Wednesday, January 08, 2014

Could PRCA be in trouble?

That explosion you heard on Monday? That was a nuclear bomb being dropped on the office of the Professional Cowboys Rodeo Association in Colorado Springs, Colo. Already reeling from the backlash from possibly moving the National Finals Rodeo from Las Vegas to central Florida, the PRCA is facing potentially a bigger problem. No big-name contestants for the NFR, wherever it may land for 2015. Wanting more of a say in the sport’s future, some of rodeo’s biggest stars announced on a Facebook site called “Support Rodeo Contestants,” that they were creating another organization. The supporters included world champions from every event, including members of the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association. According to the post, some of rodeo’s top contestants wanted some changes to the PRCA structure in exchange for the commitment of the cowboys to provide greater support to PRCA-sanctioned rodeos. This has become a big issue as events like RodeoHouston and Calgary Stampede are high-paying stand-alone rodeos and are not governed by PRCA rules. Other rodeos are looking to follow. “We went to the PRCA with a proposal supported by the top cowboys that would have strengthened the PRCA,” said 19-time world champion Trevor Brazile on the Facebook post. “Unfortunately, our proposal was not accepted. “We appreciate what the PRCA has done for the sport in the past, but at this point we feel the time has come for the top contestants to be more directly involved with the future of our sport.” Then the greatest cowboy of his generation dropped the big one. “We are forming a new organization to work together with committees and sponsors to make sure that the sport of professional rodeo continues to deliver the highest quality product to our great fans,” said Brazile. Rodeo fans have heard this talk before. Just a few years ago, there were rumors of a new organization that would revolutionize sport. It never materialized. This idea, however, has some traction. Because not only does the list of other contestants supporting this move read like a “Who’s who,” of professional rodeo but it has the support of those who can help make it a reality. Las Vegas officials want a rodeo finals in December. If it continues to be the NFR, great. But if not the NFR, Las Vegas will still have an event showcasing the top cowboys and cowgirls. Watch for the non-sanctioned rodeos to band together and create a finals from its top competitors list. And you can bet a potential television deal is already being discussed. This past December, RFD-TV offered the PRCA $1 million for the television rights to its premier event. The PRCA declined, opting to pay CBS Sports Network to broadcast the NFR...more

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