ProRodeo Sports News, June 1, 2018

good for everyone involved. Having this kind of money available at a regular- season rodeo is life-changing money. It is special we will have a rodeo like this that is part of the PRCA, and it is not every day that you get to ride in a stadium that holds more than 100,000 people and has a gigantic TV in the stadium. It is definitely a cool event and I’m looking forward to competing there next season.” Shane Hanchey, the 2013 PRCA tie-down roping world champ, agreed with Kimzey. “Anything that makes rodeo better is always a good thing,” Hanchey said.

years with The American,” Gottsch said. “I have so much respect for the PRCA and look forward to working together to take The American to even another level. I thank the Dallas Cowboys for their continued support and really appreciate the opportunity for a full weekend to now take The American to its full potential with this new, five-year agreement.” Taylor also addressed how the money earned at The American will impact contestants aiming to qualify for the Wrangler NFR. “The dollars are going to count toward the NFR,” Taylor said. “We are

RFD-TV continues to strengthen its commitment to Western sports and rodeo competitors with a substantial increase in prize money for the winners of The American for 2019. The American will pay prize money for four places. The long round conducted on March 2 will pay $50,000. Listed below are the new payouts for each event in The American finals. THE AMERICAN PAYOUTS

First Place ......................................... $100,000 Second Place ...................................... $25,000 Third Place ......................................... $10,000 Fourth Place ......................................... $5,000

“I’m excited, and how can you not be when a rodeo like that is coming to our side of the fence. I hope it motivates other rodeos to do the same. You can’t but not tip your hat to George (Taylor) for doing as much as he’s done since he has got in. It is a good time to be in the sport of rodeo.” The American will add break-away roping and a #9 team roping in 2019. AT&T Stadium and RFD-TV have agreed to a five-year deal to keepThe American Rodeo at AT&T Stadium. “We are proud to continue and extend our partnership with Patrick Gottsch and RFD-TV as the hosts of RFD-TV’s The American Rodeo. There is no better venue to experience this groundbreaking event than AT&T Stadium,” said Stephen Jones, chief operating officer of the Dallas Cowboys. “We’re certainly fired up about the next five years, and as big as it has already been, we want to continue to make it bigger and better.” Taylor said the process of the PRCA becoming involved withThe American began in January. The idea Taylor had at the forefront was to continue to grow the sport and have the impact in the communities that the PRCA wants. “We have to continue to evolve, so the fans get what they need out of the sport, and the rest will take care of itself,” Taylor said. Gottsch, founder of Rural Media Group Inc., is thrilled to have the PRCA on board. “RFD-TV is so proud of what’s been accomplished over the past five

going to includeThe American as part of the NFR system. What we have to figure out is how to translate that exactly to a new system. We are looking at points, we may have a division factor or something along those lines, but we are definitely going to include the money won (at The American) as a factor into the NFR standings.” The addition of break-away roping provides another way to impact the growth of Western sports by adding another thousand qualifiers with the chance to compete at AT&T Stadium. The World Series of Team Roping will bring a #9 handicapped Championship Team Roping event toThe American with a minimum guaranteed $100,000 in prize money. The #9 team roping will be the culmination of several qualifier events with the finals being held at AT&T Stadium on March 2. RFD-TV’s The American will continue to work with Better Barrel Races and Ultimate Calf Roping for The American. Since its debut in 2014, The American has paid more than $15 million to rodeo contestants at the qualifiers, semifinals and finals. Each year the top rodeo athletes in the world in each of the seven rodeo events are invited to compete at AT&T Stadium. With the unique, “open” format, anyone can qualify for the prestigious event through a series of qualifiers, which are currently underway around the U.S. Event dates and results can be found at AmericanRodeo.com.

Attending the announcement were from left, RFD-TV’s Steve Kenyon; Riley Lambert, events manager RFD-TV; steer wrestler Hunter Cure; tie-down roper Tyson Durfey; break-away ropers Jordan Jo Fabrizio and Jackie Hobbs-Crawford; RFD-TV’s Randy Bernard; PRCA CEO George Taylor; Stephen Jones, executive vice president, CEO and Director of Player Personnel for the Dallas Cowboys; Patrick Gottsch, founder of Rural Media Group Inc.; and USTRC’s Denny Gentry. Photo courtesy Kelly Alexander

ProRodeo Sports News 6/1/2018

ProRodeo.com

31