PUEBLO, Colo. – With two seasons in the books and several riders evolving into superstars as a result of the close proximity working alongside legendary coaches like Jerome Davis, Justin McBride, Adriano Moraes and beyond, it’s no wonder the PBR Camping World Team Series recently expanded from eight to 10 teams.
(Not to mention the team-wide celebrations, extra drama that comes with the unique 5-on-5 scenarios and let’s be real … there’s just something cool about wearing the same uniforms and seeing the guys ride for each other and each other’s families, hopes and dreams!)
Welcoming both the Oklahoma Wildcatters and the New York Mavericks last week, the league is taking the next step in expanding North America’s next great sports league, as 24 lucky riders (7 protected riders, five reserve roster riders for each of the new teams) will now have the opportunity to help mold their organization’s respective inaugural seasons during the third season of epic camaraderie-driven action!
RELATED: PBR Camping World Team Series expands to 10 squads with New York Mavericks, Oklahoma Wildcatters
More specifically, 12 men will have the opportunity to represent the bull riding-loving state of Oklahoma, the Wildcatters brand and all that J.B. Mauney and Brandon Bates hope to instill in their team culture during year one, as the team announced Tuesday that Mauney will serve as the team’s head coach, while Bates will occupy the general manager’s chair.
“Positivity. The best advice that I was ever given was that you travel with guys who are as good or better than you because you’re only as good as the guys that you travel with,” Mauney shared.
“If you throw one monkey wrench in there that has a negative attitude, it screws everything up. I want guys with the fire and positive attitudes and as long as they’re positive about it, they’ll be winners.”
As one of the world and sport’s greatest bull riding legends, locking in, exiting the chutes and surviving the 8 came pretty naturally for the all-star, seemingly dripping swag at each and every bucking turn.
But there’s undoubtedly quite the difference in skillsets needed between sitting atop a 1,600-lb. animal athlete and coaching, managing and connecting with an entire team of individuals. Motivating them to give it their all while staying in line with the team, and any given game, or event’s strategy.
Naturally, the two-time World Champion isn’t backing down from the new approach.
He’s accepting the challenges and rolling with the blows. But with championship leadership comes and championship mindset, something he’ll have to balance as the season approaches.
“I’ve told people before, there aren’t too many people who have come and rode bulls at my house before this was envisioned because of the way that I am about bull riding,” Mauney said.
“I can be really hard on a guy and that’s the only thing I’m going to have to watch. I’m not going to tip-toe around them. I guess you could say they’re going to need some thick skin if they wind up on this team,” he shared with a laugh.
Previously known as the Dragon Slayer himself, the $7 million man will have every opportunity to make some cash for he and his squad this summer, no doubt. But, first, he’ll have to work with Bates in assembling special group of men. Better yet, a special group of Wildcatters.
With each of the eight inaugural teams allowed to protect three riders from being selected in the 2024 PBR Teams Expansion Draft, both the New York Mavericks and Oklahoma Wildcatters will then have the opportunity to welcome riders from any of the eight squads, eligible to select up to six riders in total during the draft.
From there, the two new teams will join the existing eight squads in welcoming the next wave of bull riding talent during the 2024 New Rider Draft, with this year’s draft selection set to be determined via lottery selection (with each of the new expansion teams entering the lottery with the best odds at the No. 1 overall pick).
A forward-thinking, often-smiling approach never hurt anybody, as the skip mentioned he wants positive folks in his locker room. But it was the second main trait the Wildcatters are looking for that really grasped our attention.
“I want the ones with the grit. The “Never say die” attitude,” Mauney expanded upon.
(For any Detroit Lions fans out there, GRIT was the driving force behind the franchise’s historical turnaround during last year’s National Football League season, and nonetheless a trendy descriptor for talents who aren’t afraid of getting down and dirty while letting the hard-grinding, blue-collar approach fuel them.)
“I kind of have in my head the type of guys that I’d like to have on the team and it’s worked out pretty well every time we’ve talked, so it shouldn’t be too hard. There’s a lot of young guys coming up right now that nobody has even heard of, so there’s a lot up in the air still.”
Whether Mauney and company are planning to build a “Win-Now” team and assemble a team of capable veterans or keep the inaugural roster on the younger, learning-friendly side, he split the difference down the middle, ultimately spelling out how the Mavericks and the league’s eight established squads approach both draft-exempt lists and the New Rider Draft itself.
“Somewhere in between. With the expansion draft, we have to wait until all of that pans out. Brandon and them can handle that part and figure out which guys are protected and who’s available. We’re looking at guys and going through some scenarios, but it really depends on what the other teams do,” he said.
“I’d rather go for younger guys because it seems like the younger they are, the more drive they have.”
Regardless of what the team’s personnel pool looks like when it’s all said and done, the team will get a better look at what they’re working with during its first-ever training camp.
Thankfully for the Stephenville, Texas, resident, he won’t need to do any of the relocation dance, as his team’s new headquarters are but one state and a mere four-hour drive from his own home base.
“When we have team practices or anything like that, we can do them right there at my house,” the legend detailed.
“I work every day, all day. They need to go to the gym to be able to ride bulls, and they can do that on their own time. When they come to my house, they’re going to learn to be bull savvy. They’re going to learn bulls, they’re going to learn how to work bulls and then they’re going to get on bulls.”
While Texas would surely welcome a third team, and very well may at some point in the future, just because the guys may occasionally practice south of the Red River does not mean they’ll be repping the Lone Star State on game days.
In fact, it’ll be quite the opposite, as the team prepares to don browns, blues and faded shades of yellow during its first official season representing Oklahoma as the Wildcatters brand takes over.
Not long after the preseason warm-up and team-building sessions take place, the team is set to host one of the tour’s first events of the summer, as Wildcatter Days is expected to invade Paycom Center for three days of intense 5-on-5 action July 12-14.
“It’s gaining some momentum and what I like about it is, before, when it was just regular bull riding, you had some fans that liked me, you had some fans that liked Guilherme (Marchi), some fans that only liked whoever, but it was all split up,” Mauney concluded.
“Now, when you have a team in a state, that whole state will pull for that team. So, I kind of look like it like soccer in Brazil and how they get behind their teams. When I went to the World Cup in Brazil, it was crazy. They wanted the Brazil National Team to win so badly and this (PBR Teams) is how it’s set up. If you’ve got a bull riding in Oklahoma, who do you think Oklahoma wants to win? The Oklahoma Wildcatters!”
While the team’s branding, coaching and front office announcements have earned front-page coverage throughout the bull riding industry and even into mainstream sports media, this week merely represents the first of many building blocks for the new organization.
The entire 2024 PBR Camping World Team Series schedule is expected to be released in the coming weeks, so fans can be sure to stay tuned to PBR.com and PBR social media channels as March rolls around!
Until then, we’ll set our sights on the 2024 PBR Teams Expansion Draft, as we await to see which riders are protected, which riders are selected to either of the new expansion teams and ultimately what Mauney, Bates and company have in store for what could be a spicy opening season in Oklahoma.
Photo courtesy of Carolyn Taylor/Jones Public Relations
