A brief history of the PBR: Just a bunch of cowboys having fun

The sport of bull riding has been around since the frontier days of the 1800s. The cowboys that worked the ranches had to have the skills in their everyday life that the modern rodeos use today in competition. These frontier cowboys would get together and compete to show off there best skills for bragging rights. What started as just a bunch of ranch hands having fun, soon evolved into a competitive sport. I can just imagine them coming out of a saloon, or sitting around a campfire and suddenly someone says, "Betcha I can ride that old bull longer'n you can!"

The first organized rodeo was held in Cheyenne Wyoming. A rodeo is different from a PBR event, but that is where the PBR actually grew from. A rodeo is a lot of different events all done in the same day or weekend. You will find calf roping, barrel racing, steer wrestling, bucking horses and bucking bulls all going on at a rodeo. What is known in the PBR as bullfighters were the rodeo clowns that distracted bulls and entertained the crowds.

Rodeos are still a very poplar sport attended by many fans. The Rodeo Association of America was started in 1929. It evolved and changed names many times and became the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association in 1975. The bull riding seemed to be the most popular sport at rodeos, so the bull riders got together and decided they wanted their own event.

The birth of the PBR came about in 1992. In 1992, twenty bull riders each tossed in $1000 to create what is now known as the Professional Bull Riders Association or the PBR. The first tour in 1998 was only 8 stops or events. Today the PBR Built Ford Tough Series has 28 stops all across the country. The Built Ford Tough Series is the top PBR series. The best bull riders in the world compete in this series.

Bull Riders have to climb to the top of the ladder to compete in the Built Ford Tough events. The PBR has over 700 members that compete in the different levels of events and only the top 45 riders compete in the Built Ford Tough Series. Each week, the riders receive points and money for their successful rides. Every 5 weeks the bottom point earners are subject to losing their spot on the tour.

When a bull rider is bumped down from the Built Ford Tough Series, he has to work his way back up. The PBR has several Challenger Series that the bull riders compete in to earn points and money. The Challenger Series is how they work their way up to the big league of the Built Ford Tough events. Just because a bull rider has made his way to the Built Ford Tough Series doesn't mean he will stay. He has to earn the right to be there with each 8 second ride.

I hope you enjoyed this bit of history of the PBR and maybe even learned something. I am a huge fan of the PBR and hope to create a few more fans from those of you who read my articles. Stay tuned for more facts and history all about the "Greatest Sport on Earth."

More PBR articles:

PBR Profile Luke Snyder

The Care and Safety of the PBR Bulls

PBR Dangers in the Chutes

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.