (UTB), which features the top bull riders in the world competing for a $1 million bonus, the coveted golden buckle and World Champion title.
Many of these riders are also part of the PBR Team Series, which is in its second year. The eight-team bull riding league showcases five-on-five bull riding games across an 11-event season. The teams include the Arizona Ridge Riders, Carolina Cowboys, Kansas City Outlaws, Missouri Thunder, Nashville Stampede, Oklahoma Freedom, Texas Rattlers and the reigning champions the Austin Gamblers.
This growing sport is also featured in “The Ride,” a docuseries on Prime Video debuting globally on May 30. “The Ride” followed athletes during the inaugural 2022 PBR Team Series season, including 2022 World Champion Daylon Swearingen of the Carolina Cowboys and Austin Gambler Ezekiel Mitchell among others, showcasing their passion and commitment to the world’s most dangerous organized sport.
“The Ride” trains an unblinking eye on the often-battered athletes overmatched against 1,800-pound bulls bred to buck, from the locker rooms into the bucking chutes and home to their ranches during the week.
The World Finals – the seven-round championship for the individual bull-riding series that leads into the team league – culminates this weekend at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, and you can unleash the beast here.
