BFTS to Open the 2017 Season at Madison Square Garden

NEW YORK – As the opening stop of the 2017 PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Built Ford Tough Series (BFTS) season, New York City will kick off a fierce 26-stop tour that will rival anything Madison Square Garden has to offer. The world’s most famous arena will host the Monster Energy Buck Off at the Garden on January 6-8.

The three-day event is the first of four PBR Majors in 2017 offering increased prize money and bonus points to the riders, as well as a unique format for increased entertainment for the fans. Tickets are on sale now for this much-anticipated event.

Last year Paulo Lima rode Cochise for 90 points to win in New York. Lima was the first to cover Chochise. 

The action begins on Friday, January 6 at 8 p.m., 6:50 p.m. on Saturday, January 7 and 6:50 p.m. on Sunday, January 8 at 1:50 p.m. Tickets, ranging in price from $25 to $207 and can be purchased at all Ticketmaster outlets, online at www.ticketmaster.com or via phone at 800-745-3000. Tickets are also available at the MSG Box Office or via phone at 866-858-0088.

For the second year in a row PBR Elite Seats will be available for those wanting a true VIP experience. Located in an exclusive section of the arena immediately next to the chutes and all the action, the PBR Elite Seats are priced at $505 each and will give fans the VIP experience of a lifetime; a pre-event reception with refreshments, backstage tours featuring a PBR 101 presentation, and meet-and-greet with top PBR stars. These seats are also available now.

The Top-35 bull riders in the world will take on their 2,000-pound bovine opponents atop 8 inches of dirt covering the ice for the New York Rangers in an attempt to win their share of the $140,000 event purse. The BFTS has awarded more than $1.2 million in New York City in the last decade, as well as valuable PBR world standings points that count toward the season’s overall $1 million PBR World Championship title.

Two-time PBR World Champion and Monster Energy bull rider J.B. Mauney along with fellow Monster Energy riders, Gage Gay, Robson Palermo,Chase Outlaw and Reese Cates will be back in the City That Never Sleeps in the hopes of being crowned the event champion.

The 2017 Built Ford Tough Series will also have stops in Chicago, Anaheim, Calif. and Dallas on its 18-state tour, culminating with the PBR Built Ford Tough World Finals in Las Vegas when the 2017 PBR World Champion, the bull rider who has earned the most PBR world points during the 2017 season, will receive the coveted World Championship belt buckle and $1 million bonus.

The BFTS is televised every week on CBS, CBS Sports Network and networks around the world. BFTS telecasts are produced for the PBR under a multi-year agreement with David Neal Productions, a Los Angeles-based production company led by 34-time Emmy® Award winner and Peabody Award winner David Neal, who serves as executive producer.