Where have all the cowboys gone?
While some are still herding livestock and roping cattle, you'll find that a fair share are holding on for dear life, hoping to stay perched on the backs of an ever-irritable, bucking bull for an elusive eight seconds as competitors in the Professional Bull Riders circuit.
Although most of the daring wranglers appear to be down-home country boys or former ranch hands with rural backgrounds, some had very diverse upbringings and many had different ways of quenching their thirst for thrills before finding their way into the PBR.
According to Denise Abbott, vice president of public relations for PBR, a number of competitors came from careers in other extreme sports, such as surfing, snowboarding and wakeboarding, with many hailing from the far reaches of the globe, including Australia, Brazil, Canada and Mexico.
Since its inception in 1992, the diversity of PBR competitors has grown along with the national exposure to the sport.
"It's more than just cowboys competing and watching in the stands," says Abbott. "PBR has really brought all walks of life to the sport."
Abbott says that the competitors' attire has certainly become more flamboyant. One competitor rides with long braids, diamond earrings and a custom grill - dental jewelry.
In a very short time, PBR has established itself as a major player in the professional sporting world in a very short time. Total viewership, including event attendees and the television audience, grew more than 50 percent between 2002 and 2004.
Perhaps contributing legitimacy to what PBR calls "America's original extreme sport," the producers of the bull-riding circuit have taken a page out of the professional wrestling playbook by incorporating pyrotechnic-infused light shows, entrance music and large backdrops into the 31-date, nationally televised "Built Ford Tough" Series that will come to 1st Mariner Arena this weekend.
"There is a very WWE-type opening," says Abbott. "We've been featuring those type of effects for over 10 years now."
Although the entrances may be elaborate, the sport remains the same. Each competitor rides one at a time and is judged on a 100-point scale. Half of the score is based on a rider's ability to stay on the bull after it is let out of the gate, while the other half of the score is based on the bucking bull's aggression and movements.
The PBR didn't always have packed stands and epic entrances at its events.
The circuit was started thanks to a grass-roots movement by 20 ambitious bull riders who were sick of sharing the spotlight with other rodeo performers. They broke the bounds of the traditional rodeo scene in 1992 when each invested $1,000 (some riders even borrowed from family members) to create a competitive circuit specifically for bull riders.
Those 20 hopefuls have since grown to 800 members, with the top 45 "money-makers" competing in the national tour.
Despite the fact that a more diverse group is performing at and attending PBR events these days, Abbott says the Western spirit is still alive and well.
"You'll have guys break out their cowboy hat during competition," says Abbott, "but they'll switch it for a baseball cap when they're done."
brad.schleicher@baltsun.com
The top 45 Professional Bull Riders will compete at 7 p.m. Saturday and at 2 p.m. Sunday at 1st Mariner Arena, 201 W. Baltimore St. Admission is $22-$102. For tickets, visit the 1st Mariner Arena Box Office, call 410-547-7328 or go to ticketmaster.com.