Missouri-Based Outlaws, Thunder Hopeful Home Crowd Brings the Noise at Outlaw Days
By: Justin Felisko
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Missouri Thunder coach Ross Coleman still remembers being a teenager in the early 1990s stepping foot inside Memorial Coliseum, and eventually the Rose Garden Arena, to watch legendary basketball player Clyde Drexler and the Portland Trail Blazers chase after an NBA championship.
Coleman was family friends with the now late Trail Blazers assistant coach Jack Schalow, and he would often try to get to a Trail Blazers game whenever possible. Basketball was a second passion for Coleman beyond his dreams to become a professional bull rider.
The NBA Playoffs were always a special time in the Pacific northwest, and it brought about a dynamic sense of local pride and passion throughout all of Oregon. You couldn’t live in Oregon during the era of Trail Blazers’ dominance and not keep an eye on how the team was doing.
A Ring of Honor bull riding career later, Coleman has felt a similar passion among PBR fans whenever he steps foot in Las Vegas for the PBR World Finals, and he is hopeful that the inaugural PBR Team Series will carry over a new energy to PBR events.
That time may come on Friday night when the undefeated Thunder (2-0) compete at the Kansas City Outlaw’s host event – Outlaw Days.
Missouri faces the Oklahoma Freedom (0-2) on Friday night (8:45 p.m. ET).
Of course, Kansas City will be the fan favorite squad inside the T-Mobile Center, but will the state of Missouri also root for the Thunder potentially this weekend?
“I promise you the crowd is going to be good to have in your corner,” Coleman said. “Homefield advantage could be big. This is such a brand-new deal, and, yes to a certain extent, the Outlaws will have the fans here. This is a huge fan base for all of us in general because the PBR is important to Missouri fans.”
Coleman then laughs.
“So could we maybe have a little rivalry with Kansas City?” Coleman asked. “I love this team deal. I hope to see some good Thunder fans this weekend, I am sure we will. KC will have a pile of crazy fans supporting them and that is awesome too.”
Outlaws head coach J.W. Hart has been a busy man all week doing various media hits throughout Kansas City attempting to build fandom and recruit fans to support their local team this weekend.
Hart agrees there will be plenty of twists and turns as the inaugural PBR Team Series season continues during the next three months.
“It’s a big unknown for everybody, really,” Hart said. “Well sure – there’s going to be Nashville fans here, there’s going to be Oklahoma fans here, Texas fans, Arizona fans. But I believe while we’re here, we’ll have the biggest portion of supporters, and the Thunder will have the biggest part of theirs.
“That’s just the way it is, but when we’re in our home state, we sure plan on being the favorites.”
The Outlaws face the Arizona Ridge Riders (1-1) on Friday and the Nashville Stampede on Saturday.
Marcus Mast will be the veteran leader for Kansas City this weekend with Team Captain Dalton Kasel out of competition with a broken jaw, broken ribs and a bruised kidney, leaving the Outlaws to field a starting lineup with three riders under the age of 20.
Mast expects the Outlaws to thrive off the community’s support.
“It’s always fun, especially with these deals now,” Mast said. “It makes it that much more exciting for me. “Obviously we’re a new team in town, new league in town, but from the past times in Kansas City, I’m sure it’ll be all there.”
Hart added, “We’ve prepared in every way that we know how on what to expect, what to endure, and we’ll just have to adjust on the fly going down that path. I think even the youngest guys to the veteran guys on this team, they all have extremely well-leveled heads on their shoulders. You can take the best, oldest guy in the world and something can still get him nerved-up. For the young kids, it’s the same thing, but overall, our whole group is even keeled and can perform under any pressure.”
Outlaw Days concludes Sunday with the Battle of Missouri as the Outlaws and Thunder square off during the final game of the weekend (1 p.m. ET CBS Sports Network).
“Well, Ross and them are 2-0, but we don’t have nothing to say about them until we play them on Sunday,” Hart concluded. “We don’t have any say in what they do. We just have to handle our own business Sunday and let the judges and chips fall where they want.”
Photo courtesy of Andre Silva/Bull Stock Media
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