New York City is going country with the announcement of the latest team to join the Professional Bull Riders (PBR).
On Thursday, March 14, PBR unveiled the name and logo of the New York Mavericks, the league’s newest team. In PBR team competition, two teams alternate sending out five riders each, and the team with the higher total score picks up the win. Once the schedule for a specific event is complete, the team with the most wins is declared the event champion.
As the first professional bull riding team to represent New York, the New York Mavericks are poised to take advantage of the rapidly growing interest and excitement for bull riding in the Northeast and across the country.
— PBR.com
The Mavericks’ logo depicts on a head-on view of a bull and a rider wearing a cowboy hat with a bandana covering his face. The bull and rider are contained in a shield with a “NEW YORK MAVERICKS” wordmark and Western-style decorations at the top. The bull has an N above a Y on its forehead. Most of the logo is navy blue and silver, though the bandana and the eyes of the bull are orange-red.
The Mavericks also unveiled the wordmark on its own, which is being used in the top menu of PBR’s website and in other applications.
“New York City embodies the Maverick spirit like no other, with its relentless energy and unyielding determination. I am thrilled to share our logo which embodies that spirit and the team’s social media channels where we will celebrate and engage the dynamic bull riding fan base that spans the Northeast as well as the passionate international community that calls this city home.”
— New York Mavericks general manager Chris Pantani
The Mavericks will host the PBR Camping World Team Series on August 9 and 10 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. This will be the first home event for the New York Mavericks and the first time the Brooklyn arena has hosted a bull riding event. They’ll be coached by a pair of former PBR World Champions: Kody Lostroh (2009) and Ednei Caminhas (2002).
PBR began in 1992 and today includes bull riders from Canada, the United States, Brazil and Australia. In its 2023-2024 season, PBR is holding 23 regular season events leading up to its three-part World Finals, being held May 10-19 at Dickies Arena and Cowtown Coliseum in Fort Worth, Texas, and AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. At the final event, riders will compete for $2.31 million in prize money, including a $1 million bonus for the PBR World Champion.
New York becomes the 10th PBR team. Other teams in the league have home cities in the southern or midwestern United States.
Bull riding may not be the first thing you associate with New York City, but PBR does have a history in the Big Apple. They’ve held events on their premier “Unleash the Beast” tour at Madison Square Garden for the past 17 years.