Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association Commissioner Karl Stressman yesterday lauded the governing body's "overall health and expressed relief" at the PRCA's 10-year extension with Las Vegas Events and the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority to keep the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in the city "for the foreseeable future," according to Neal Reid of the LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL. Stressman was "bullish about the PRCA’s stature" going into '15. Stressman: "The financial picture of the PRCA is stronger than it’s ever been. The 2014 financial report will be very, very strong, and the 2015 budget that was created by the PRCA Board of Directors will be stronger than 2014." He said the PRCA’s rodeo count "stayed virtually the same as 2013, with just more than 600 sanctioned events, but that overall attendance at those events had slightly increased and checked in at 5.4 million." Stressman added that the association’s "total payout" was up nearly $2M to $41.1M, but the PRCA membership’s "recent rate of decline" of 3% annually had continued in '14. Meanwhile, Stressman noted that Wrangler NFR’s total purse will jump from $6.375M this year to $10M in '15. That "translates to an increase of go-round winners’ checks from $19,002 in 2014 to $27,800 next year and a boost for the Wrangler NFR average champions of $48,732 to between $76,000 and $77,000." Stressman said of the decision to keep the marquee event in Las Vegas, "This is the great home for the Wrangler National Finals, and we’re thrilled to be here for the next 10 years. It feels more like home today than it did a year ago. We felt like we were renting the facilities last year, and we feel like we’ve been invited to stay home this year. It is a win-win for everybody" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 12/10).
