ProRodeo Sports News - Sept. 4, 2020

SHORT ROUND

Survey: Rodeo fans want to attend NFR Rodeo Ready

T he Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association conducted a survey, and the results could not be clearer: ProRodeo fans want to attend the 2020 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, regardless of location. In early August, the PRCA and Las Vegas Events surveyed fans nationwide. With more than 40,000 responses, nearly 80% said they would travel to attend the NFR. Given an array of options, most fans prefer to see the event somewhere in Texas. “The fans have spoken, and we hear them,” PRCA CEO George Taylor said. “Our fans are imperative to the National Finals Rodeo. The PRCA is committed to the NFR, our sponsors, our members and our fans.” The PRCA is asking rodeo fans to sign up at prorodeo.com/2020-nfr- ticket-drawing to get early news on the announcement of a location for the 2020 Wrangler NFR. Fans will get advance notice of the 2020 venue plus a chance to win a

pair of tickets to one performance of the Wrangler NFR. When it came to other events critical to the 2020 NFR, the most important event for fans was Cowboy Christmas, at nearly 90%, followed by the Wrangler NFR Nightly Buckle Presentation. The PRCA is committed to finding a location to host the NFR and to provide ample space for the additional events that come with the PRCA’s marquee event. “We’re watching other professional sports struggle,” Taylor said. “This has been a tough year for all of us. Our approach to getting through this is to listen to our fans and to stay connected to the character of the cowboys who are at the center of rodeo.” In this year of the COVID-19 pandemic, ProRodeo fans indicated that hand sanitizing stations were the most important aspect of maintaining a clean arena. Enhanced sanitizing was also high

on the priority list, while masks being offered, temperature checks, maintaining social distancing, cashless processes and queuing lines were deemed less important. Las Vegas isn’t a feasible option to host the NFR this year, so the PRCA has been exploring other options. The PRCA is committed to recreating the experience of the NFR in Las Vegas, wherever it lands, and a decision on the 2020 venue will be announced by Sept. 30.

Gold Buckle Beer named Tour Finale title sponsor

The PRCA is proud to announce that Gold Buckle Beer will be the title sponsor for the 2020 ProRodeo Tour Finale. The 2020 Gold Buckle Beer ProRodeo Tour Finale will take place at the James Kjerstad Event Center in Rapid City, S.D., Sept. 22-26 and will crown the champions of the 2020 ProRodeo Tour.

season to earn significant money that goes toward qualifying for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, Dec. 3-12. Watch past and future NFR contestants battle it out for the coveted 2020 Gold Buckle Beer ProRodeo Tour Finale title on The Cowboy Channel and on the PRCA on Cowboy Channel Plus App. “Having a national sponsor like Gold Buckle

“Gold Buckle Beer is a truly valued sponsor of ProRodeo,” PRCA CEO George Taylor said. “It’s a privilege to have them as the title sponsor of the ProRodeo Tour Finale.” The Top 24 competitors in each event in the ProRodeo Tour Standings qualify for the Tour Finale. Competitors travel across North America in hopes of qualifying for the Tour Finale, picking up points at some of ProRodeo’s biggest events, including Denver, San Antonio, Houston, The American and Fort Worth. With a payout of more than $300,000, competitors will have a chance on the final weekend of the 2020 regular

Beer step up and give these cowboys a payout they deserve in a year like this is huge,” said Rorey Lemmel, producer of the Gold Buckle Beer Tour Finale. “We’re bringing in the best stock contractors and personnel to showcase the Top 24 contestants and see who will punch their ticket for the NFR.” The Tour Finale moved from Puyallup, Wash., to Rapid City due to complications from the COVID-19 pandemic. For ticket information for the Gold Buckle Beer ProRodeo Tour Finale, go to https://bit.ly/2Ym9fQf.

ProRodeo Sports News 9/4/2020

ProRodeo.com

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