2020 PRCA Annual Report

MESSAGE FROM OUR CEO

Dear PRCA Members:

The year 2020 was a year like no other because of the coronavirus pandemic. After canceled rodeos and COVID-19 restrictions, agility and change were the requirements for the sport of ProRodeo to move forward. Through new partnerships, locations and support of season-ending events, the PRCA offered its fans and members a full Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (NFR) and payout of $10 million, and still had financial success in 2020. Since 1985, the NFR has been held at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, but because of COVID-19 restrictions in Nevada, the venue was unavailable for live entertainment with fans. Alternatively, we partnered with the State of Texas and Cities of Arlington and Fort Worth to host our four-day PRCA Convention and 62nd Wrangler NFR at Globe Life Field, the home of the Texas Rangers. We also partnered with the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association for the inaugural Wrangler National Finals Breakaway Roping that was held in conjunction with the NFR. It was a valuable opportunity for breakaway roping contestants to compete for the first-ever world championship and a $200,000 purse. Amid challenging times, we set a new bar for the Wrangler NFR. We had roughly 90 days to plan ProRodeo’s premier event that wouldn’t have happened without many dedicated individuals. The role everyone took to move things forward was impressive. Also, for the first time, we provided financial assistance to 57 rodeos in the wake of the pandemic. Our Kick Open the Chutes program was successful and included our first fan-less rodeo in Cave Creek, Arizona. All told, the PRCA provided nearly $1M of rodeo and purse assistance to committees in 2020. Although sponsorship was down in 2020, media was up. Our goal was to grow 20-30%, and we undershot that. We had some sponsors that struggled amid the pandemic, but we still achieved growth between sponsorship and media. PRCA digital livestreams were up 17% in 2020, and social media impressions increased by 40%. PRCA Facebook followers grew by 26%/85% on Instagram. We had massive growth intentionally around social media in 2020 and have continued to see those numbers rise. Through our robust partnership with Rural Media Group, PRORODEO content and coverage expanded significantly, growing PRORODEO viewership from 12 million to more than 55million. In addition, 200 PRORODEO performances were livestreamed on the PRCA on Cowboy Channel Plus app, and NFR coverage ran from 2 p.m. through 12:30 a.m. daily on The Cowboy Channel, the PRCA on Cowboy Channel Plus app and RFD-TV. That is our focus, to keep driving content to grow our sport’s fanbase. Although 31 ProRodeo Tour rodeos were canceled in 2020, the PRCA successfully hosted the Gold Buckle Beer ProRodeo Tour Finale in Rapid City, S.D. We offered a $320,000 payout, and that partnership with Rapid City was key to making that happen. Other championships that required new partnerships and locations in 2020 were the PRCA Xtreme Bulls Finale held in Nephi, Utah, and the RAM National Circuit Finals Rodeo, moving from Kissimmee, Fla., to Greeley, Colo. We had a $500,000 payout event for our circuit cowboys, which we felt was critical. The PRCA hosted its first Jr. NFR in 2020 – with more than 600 contestants – in conjunction with The American at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. It was an exciting opportunity for us. Jr. Rodeo is an important bedrock of where we’re going and driving the pipeline of athlete development is vital. We look forward to continued involvement in growing our young rodeo athletes. Other PRCA advancements in 2020 included launching an updated PRORODEO.com website and transitioning rodeo entries online. In 2020, 84% of rodeos were made available online and 75% of entries were completed online. Contestants really like the 24/7 availability, and we anticipate those numbers will continue to increase. The PRCA gained momentum in 2020 despite COVID-19. The PRCA will continue to focus on growing the fan experience and bringing together rodeo partners and communities to achieve far-reaching results. We have a lot of bright spots on the horizon, and together we will make things happen.

“THROUGH NEW PARTNERSHIPS, LOCATIONS AND SUPPORT OF SEASON-ENDING EVENTS, THE PRCA STILL HAD FINANCIAL SUCCESS IN 2020.”

Best regards,

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