FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 18, 2013
CONTACT: RFD-TV Public Relations PR@RFDTV.com or 214.477.6999
Two-time World Champion Justin McBride Comes out of Retirement
to Compete in Qualifier Event for
THE AMERICAN, World’s Richest One-Day Rodeo
All-time highest money earner in all of western sports to compete in Bareback event at PRS Midwest Classic on Oct. 19th in Salina, KS
Omaha –Two-time World Champion Justin McBride will come out of retirement to participate in a qualifying event for THE AMERICAN Rodeo. He will be competing in the bareback event during the Professional Roughstock Series Midwest Classic in Salina, KS on October 19th, 2013. McBride distinguished himself as the first athlete in western sports to top over $5 million in career earnings when he retired in 2008.
“My life has been all about setting goals and working to achieve them. Early in my career, bareback was my favorite event but I chose to focus on bull riding and enjoyed success,” McBride said. “Competing in bareback at a national level presents a new challenge for me that I am pleased to accept. THE AMERICAN is just a one-day event, so I can continue to spend time with my family and work on my music career while returning to the arena to experience the thrill of competing for a part of that two million dollars!”
On Aug. 22 at AT&T Stadium, RFD-TV announced THE AMERICAN would be taking place on March 2, 2014, at the home of the Dallas Cowboys, AT&T Stadium, in Arlington, TX. With a potential two million payout, it would be the richest one-day rodeo in history. At the conclusion of the PBR World Finals and the WNFR, the top 10 athletes in the world will be eligible to compete in THE AMERICAN. Aside from this, a contestant can qualify by finishing in the top five in each event at the semi-finals in Mesquite, Texas. This is the path that Justin has chosen. He will need to be either in the top 5 at the bareback qualifying events, or place in the top 3 in the Final PRS World Standings to move on to the semi-finals in Mesquite, Texas on February 21-23, 2014 to make it all the way to THE AMERICAN.
“This is very exciting and prestigious for THE AMERICAN,” Randy Bernard, President and CEO of Rural Media Group said. “Justin is a winner, and whatever he sets his mind to, he has a way to win. He has a huge following in bull riding that will want to see him do well. This is exactly the type of energy and excitement we wanted when we developed this concept. May the best cowboys advance!”
The Professional Roughstock Series is serving as the official sanctioning body of the Bareback and Saddle Bronc portions of THE AMERICAN Rodeo. The PRS Midwest Classic and first qualification tournament for THE AMERICAN will be held on October 19th in Salina, KS at the Bicentennial Center at 7:30 p.m. McBride will compete in both the qualifying and main event in an effort to secure his spot in THE AMERICAN semi-finals.
“We couldn’t be more thrilled to have Justin associated with the Professional Roughstock Series,” said Todd Marsh, CEO for the PRS. “It’s a marketer’s dream to be able to tell his story and possibly help write a new and exciting chapter in his career.”
Tickets for THE AMERICAN went on sale on Sept. 16, 2013. Ticket prices range from $20 to $150. They can be purchased at the AT&T Stadium Box Office, all Ticketmaster locations and online at www.americanrodeo.com. Tickets for the PRS Midwest Classic can be purchased at the Salina Bicentennial Center Box Office, by phone at 888-826-SHOW, or at www.prstickets.com.
THE AMERICAN is being closely coordinated with PBR’s Iron Cowboy V, which will take place the day before THE AMERICAN on March 1, 2014 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Combined, the events are expected to bring over 100,000 fans and participants to the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.
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Notes to Editors:
About RFD-TV’s THE AMERICAN: Taking place at Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium on March 2, 2014, with an estimated attendance of 75,000, RFD-TV’s THE AMERICAN is the single largest 1-day cash prize event in the entire history of rodeo. With $2-million on the line, the best athletes in the world will be gathering in Dallas to compete in one epic day of raw rodeo will, skill and power. THE AMERICAN is inviting the top 10 athletes in each of the traditional rodeo sports as well as the top 10 from the PBR. The top 10 bull riding contestants will be invited after the PBR World Finals in Las Vegas, and the remainder of the primary rodeo sports contenders, will be determined after the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. In addition to the 10 invites, THE AMERICAN will make 5 additional spots available for any rodeo athlete in the world through five regional qualifiers. If one of those athletes goes on to win their respective event at THE AMERICAN they will split an additional bonus pool of $1-million dollars in prize money. With the help of broadcast partners and sponsors, RFD-TV will be broadcasting the event LIVE on the day, helping to bring the totality of this defining western sports experience to a wide national audience. For more information, please visit: www.rfdtv.com/theamerican and www.RFDTV.com. Follow us on Twitter @RFDTVAMERICAN and on find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/RFDTVTheAMERICAN
About the PRS:
Headquartered in Belle Fourche, SD, the Professional Roughstock Series features the best cowboy athletes in the world matched up with hand-picked world class stock. Riders compete in the three most exciting and dangerous disciplines of Rodeo - Bareback Riding, Saddle Bronc Riding, and Bull Riding. Each PRS event is televised on RFD-TV to over 45 million homes across the nation and airs on Friday nights at 10:00 pm ET, with replays on Sunday afternoons at 2:30 ET. For more information, visit www.proroughstock.com, follow us on Twitter @proroughstock, or like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/proroughstock.
About Rural Media Group, Inc. (RMG): Rural Media Group, Inc. is the world’s leading provider of multimedia content dedicated to the rural and western lifestyle. RMG is the parent company of RFD-TV, FamilyNet, RURAL TV, RURAL RADIO on SiriusXM channel 80, RFD-TV the Magazine and RFD-TV the Theatre. RFD-TV, the flagship network for RMG, launched in December 2000. RFD-TV is the nation’s first 24-hour television network dedicated to serving the needs and interests of rural America with programming focused on agriculture, equine and the rural lifestyle, along with traditional country music and entertainment. RMG acquired FamilyNet, America’s trusted entertainment network dedicated to providing wholesome and responsible viewing choices for today’s diverse family. RURAL TV produces rural business news covering commodity markets for both cash and futures. Daily productions include Market Day Report and the Rural Evening News. RMG networks are distributed into more than 63-million homes worldwide by DBS, telco and cable systems including DISH Network, DIRECTV®, Comcast, Verizon FiOS TV, AT&T U-Verse, Mediacom, Charter, Optimum, Brighthouse, Suddenlink, Time Warner, Cox, and more than 600 independent rural cable systems. RFD-TV The Magazine is the print programming guide for the networks, which has attracted over 180,000 paid subscribers. RFD-TV The Theatre is a 2000 capacity soft seat venue in Branson, MO where entertainment programming is produced. Corporate headquarters are in Omaha, NE, and production operations are in Nashville, TN. For more information, visit www.rfdtv.com, www.myruraltv.com, and www.familynet.com. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook: @OfficialRFDTV @RURALTV @FamilyNet @RURALRADIO80