Since it was acquired by WME-IMG 18 months ago, PBR has been making a "grand play on every media front -- social, streaming Internet, mobile -- to jam itself into the national sporting conversation," according to Jay Busbee of YAHOO SPORTS. Competitive bull riding is "exactly the kind of event that American sports fans ought to love: competitive, violent, loud as hell." But PBR faces competition "from every angle" and from "other entertainment options." But to "clear space in today’s overcrowded media environment, you’ve got to make an earsplitting noise. And PBR has the volume aspect nailed." PBR’s Built Ford Tough Series is the "farthest-reaching and most lucrative of many different bull-riding tours." PBR "claims annual attendance of more than three million at its events, and awarded" more than $10M in prize money this year. In addition to the BFTS, PBR is also "underwriting or aiding in the development of a range of lower-level feeder tours." PBR "vaulted upward" when WME-IMG bought it in '15. PBR CEO Sean Gleason said of the type of new audience WME-IMG could bring in, "They’re not rural, they’re not urban, but they’ve got roots in rural and suburban lifestyles. I wouldn’t say it’s entirely red-state, but it is a wholesome, Americana audience." Busbee noted PBR "takes the minor-league-baseball approach of making the experience, rather than the riders, the star of the show." Every PBR arena "looks like a NASCAR car crossbred with your Facebook feed." Every point on the compass "features tone-appropriate sponsors like Jack Daniels, Wrangler, Ford, and Dickies." Busbee: "It’s all pushing one single, overriding message: Watch what happens next" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 11/7).
