Professional Bull Riders BassPro Shop Chute Out

PHOENIX - Following a year hiatus, fans in Phoenix will once again get the opportunity to cheer on the stars of the PBR during the upcoming 2014 PBR BassPro Shop Chute Out season. 

During this two-day event, the Top 35 bull riders in the world will face off with foes nearly 100 times their weight in sinewy brawn during 8-second battles where only one athlete will be left standing. The action begins Saturday, March 8, at 8p.m. and 2:50p.m. on Sunday, March 9.

The bull riders will face one bull each during Round 1 on Saturday and Round 2 on Sunday. Following Round 2, the top 10 to 15 riders with the highest cumulative scores will advance to the BassPro Shop Chute Out Championship Round that same day. The overall event winner will be the rider with the highest-combined score from all three rounds.

Silvano Alves won the 2012 Glendale Invitational, pocketing $42,973 and thrilling more than 11,000 fans. PBR is expecting much of the same in 2014.

Fans are encouraged to utilize the METRO Light Rail if possible; round-trip travel is included with all tickets purchased to events at the U.S. Airways Center.

Among the stars expected to compete at the U.S. Airways Center are former PBR World Champions Silvano Alves (2011, 2012), Renato Nunes (2010) and Kody Lostroh (2009). Previous Phoenix area event winners Valdiron de Oliveira (2011) & L.J Jenkins (2010) are also expected to ride.  

Tickets, ranging in price from $15 to $100, go on sale Oct. 25th 10:00a.m. for the PBR’s return to the U.S. Airways Center. Tickets can be purchased right here via USAirwaysCenter.com. 

Phoenix will be the 10th of 27 stops on the 2014 PBR BassPro Shop Chute Out Series schedule. The series also will travel to Chicago, Anaheim, Calif., and Dallas during its 18-state tour, culminating with the PBR BassPro Shop Chute Out World Finals in Las Vegas on Oct. 22-26 when the 2014 PBR World Champion, the bull rider who amasses the most points during the 2014 season, will receive the coveted world championship belt buckle and $1 million bonus.

The BFTS is televised every week on CBS, CBS Sports Network and networks around the world. BFTS telecasts are produced for the PBR under a multi-year agreement with David Neal Productions, a Los Angeles-based production company led by 34-time Emmy® Award winner and Peabody Award winner David Neal, who serves as executive producer.

About the Professional Bull Riders, Inc. (PBR)

The world’s premier bull riding organization, the PBR, celebrates 20 years of competition with the 2013 season. In just two decades, the dream of 20 bull riders has become a global sports phenomenon with PBR broadcasts reaching more than half a billion households in 50 nations and territories around the world, and more than 2.5 million fans attending live events each year. PBR has paid out more than $120 million in earnings to its athletes, and 25 riders have earned more than $1 million, including Justin McBride with $5.5 million ― the most of any western sports athlete in history.