World’s Richest One-Day Rodeo, The American, Returns to Texas in February 2017

(Nashville, TN) RFD-TV Founder and Owner, Patrick Gottsch, and Sean Gleason, CEO of the PBR, recently announced a long-term three-year plan for The American rodeo event, which returns to AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on February 19th.  The agreement with the PBR and the Dallas Cowboys stadium ensures the future of the world’s richest one-day rodeo event.

The American, known as the world’s richest one-day rodeo, features pro athletes competing alongside amateur cowboys for a prize purse worth more than $2,000,000. Prior to the Finals, The American Semi-Finals, will be held on February 15 – February 17, 2017, at the Stockyards in Fort Worth, Texas and includes a purse of almost $500,000. The three events will continue to make history with record-breaking payouts totaling around three million dollars and offers athletes a chance to make the kind of winnings they don’t often see in other professional rodeo and bull riding competitions.

“It started three years ago with the great idea to have the richest one-day rodeo … with all the champions in one place. We had a great three-year run and we’ve always had a good relationship with the PBR, but they’ve really stepped it up now with Randy moving on with Garth Brooks. A three-year agreement with the PBR and The Dallas Cowboys for AT&T Stadium is a big deal for us,” said RFD-TV Founder and Owner Patrick Gottsch. “I see this event evolving to make this event a destination place to enjoy western sports. This is our biggest day of the year and we want to expand and improve that. With PBR’s involvement, I’m confident that we can do that.”

Sean Gleason, CEO of the PBR said, “It’s a big weekend in Texas. You’re guaranteed to see the best cowboys and bull riders in the world in every discipline. The Iron Cowboy had been around for seven years before we added The American. The American just made it a destination event … something really unique and special. The Iron Cowboy is one of our major events and one of the most important stops in the [PBR] tour. Adding The American to the event just blows it up. It’s a must see event now for everybody.”

Since its debut in 2014, The American has invited the top 10 rodeo athletes in the world in seven events to compete at the home of the Dallas Cowboys. With this unique “open” format, anyone can qualify for this prestigious event through a series of qualifiers in partnership with five sanctioning organizations. The partner organizations include Professional Bull Riders (PBR), United States Team Roping Championships (USTRC), Ultimate Calf Roping (UCR), Better Barrel Racing, and World’s Toughest Rodeo.

The PBR and The American are also offering a discount combo ticket for both events with a savings of up to $50 on the weekend event. All tickets can be found on Ticketmaster.com or by calling (800) 745-3000.

For more info about RFD-TV’s The American, please visit americanrodeo.com.