Mascots for sports teams in North Texas rode a mechanical bull this week during a competition ahead of the PBR World Finals Championship. The world finals start with early rounds Thursday, May 7 at Cowtown Coliseum in Fort Worth and then move to Dickies Arena May 14-17 for the championship.
"Fort Worth is the historical place for bull riding, kind of where it started, especially at Cowtown Coliseum. That was the first indoor rodeo," says Brady Oleson, who retired from bull riding after a neck injury and 2024 and now works as a coach. "If you're not from Texas, you hear about Texas and think cowboys, so I just think PBR belongs in Fort Worth."
Mascots for each team rode a mechanical bull outside Reunion Tower to raise money for charity. The Dallas Stars' Victor E. Green had won the competition each of the past two years, and the Stars arrived in a van and placed novelty checks to the Dallas Stars Foundation from 2024 and 2025 on the side.
Other competitors included the Allen Americans' Biscuit the Bulldog, Dallas Cowboys' Rowdy, Dallas Renegades' Billy the Bandit, Dallas Trinity FC's Boots, FC Dallas' Tex Hooper, Frisco RoughRiders' Bull Moose, Little Big Tex from the State Fair of Texas and the Texas Rattlers' Fang and Miss Hiss.
Each mascot rode twice. The first time, the were judged on time, and the second time was judged on style. Rowdy won the competition, earning $1,000 for the Salvation Army.
"They need a little more work if they're going to make it, but we had a lot of great talent out here, Rowdy with the win," says Austin Richardson. "Hold on, hold on. A lot of stuff's happening in that quick eight seconds. Hold on and just give it everything you got."
Richardson and Oleson served as judges for the event. Richardson says the mascots' bull riding event can bring in new fans as PBR grows in popularity.
"It's the biggest bull riding of the year for PBR," he says. "That's what we all work for, that million dollar payout to the last cowboy standing. Getting that gold buckle, that's what all of us dream of."
PBR says attendance has been increasing at its events. Last year, the organization says attendance at its events topped 1.5 million. Through the first 15 days of January, Chief Executive Sean Gleason says 145,000 people had attended seven events, "the strongest start to a season in our organization’s history."
"It's great to get new fans and get it out there," Oleson says. "Anytime we can get more people to support PBR and come watch, it's great."
"To be right here in Texas, it's going to be a big event, it's going to be a great time," Richardson says.
The PBR World Finals moved from Las Vegas to Texas in 2021. Dickies Arena in Fort Worth hosted the event in 2022 and 2023, the past two years, the Finals have been at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. PBR says it moved back to Fort Worth as AT&T Stadium prepares for World Cup matches this summer.
The schedule and tickets for early rounds at Cowtown Coliseum and the Finals at Dickies Arena are available here.
