Unleash The Beast Makes First-Ever Stop in Longview, Texas, February 27-28
By: Kacie Albert
LONGVIEW, Texas – For the first time in league history, the elite PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Unleash The Beast will travel to Longview, Texas, continuing the 2021 season’s initial outdoor swing at Longview Rodeo Arena with the PBR Longview Invitational February 27-28.
Featuring more than 30 of the world’s best bull riders attempting some of the rankest bulls on the planet, the PBR Longview Invitational will mark the sixth event of the 2021 season, part of the Unleash The Beast: American Roots Edition, early-season events at outdoor rodeo arenas across the south.
Prior to traveling to Longview, the American Roots Edition will have held events in three Florida cities, Ocala (Jan. 16-17), Arcadia (Jan. 23-24) and Okeechobee (Jan. 30-31), before bucking into Texas for tour stops in Del Rio (Feb. 13-14) and Pecos (Feb. 20-21).
The PBR Longview Invitational will follow all local and state health protocols. PBR, along with Longview Rodeo Arena, is instituting a series of fan safety protocols, including:
• In addition to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-informed screening, all PBR personnel will undergo medical testing for COVID-19 and be required to wear masks.
• PBR will only sell up to 50% of venue capacity to separate fans. To further promote social distancing, fans will only be able to sit in every other row, with seating limited in each open row.
• Social distancing will be encouraged at the concession stands, restrooms and merchandise stands.
PBR’s 2021 debut in Longview comes on the heels of a trailblazing season in which PBR was the first major professional sport in North America to return to competition in late April following the COVID-19 (coronavirus) related shutdown, and the first to host fans in-arena in mid-July with new safety protocols in place.
With the new season already underway, the race for the 2021 PBR World Championship has gotten off to a feverish start.
At the season-launch Unleash The Beast event in Ocala, rising Brazilians Mauricio Moreira (Gaviao Peixoto, Brazil) and Junior Patrik Souza (Sonora, Brazil), delivered career-best finishes to surge to the top of the world standings for the first time in their careers.
After both riders earned points at the most recent tour stop in Arcadia, Florida, Souza is now ranked No. 1 in the world, 20 points ahead of No. 2 Moreira.
Three-time PBR World Champion Silvano Alves (Pilar do Sul, Brazil), 2016 PBR World Champion Cooper Davis (Jasper, Texas) and 2018 PBR Rookie of the Year Keyshawn Whitehorse (McCracken Springs, Utah) also delivered breakthrough performances at the season-launch Unleash The Beast event.
Davis led the contingent, going a near-perfect 3-for-4 to catapult to No. 4 in the world, now within 33.5 points of Souza as he seeks his second World Championship. Alves and Whitehorse are tied for the world No. 7 rank, 70 points removed from the top spot. Whitehorse notably delivered the first 90-point ride of the new season, scored 90 points on Preachers Kid (K-C Bucking Bulls/RD Cattle).
In addition to Davis, several additional Texans are anticipated to compete at the PBR Longview Invitational. Those athletes include Cole Melancon (Paris, Texas); 2019 PBR Rookie of the Year Dalton Kasel (Muleshoe, Texas); Mason Taylor (Maypearl, Texas); Ezekiel Mitchell (Rockdale, Texas), Cody Teel (College Station, Texas); Taylor Toves (Stephenville, Texas); and Tye Chandler (Celina, Texas).
The bull riding action for the PBR Longview Invitational begins at 2:00 p.m. CST on Saturday, February 27, and Sunday, February 28.
Tickets for the two-day event are on sale now.
General admission tickets are priced at $50, with kids tickets (ages 5-12) available for $15, taxes and fees not included. Children under the age of 5 will gain entry to the event for free. Eventgoers are encouraged to purchase their tickets early, with the cost of all admission levels increasing by $5-$10 on event day. They can be purchased online through PBRTIX.com or by calling (800) 732-1727.
For an enhanced PBR experience in a socially-distanced environment, fans can now purchase add-on PBR Premium Experiences which will include the Elite Experience and Bull Housing Tour on both Saturday, February 27 and Sunday, February 28 in Longview for $60.
The Elite Experience will include a Q&A session with a select group of the league’s top riders, bullfighters and stock contractors, merchandise voucher, limited edition poster and commemorative lanyard, while the Bull Housing Tour will feature a stock contractor guided tour of the PBR’s bull housing in the Sunshine State where fans will get an up-close look at the world-renowned bovine athletes.
For more information on PBR Premium Experiences and to purchase the Elite Experience and/or Bull Housing Tour for the PBR Longview Invitational in Longview visit https://pbr.com/tickets/premium-experiences/.
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