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Photo: Sandro Batista of the Kansas City Outlaws completes a game-winning ride on Midnight Magic
Welcome to City of Sport, a new blog series where I explore every athletic spectacle New York City has to offer. Today, I recap my weekend at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, where I had the privilege of watching the New York Mavericks of the PBR Teams tour make their home debut.
For nearly two decades, Pro Bull Riding has cemented New York City as a marquee stop on their Unleash the Beast Tour. This past January, fans flocked to Madison Square Garden to watch Austin Richardson secure the first major Buck-Off win of the 2024 calendar year. During in interview at the Garden that weekend, PBR CEO Sean Gleason highlighted the work he and his team put in to make PBR a major event on the New York Sports Calendar; from loading over 500 tons of dirt onto an arena floor, to convincing New Yorkers why bull riding is a sport for them. This past January, the crowd at MSG was as passionate as ever, enthralled by every ride en route to an Austin Richardson win on Championship Sunday.
As a testament to Gleason and Co.’s hard work in establishing New York as a premier Bull Riding city, this past weekend marked the first homestand of the New York Mavericks, PBR’s latest franchise on the Teams tour, at the Barclays Center. Across two days in Brooklyn, the Mavericks hosted 8 head-to-head matchups for all 10 teams on the tour. In their home debut, the Mavericks took on the tall task of recapturing the excitement for the sport that PBR has repeatedly in New York, while also rallying fans behind PBR's newest franchise.
After two days of head-to-head matches in Brooklyn, how successful were the Mavericks in presenting bull riding to New Yorkers in a fresh and exciting way?
A fresh format for a growing fanbase
Luckily for prospective Mavericks fans, the first three games of Night 1 provided plenty of time to get accustomed to the Teams format before the hosts hit the dirt. In 5-on-5 matchups, riders from each team traded attempts at successful rides, with each 8-second performance adding to a cumulative team score. The final product feels like a lightning-fast baseball game, each ride like a half-inning with the opportunity to build towards a win.
The first 3 games featured a wide range of results. The Nashville Stampede eked out a close victory over the Oklahoma Wildcatters, as Alan de Souza recorded the lone successful ride with 84.75 points on the bull Snuggles. The Carolina Cowboys ran up the score on the Texas Rattlers, with 4 of their 5 riders qualifying for a winning total of 342.5 points. Against the Arizona Ridge Riders, the Florida Freedom secured the first walk-off win of the weekend with a qualified ride from John Crimber in the final frame.
With three matches down, the final head-to-head battle of the night featured the hometown Mavericks against the Kansas City Outlaws. As the lights dimmed and the final two teams entered the chute, there was a noticeable change in the Brooklyn crowd’s demeanor.
When evaluating the vibe that a PBR crowd brings to a buck-off, I feel that in terms of allegiances, the closest comparison is to a tennis crowd. While the Unleash the Beast Tour features plenty of favorite riders, from Casio Dias to Kaique Pachecho, it’s hard for fans to play favorites when anyone lasting 8 seconds on these superstar bulls is cause for celebration. In the same way that fans at Wimbledon quickly switch allegiances to rally behind whoever holds the momentum in a match, bull riding fans are always ready to erupt as each rider tries to push their scores well into the 90s. All-in-all, this format has served as the perfect way to get New York fans both accustomed to the nature of the sport, as well as the deep roster of riders that the PBR has to offer.
New York commands the dirt
While cheers for the first 6 teams was spread fairly equally, the crowd was quick to rally behind the Mavericks while hitting their opponents, the Kansas City Outlaws, with plenty of verbal animosity. As someone with 5 PBR events under my belt, I can safely say that the Mavericks’ first home matchup was the first time I can remember hearing boos from a PBR crowd, as the New York faithful did everything in their power to help the Mavericks come out on top.
The home-dirt advantage was a clear success for New York, as Kansas City went 0/5 in their rides, and the Mavericks 4/5 for a stunning 260.25-0 win. New York’s Mauricio Gulla Moreira recorded the highest head-to-head ride of the four games that night with a stunning 88.25 on the back of Bandito Bug. Margins on night 2 were much slimmer, as Hudson Bolton recorded the only qualified ride for New York with 85.75 points on Whip. However, the Brooklyn faithful came through once again, verbally stymying the Florida Freedom through 5 consecutive buck-offs.
Looking ahead
Coming out of their homestand with two consecutive wins, the New York Mavericks improve to 4-5 on the season, jumping from the bottom of the standings into a 3-man for the final bye into the PBR Teams Championship this October. Currently in 8th due to tiebreaker scenarios, earning a Top-6 spot would help the Mavericks avoid the Ride-In Round (similar to the NBA’s Play-In Tournament) in their inaugural season.
The Mavericks and the rest of the PBR Teams Tour return to action this weekend in Nashville.
Full results from New York Maverick Days
Night 1:
Nashville Stampede 84.75, Oklahoma Wildcatters 0
Texas Rattlers 83.75, Carolina Cowboys 342.5
Arizona Ridge Riders 86, Florida Freedom 174.5
Kansas City Outlaws 0, New York Mavericks 260.25
Night 2:
Arizona Ridge Rider 86.75, Kansas City Outlaws 172.5
Texas Rattlers 0, Nashville Stampede 345.25
Missouri Thunder 176.5, Austin Gamblers 220.5
Florida Freedom 0, New York Mavericks 85.75
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