PBR’s Elite Unleash The Beast to Make First-Ever Tour Stop in Pensacola, Florida Oct. 24-25
Tickets for the premier series’ PBR Bad Boy Mowers Invitational, presented by Cooper Tires, on sale Monday, August 24 at 10:00 a.m. CDT
PENSACOLA, Fla. – For the first time in league history, PBR’s (Professional Bull Riders) elite Unleash The Beast will buck into Pensacola, Florida, welcoming fans into the Pensacola Bay Center Oct. 24-25 for the PBR Bad Boy Mowers Invitational, presented by Cooper Tires.
In cooperation with local government, as well as ASM Global and the Pensacola Bay Center, PBR has instituted a series of fan safety protocols for a safe and responsible event, including:
·All fans as well as staff and competitors will be required to wear face masks inside the Pensacola Bay Center.
·PBR will only sell up to 50% of arena capacity to separate fans.
·All fans will be in POD seating, which increases distancing and minimizes fan crossover when entering and exiting their seats.
·All PBR staff, riders and stock contractors will be subject to COVID-19 (coronavirus) medical testing.
·Increased sanitization of high-contact areas including bathrooms, concourses, concession stands, elevators, dining areas, and the Pensacola Bay Center Box Office.
·Hand sanitizer stations will be placed throughout the venue in high touch point areas to promote hand hygiene.
·There will be a focus on mobile ticketing.
·Merchandise sales will be limited to best-selling items to reduce lines and encourage speedier transactions.
The PBR Bad Boy Mowers Invitational, presented by Cooper Tires will mark the first ticketed event at the Pensacola Bay Center since the mid-March shutdown. In the months since, the venue has held 13 events, including 10 high school graduations and two college commencements, in addition to the Revolution Dance Talent Competition.
The PBR Unleash The Beast event in Pensacola, Florida, will replace the previously announced event that had been planned for Sept. 25-27 in Springfield, Missouri. Fans who purchased tickets for the Missouri event will be able to receive refunds from their original point of purchase.
Prior to mass-gathering restrictions implemented due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), PBR’s Unleash The Beast last competed in front of fans in Little Rock, Ark., at Simmons Bank Arena March 6-7. The sport then held closed events for its premier series in Duluth, Ga. at Infinite Energy Arena March 14-15, followed by three event weekends in Logan County, Okla., beginning April 25.
On July 10-12, PBR welcomed back fans for the first time in Sioux Falls, S.D. for the playoffs of a special team tournament created to keep the sport going during the pandemic, the groundbreaking PBR Monster Energy Team Challenge, as well as a Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour event. In the subsequent weeks, PBR has held fan-attended elite tour events in Bismarck, N.D., and Guthrie, Okla.
While the event will mark the first-ever PBR Unleash The Beast event in Pensacola, The City of Five Flags has welcomed the developmental Touring Pro Division four times. Kenny Westrope went a perfect 2-for-2 at the inaugural PBR event in Pensacola in 2005. Subsequent winners included: Brian Courson (2007), Daniel Constable (2009) and Jarrod Craig (2012).
Historically, the state of Florida has hosted 23 premier series events, with the Unleash The Beast making fourteen appearances in Tampa (1998-2007; 2009-2012), six in Jacksonville (2002; 2004-2006; 2008; 2017), and one in Fort Lauderdale (2005), Tallahassee (2009) and Hollywood (2013).
Of those events, World Champions have won 11, with five of those victories earned during their gold buckle season. Two-time PBR World Champions Justin McBride and Chris Shivers lead the contingent, each having won three of PBR’s past Florida events, the most of any other athletes in the league. McBride won the Jacksonville stop in 2005 and the Tampa event in 2007 en route to his World Championships, while Shivers dominated in Tampa in both 2000 and 2003 when he won the world.
Two-time PBR World Champion and Florida event winner J.B. Mauney, who first experienced success in the state in Jacksonville in 2008, topped the field in Hollywood in 2013 en route to his first World Championship.
The remaining World Champions to win in Florida are: 2004 World Champion Mike Lee (Jacksonville – 2002); 2008 World Champion Guilherme Marchi (Tampa – 2012); and 2009 World Champion Kody Lostroh (Fort Lauderdale – 2005).
Founding members of the PBR have also experienced success in the Sunshine State. Jerome Davis won the first-ever PBR Unleash The Beast event in Florida, topping the field in Tampa in 1998, while Aaron Semas was victorious in Tampa in 2001.
PBR’s elite tour most recently visited Florida in 2017, stopping in Jacksonville. Veteran rider Eduardo Aparecido went a flawless 3-for-3, including an 87.25-point ride on Bezerek, to capture one of his three event wins that season.
Other Florida event winners include: Bubba Dunn (Tampa – 1999); Mike White (Tampa – 2002 & 2004); Jody Newberry (Jacksonville – 2004); BrianCourson (Jacksonville – 2005); Ross Coleman (Tampa – 2006); Zack Brown (Tampa – 2009); Brian Canter (Tallahassee – 2009); Wiley Petersen (Tampa – 2010); and Robson Palermo (Tampa – 2011).
Earlier this season, PBR’s expansion series, the Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour travelled to Jacksonville in January when Dener Barbosa, now the world’s No. 8-ranked bull rider, went a perfect 2-for-2 to win the event, gaining crucial world points and inching closer to regaining a position inside the world’s Top 35 and a coveted position on the premier series.
This season, the PBR Unleash The Beast stop in Pensacola is crucial in the championship race to the PBR World Finals in early November, awarding a gold buckle and million-dollar bonus to the world’s best bull rider. The riders competing in Pensacola are anticipated to be led by current world No. 1 Jose Vitor Leme, along with three-time World Champion Silvano Alves, two-time World Champion Mauney, 2018 World Champion Kaique Pacheco,and2016 World Champion Cooper Davis.
The bull riding action for the PBR Bad Boy Mowers Invitational, presented by Cooper Tires begins with Round 1 at 6:45 p.m. CDT on Saturday, October 24, concluding with Round 2 and the championship round at 1:45 p.m. CDT on Sunday, October 25. All 35 bull riders will get on one bull each in Round 1 and 2. Following Round 2 on Sunday afternoon, the riders’ individual two-round scores will be totaled with the Top 15 advancing to the championship round for one more out and a chance at the $30,000 event title.
Additionally, in tandem with Round 1, Saturday evening’s event will also feature a 15/15 Bucking Battle, when the Top 15 bull riders in the world will compete in a special round, going head-to-head against the stop’s top bull power for both a separate purse and world points.
Tickets for the two-day event go on sale Monday, August 24 at 10:00 a.m. CDT and start at $15. They can be purchased online at Ticketmaster.com, the Pensacola Bay Center Box Office, or by calling PBR customer service at 1-800-732-1727.
PBR Elite Seats are available for avid fans who want an exclusive VIP experience while enjoying the world’s top bull riding circuit. These tickets offer premium seats, a question and answer presentation with some of the top bull riders and stock contractors in the world, a special photo opportunity after the event on the Can-Am Cage, and souvenir credential and lanyard. Social distancing will be practiced at all times throughout the experience.
About PBR (Professional Bull Riders):
PBR is the world’s premier bull riding organization. More than 700 bull riders compete in more than 200 events annually across the televised PBR Unleash The Beast tour (UTB), which features the top 35 bull riders in the world; the PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour (PWVT); the PBR Touring Pro Division (TPD); and the PBR’s international circuits in Australia, Brazil, Canada and Mexico. PBR’s digital assets include RidePass, which is home to Western sports. PBR is a subsidiary of IMG, a global leader in sports, fashion, events and media. For more information, visit PBR.com, or follow on Facebook at Facebook.com/PBR, Twitter at Twitter.com/PBR, and YouTube at YouTube.com/PBR.
About ASM Global:
ASM Global was formed in October 2019 from the merger of AEG Facilities, the global innovator in live entertainment venues, and SMG, the gold standard in event management. ASM Global is a venue management powerhouse that spans five continents, 14 countries and more than 300 of the world’s most prestigious arenas, stadiums, convention and exhibit centers, and performing arts venues. As the world’s most trusted venue manager, ASM Global provides venue strategy and management, sales, marketing, event booking and programming, construction and design consulting, and pre-opening services. Among the venues in our portfolio are landmark facilities such as McCormick Place & Soldier Field in Chicago, the Los Angeles Convention Center, Tele2 Arena in Stockholm, the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans and the Shenzhen World Exhibition and Conference Centre in Shenzhen, China. ASM Global also offers food and beverage operations through its concessions and catering companies.