Professional Bull Riders (PBR) Teams take what was nearly a century an individual sport and puts riders on teams.
The world’s best compete on teams in five-on-five bull riding games during an 11-event season culminating in the PBR Championship at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on October 20-22, according to PBR officials.
There are eight teams competing in the 2023 season, with the possibility of expansion in the future. Founding teams are the Arizona Ridge Riders, Austin Gamblers, Carolina Cowboys, Kansas City Outlaws, Missouri Thunder, Nashville Stampede, Oklahoma Freedom, and Texas Rattlers.
All eight teams compete in head-to-head, five-on-five games against a different opponent each day (totaling four games per event day). The team with the highest aggregate score from the respective matchup will win that game.
The event winner is the team with the most game wins across an event. In the event of a tie for first place, extra outs are held to determine the event winner. If both teams fail to record a ride score after five outs, both teams are given a loss.
Teams win prize money for event wins, which does not affect the regular season standings. As with other team sports leagues, game wins and losses are crucial.
Wins and losses at the end of the 10-event regular season determine the teams going into the PBR Teams Championship. All eight teams qualify for the PBR Teams Championship playoffs.
The two teams that finish first and second in the regular-season standings will receive a first-round bye.
During the regular season, if two or more teams are tied for first place at the conclusion of the event, extra outs – up to three additional rounds of bull riding competition – come into play.
Extra outs will feature one rider per team per round if tied for first place in the event standings. The team coach designates any rider from the final event roster to compete in each extra out.
The high-marked qualified score in an extra out round will result in a win for the rider’s team, and the event will conclude.
If there is no qualified ride in the first extra out, there will be a second extra out, and then a third if there still are no qualified extra-out rides.
If there are no qualified rides after three extra outs, the tiebreaker will be the aggregate score from the event.
Teams have a roster of up to seven “protected roster” riders and up to five “reserve roster” riders. Teams can then use free agency to sign riders to their rosters.
During the competition, teams have five starters and up to seven riders on their bench. These riders can be subbed in/out of games throughout an event weekend, giving teams flexibility for optimal performance.
In regular-season and championship games as well as during extra outs, a coach may make an in-game roster substitution. But only in the instances of a re-ride award, if the team is mathematically unable to win the game, or if the team has clinched the game win.
Rules for a rider on a bull are the same as in the PBR’s individual series and tours: eight seconds, hang onto the bull rope, and don’t touch the bull with the free arm, or the ground.
Five bulls via eight bull pens will be randomly drawn to teams. Coaches will work with their riders to determine bull assignments, which may change from game to game within an event.
Championship is an elimination-tournament format with all teams participating. The elimination format includes a Last Chance Game for losing teams to attempt to win their way back into the championship race before Championship Sunday.
There will be a $100,000 League Most Valuable Player (MVP) based on the highest individual aggregate score total across all outs in the season and a $10,000 event MVP for the highest aggregate score across each event.
Riders cannot compete twice in a given game or round. If a team doesn’t have five available riders for a game, they forfeit the rides.
Throughout an event, coaches may rotate their starting lineup as they see fit.
+++30+++
