Professional Bull Riding At UBS Arena
First stop was the Mavericks locker room to meet some of the riders and to see how they prepare for competition in this insanely tough sport. Surprisingly, the athletes are quite small and wiry, averaging around 5 feet 8 inches and weighing between 130 and 160lbs, but they are full of guts, determination, strength and grit.
The Gear that Makes the Ride
Much of the preparation is focused on the gear used for riding, the all-important rope—many riders keep a custom-made rope for their entire career. The first part of preparation is to rub a block of rosin into the rope and gloves, working it in to make the rope as sticky as possible to maintain grip during the eight second ride.
The ropes are carefully prepared by each rider to suit their personal preferences for grip and hold and then the knot/loop size is adjusted to fit snugly around the bull’s girth.
Rituals, Routines & Raw Nerves
Most riders also have a warm-up routine, and the rope prep is an important part of that, along with mental preparation, stretching and sometimes prayer, before the riders depart for the bucking chutes.
After the visit to the locker rooms, I headed out to the arena to take up my position ready to enjoy the thrill of this adrenaline-fueled sport, to watch the spectacular, up close and personal and to photograph as much as I could.
The Energy in the Stands
The Team Series consists of ten teams, each team containing five riders on every one of three nights of competition and each night’s game matchups consist of 5 games of two teams against one another: the night I was watching, Mavericks were pitted against Carolina Cowboys.
A large, enthusiastic crowd was in attendance and were kept entertained before the main event started. Then the moment everyone was waiting for, the teams filed into the arena one by one, and each rider was introduced before the action began.
When the Gates Fly Open
Firstly, the national anthem was sung, then a prayer was said for the safe keeping of riders and bulls alike and then the riding started in earnest. The New York game was last, but some incredible competition preceded it and the crowd was eager to see their hometown heroes prevail.
Alas, it was not to be New York’s night, and Carolina Cowboys came out on top quite handsomely, but the large crowd were treated to some spectacular riding from the Mavericks. Carolina was to go on to be crowned 2025 team champions in Las Vegas.
Why PBR Hits Different
Professional Bull Riding is a tough sport, for tough men, for tough animals—man against bull, each rider trying to stay on the bull for 8 seconds, each bull trying to throw off the rider—brute strength, tactics, mental fortitude, they all play a part.
I had been to rodeo before, but nothing had prepared me for the excitement of a live PBR event, and I am certainly hoping to attend again when the “Mavs” return to UBS Arena.
Looking Ahead to 2026
To learn all about PBR, the teams, riders, rules, scoring, schedules and ticket sales, visit PBR’s official website; follow the Mavericks on IG: instagram.com/ny_mavericks.
Many thanks to Wonder Bread for hosting me in their capacity as a sponsor for the PBR “Big Apple Takeover” preview.
