Fort Worth’s First-Ever Professional Bull Riding Team Continues Inaugural Season with Three-Game Event in Kansas City, Missouri Aug. 5-7

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Ariat Texas Rattlers (0-2) to play Nashville Stampede (1-1), Carolina Cowboys (1-1) and Austin Gamblers (1-1) during PBR Outlaw Days at T-Mobile Center

Texas Rattlers. Photos courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – This weekend, the inaugural season for the 2022 PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Team Series will continue with the first team-hosted homestand, as the Kansas City Outlaws welcome the league to Kansas City, Missouri for PBR Outlaw Days, Aug. 5-7 at T-Mobile Center. The three-day event will feature the Ariat Texas Rattlers taking on the Nashville Stampede on Aug. 5, the Carolina Cowboys on Aug. 6, and the Austin Gamblers on Aug. 7, as well as a Bonus Round to assist in determining the event winner. The competition will begin at 7:45 p.m. CT on Friday, August 5, 6:45 p.m. CT on Saturday, August 6, and 11:00 a.m. CT on Sunday, August 7.

The Rattlers are one of eight founding teams in the new PBR Team Series – playing five-on-five bull riding games to crown a team champion Nov. 4-6 in Las Vegas. During the regular season, all teams will compete in 10 events, playing in a combined 28 games. The Rattlers will compete in Fort Worth, Texas, at Dickies Arena on October 7-9.

Ahead of the competition this weekend, below is a breakdown of the event format, daily matchups, starting rosters and more.

FORMAT: During the three-day, regular season event in Kansas City, each of the eight founding teams for the PBR Team Series will compete in a head-to-head, five-on-five bull riding game each day of competition. For the four games on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, each team’s head coach will select five riders to match against the five bulls assigned to their team. The team with the highest aggregate score will be the game winner, and ties will be allowed. Should a game end in a 0-0 tie, it will be counted as a loss for both teams. The same process will be repeated on the second and third night of competition, with each team facing a new opponent.

A bonus round will follow Sunday’s third round of games, with each team selecting one rider to attempt one final bull. This rider can be an alternate (bench) rider who has yet to compete in the event. The Bonus Round is independent of the results of that weekend’s previous games and only applies to the overall event standings in the case of a tie. Teams receive bonus points based on their rider’s placement in the Bonus Round: 1st (8 points), 2nd(7 points), 3rd (6 points), 4th (5 points), 5th (4 points), 6th (3 points), 7th (2 points), 8th (1 point). Teams will be placed via ride score and then buckoff time. 

The overall event-winning team will be the team with the best overall win-loss record. In the event of a tie in the event standings, a team’s bonus points will be the first tiebreaker. If there is still a tie, the second tiebreaker will be the team’s total aggregate score from its three games. The next and final tiebreaker will be combined buckoff time from a team’s games.  

LET’S RECAP CHEYENNE: The inaugural season for the PBR Team Series got underway in Cheyenne, Wyoming on July 25-26, and after the opening two games, the Ariat Texas Rattlers (0-2) are currently eighth in the league standings. On the opening night of competition, the Rattlers were narrowly beaten by the Missouri Thunder, falling 89.25-0. As game play continued, the Rattlers faced the Kansas City Outlaws on the second day of competition. Despite a late-game rally, the Rattlers were defeated by the Outlaws 173-85.75. In the bonus round, Head Coach Cody Lambert elected to match 2002 PBR World Champion Ednei Caminhas with Night Hawk. While Caminhas was bucked off by the bovine athlete in 5.57 seconds, the effort positioned the Rattlers fifth in the bonus round, earning them 4 points.

The Ariat Texas Rattlers are now eighth in the regular season standings, having gone 0-2 in game play, amassing 85.75 aggregate and 4 bonus round points.

PBR TEAM SERIES SEASON STANDINGS: Here are the current Team standings for the regular season after the season-launch event in Cheyenne, Wyoming:

1. Missouri Thunder, 2-0-0-1-263.5

2. Carolina Cowboys, 1-1-0-8-434.5

3. Austin Gamblers, 1-1-0-7-346.5

4. Arizona Ridge Riders, 1-1-0-6-252.75

5. Nashville Stampede, 1-1-0-3-424.75

6. Kansas City Outlaws, 1-1-0-2-173

7. Oklahoma Freedom, 0-2-0-5-176.5

8. Ariat Texas Rattlers, 0-2-0-4-85.75

GAME SCHEDULE: Below is the daily game schedule for the Ariat Texas Rattlers during PBR Outlaw Days:

Friday, August 5: Ariat Texas Rattlers @ Nashville Stampede

Saturday, August 6: Ariat Texas Rattlers @ Carolina Cowboys

Sunday, August 7: Austin Gamblers @ Ariat Texas Rattlers

Note: Teams can change their roster between games. The Rattlers’ rosters for their showdowns on Aug. 6-7 will be made available prior to the start of the game.

NOTE: For a complete list of all the game matchups scheduled for the Kansas City regular-season event, click here.

ARIAT TEXAS RATTLERS’ STARTING LINEUP & MATCHUPS – AUGUST 5:

(Note: Each rider and bull’s name are hyperlinked to their PBR.com bio page with additional competition stats and history.)

Head Coach Cody Lambert: A co-founder of the PBR, Cody Lambert is a true rodeo legend. Qualifying to the PBR World Finals from 1994-1996, Lambert remained intimately involved with the PBR following his retirement from competition, becoming the organization’s Livestock Director, a role he’s held for the past three decades, selecting the bulls that are an essential ingredient for the PBR’s explosive growth. In addition to being one of the inaugural inductees into the prestigious PBR Ring of Honor, Lambert is also a member of the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame and the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum’s Rodeo Hall of Fame.

Brady Fielder (Clermont, Queensland, Australia) vs. Live Fire (James Schultz/Frihauf Cattle Co.)

Cody Jesus (Window Rock, Arizona) vs. Drago (Jeb Fredericks/Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger)*

Rafael Jose de Brito (Potirendaba, Brazil) vs. Cousin Eddy (Lazy S4 Cattle/Shuler/Samford)

Braidy Randolph (Jonestown, Pennsylvania) vs. Nature Boy (D&H Cattle Company)

Joao Ricardo Vieira (Itatinga, Brazil) vs. Patches (Sho-Me Rodeo)

* Denotes a rematch. 

PBR Insider Justin Felisko’s Rider to Watch: The Rattlers had an extremely rough season-opener and now have further injury concerns with Ednelio Almeida injuring his groin this past weekend at the PBR Challenger Series event in St. Michael, North Dakota. Coach Cody Lambert really needs a rider to step up and help rally his team, and that rider may have to be Cody Jesus. The 24-year-old went 0-for-2 in Cheyenne, but expectations are high for the first-round draft pick after he finished runner-up to 2022 World Champion Daylon Swearingen at the 2022 PBR World Finals. Jesus gets a rematch against Drago, who bucked him off in 6.59 seconds in Indianapolis. For more from Felisko, click here.

Rematches to Watch: During the Ariat Texas Rattlers’ game against the Nashville Stampede, one rider will face a rematch.

  • Cody Jesus will climb aboard Drago for the second time in 2022. In January during the season-launch event in Indianapolis, Indiana, the bovine athlete bested Jesus in a close 6.59 seconds.

NASHVILLE STAMPEDE’S STARTING LINEUP & MATCHUPS – AUGUST 5:

(Note: Each rider and bull’s name are hyperlinked to their PBR.com bio page with additional competition stats and history.)

Head Coach Justin McBride: Two-time PBR World Champion Justin McBride won $5.1 million during his PBR career, the fifth-most in PBR history. McBride, who was inducted into the PBR Ring of Honor in 2008, holds the PBR record for event wins in a season with eight (2007) and all-time event wins (32). The native of Belton, Texas, has worked as a color commentator for the PBR on CBS Sports broadcasts for more than 10 years, providing clear insights and analysis drawing on his experience as one of the greatest bull riders of all time. No stranger to the coaching role, McBride led Team USA to victory as its coach at the PBR Global Cup in 2017 and 2020.

Kaique Pacheco (Itatiba, Brazil) vs. Whip (Obernagel/Sho-Me Rodeo)

Joao Henrique Lucas (Bastos, Brazil) vs. I’m No Angel (Cooper/Scruggs Bucking Bulls)

Fernando Henrique Novais (Pereira Barreto, Brazil) vs. Forbidden Fruit (Frihauf Cattle Co.)

Ryan Dirteater (Hulbert, Oklahoma) vs. Cliff Hanger (Pioneer Bulls)

Thiago Salgado (Navirai, Brazil) vs. Dagger (Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger)*

* Denotes a rematch. 

PBR Insider Justin Felisko’s Rider to Watch: How rare is it for 2018 World Champion Kaique Pacheco to buck off two consecutive bulls at the same event? Well, Pacheco went the last three months of the 2022 Unleash The Beast without bucking off two straight at an event. Pacheco surprisingly bucked off both his bulls on the final night of competition in Cheyenne, Wyoming – Shake & Bake (3.17 seconds) and Mike’s Motive (2.89 seconds) – but don’t expect him not to get back on track this weekend in Kansas City. Pacheco just signed a multi-year endorsement deal with the Stampede this week, and he will be looked upon to turn things around in Kansas City and help push his team up the standings. For more from Felisko, click here.

Rematches to Watch: During the Nashville Stampede’s game against the Ariat Texas Rattlers, one rider will face a rematch.

  • Thiago Salgado will have his rivalry with Dagger renewed. During his debut World Finals in 2021, Dagger bested Salgado in a heartbreaking 7.7 seconds during Round 4 of the prestigious event.

HOW TO WATCH: This weekend CBS Television Network will broadcast the first PBR Team Series Game of the Week on Sunday, August 7 at 12:00 p.m. ET, check your local listings. The telecast will feature the game between the Nashville Stampede and host Kansas City Outlaws. CBS Sports Network will televise LIVE all the action from PBR Outlaw Days on Sunday, August 7, with coverage beginning at 1:00 p.m. ET. PBR RidePass on PlutoTV will exclusively broadcast LIVE the opening days of action for PBR Outlaw Days beginning at 7:45 p.m. ET on Friday, August 5 and 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, August 6. PBR RidePass on PlutoTV will offer replays of all the PBR Team Series action from Cheyenne, Wyoming. Check https://pluto.tv/en/live-tv/pbr-ridepass for the latest programming schedule.

ENGAGE WITH THE RATTLERS: For more information about Texas Rattlers, visit https://pbr.com/teams/rattlers/,Texas Rattlers on Facebook, or @TexasRattlers_ on Instagram and Twitter.

ASSETS & INTERVIEWS: Following each game, photo and video assets of the Ariat Texas Rattlers will be made available. Remote interviews with team leadership, including Head Coach Cody Lambert, and competing riders will also be made available upon request.

ABOUT THE ARIAT TEXAS RATTLERS: Under the leadership of General Manager, Mark George the Texas Rattlers, coached by PBR co-founder Cody Lambert, are owned by the Fisher Family, founders of Gap Inc., one of the founding team owners for the launch of the PBR Team Series. Their team will be based in Fort Worth, Texas, competing at Dickies Arena for their inaugural Rattlers Days homestand on October 7-9, the 9th event of the league’s 10-event 2022 PBR Team Series regular season. For decades, the Fisher Family have made investments in footwear and apparel, real estate, and timberland and forest products, and education and sports, including ownership of the Oakland Athletics and San Jose Earthquakes. Through its Ariat brand, the official boot of PBR, the Fisher family have been longtime supporters of PBR. The family is actively involved with a number of philanthropic causes, including SFMOMA, The KIPP Foundation, and UCSF.

ABOUT THE PBR (PROFESSIONAL BULL RIDERS) TEAM SERIES: The PBR Team Series is an elite new league that will feature the world’s top bull riders competing on teams in five-on-five bull riding games during an 11-event season beginning in July and culminating in a team championship at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas November 4-6.  During the 2022 season, each of the eight teams representing teams in Austin, TX; Fort Worth, TX; Glendale, AZ; Kansas City, MO; Nashville, TN; Oklahoma City, OK; Ridgedale, MO; and Winston-Salem, NC will host a three-day homestand.  There will also be neutral site games in Cheyenne, WY and Anaheim, CA. To determine team rosters, the league held a rider draft on May 23 prior to start of the 2022 season among any bull riders who have declared for the draft during a league eligibility window. The PBR Team Series builds on the existing structure of professional bull riding with the same basic rules for judging and scoring qualified 8-second bull rides. Events will be staged in a tournament-style format with all teams competing in head-to-head matchups against a different opponent each day. Each game will feature five riders per team squaring off against another team. Full team rosters will be comprised of seven riders on the core roster and three practice squad members. The team with the highest aggregate score of qualified rides among its riders will be declared the winner of each game. The event winner will be the team with the most game wins across an event, with a special bonus round designed as a tie-breaker to determine final event standings. All PBR Team Series events will be carried on either the CBS Television Network, streaming live on Paramount+, CBS Sports Network, or RidePass on PlutoTV.

PRESS RELEASE COURTESY OF THE PBR

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