Historically in rodeo, it has taken even the best nearly a decade to reach the million-dollar mark.
Now,
courtesy of the WCRA (World Champions Rodeo Alliance), the
athletes of rodeo have a much quicker and easier path to cross that
milestone threshold and continue to add to those earnings.
WCRA has once again changed the face of rodeo in recently announcing the Triple Crown of Rodeo (TCR) – rodeo’s biggest and most athlete-friendly cash incentive ever.
The massive annual bonus will pay $1,000,000 to any one athlete or collection of athletes who win first place in any three consecutive WCRA $1-Million Major Rodeos.
The announcement at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (WNFR) of an alignment between the WCRA and the Days of ‘47 Cowboy Games and Rodeo joining the historic TCR is key to this exciting development in western sports, lifting the entire sport and all its athletes.
Let’s look at just how many rodeos will pay north of $1,000,000. It will be close to ten for the regular season of 2020 – a 233% increase in $1-million rodeo events.
WCRA is responsible for 30% of the $1MM in rodeos in 2020 – a very impressive contribution in creating marquee events significantly improving the earnings of rodeo athletes.
Looking at the 2020 regular season, WCRA is scheduled to pay over $5.1 million along with the million-dollar bonus, which will bump the payout to $6.1 million. That will bring the total payout for WCRA to over $12 million since May of 2018 – a giant amount and already in some cases life-changing money for the athletes that have taken first place at WCRA Major Rodeos.
Exposure for the rodeo has also skyrocketed.
Thanks to a partnership with PBR (Professional Bull Riders), rodeo is now back on free-over-the-air television for the first time in decades allowing more fans to follow along and track the athletes across the four major WCRA $1-million Major Rodeos over the 2020 season.
For fans to mark their calendars, the first 2020 WCRA Majors airing on CBS Television Network, which gives first-place finishers in all the disciplines a chance at the TCR, are:
– Royal City
Roundup – February, 28
– Stampede at the E – May 17
–
Days of ‘47 Cowboy Games and Rodeo – July 24
– Puget Sound
Showdown – August 28
The TCR will be thrilling for fans
to watch unfold across the 2020 season. The TCR’s debut, the chance
to see rodeo’s next millionaire, and the WCRA’s overall
commitment to all rodeo athletes and fans all portend a very bright
future ahead for rodeo.