As PBR was making its debut in New York City nearly 20 years ago, Sean Gleason, in charge of event marketing, remembers a kid on the street tugging at his mom’s dress and excitedly pointing in his direction.
Gleason assumed the kid was calling out a young man behind him stomping down 7th Avenue sporting a spiky mohawk and glistening facial piercings.
He realized the kid was calling him out for the temerity of walking around Manhattan wearing a cowboy hat.
When Madison Square Garden first hosted the bull riding cowboys in 2006, Gleason and his team had to hand out tickets to encourage New Yorkers to check out a bull riding. Fast forward to this past January. Gleason is CEO and PBR sold out “the world’s most famous arena” all three days.
Cowboys are no longer an oddity in the Big City. New Yorkers stand on lines to get into Western-themed bars, and they now have a bull riding team to root for: The New York Mavericks of the PBR Teams league, who will host their homestand on September 18-20 at UBS Arena.
PBR's growth and innovation -- entering new markets, forming new marketing partnerships and a league that's already expanded -- was recognized at the Cynopsis Sports Media Awards last night in New York City with the organization named Sports League of the Year.
“From sold-out arenas and thrilling broadcasts, to innovative fan experiences and strategic partnerships, PBR has redefined what it means to blend sports, entertainment and culture,” Cynopsis Sports Editor Noah Zeigler said in introducing Gleason to accept the award. “With a bold brand identity and fiercely loyal fan base, PBR continues to charge ahead, bringing grit, adrenaline and the heart of the sport to audiences across the globe."
Gleason was thinking about his encounter outside Madison Square Garden in accepting the organization’s trophy.
“It’s an honor to win an award in a room of sports dignitaries where I’m the only guy wearing a cowboy hat,” he jokingly said.
“When the first 20 bull riders broke away from rodeo and invested $1,000 a piece to start the PBR, they did not have this award in their imagination. On behalf of them, and the thousands of bull riders who have truly shed their blood, sweat and tears to make us what we are today, our great animal athletes, the greatest crew in the business, I want to say thank you.”
Other top winners were: Monumental Sports & Entertainment (Media Company of the Year); Togethxr (Media Platform of the Year); Aflac (Brand of the Year); New York Mets and McDonald’s (Brand Collaboration of the Year); Eric Shanks, CEO and Executive Producer Fox Sports (Navigator Award), and Mike McCarley, Founder and CEO, TMRW Sports (Trailblazer Awards).
Coming off an individual Unleash The Beast season that set records in attendance and heading toward a new Teams season pacing well ahead of 2024, Gleason says that in following the founders’ vision, PBR is well positioned to continue to grow.
“Our promise to fans is to bring them the best bulls and the best bull riders in the world, week in and week out on the dirt, wrapped it in a rock concert production,” he said. “I think we stand out because, at the core, the product is outstanding. It’s a visceral, engaging, highly difficult, dangerous sport that puts you on the edge of your seat, and you’re not going to get that with pickleball.”
Should Pickleball win big at next year’s Cynopsis Sports Media Awards, Gleason said he’d be proud to present the trophy.