Ten PBR Bull Riders to Compete at THE AMERICAN

PUEBLO, Colo. – The bull riding roster for the 2017 RFD-TV’s THE AMERICAN, presented by Polaris RANGER ATV, was announced Wednesday night during a special edition of “Western Sports Weekly.”

The Top 10 bull riders from the 2016 PBR world standings – Cooper Davis, Kaique Pacheco, two-time World Champion J.B. Mauney, Ryan Dirteater, Joao Ricardo Vieira, 2008 World Champion Guilherme Marchi, Eduardo Aparecido, Jess Lockwood, Fabiano Vieira and 2004 World Champion Mike Lee will compete alongside three-time PRCA champion Sage Kimzey (Fan invite).

The $2 million dollar rodeo takes place on Feb. 19 – the day after the PBR’s Iron Cowboy – at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, and features the best cowboys and cowgirls from the PRCA, PBR and ERA.

THE AMERICAN invites the Top 10 rodeo athletes in the world in seven events to compete at the home of the Dallas Cowboys. Each event will pay $100,000 for first place and $25,000 for second.

Joao Ricardo Vieira won the 2016 bull riding competition at THE AMERICAN. Vieira went 2-for-2 and has simply been one of the greatest bull riders to ever nod his head inside AT&T Stadium. Along with his $100,000 payday last year at THE AMERICAN, Vieira is also a two-time PBR Iron Cowboy champion and has won over $350,000 inside the stadium.

Mauney is also a previous winner at THE AMERICAN, taking home the 2014 title, while Dirteater and Lockwood are first-time qualifiers.

Fans interested in learning about which other athletes have been invited to compete in the six other rodeo disciplines can go to RFDTV.com.

Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko