PUEBLO, Colo. – With the calendar flipping to July, the 2024 PBR Camping World Team Series season is coming up quick. Action begins with the inaugural Wildcatter Days in Oklahoma City on July 12-14.

The revolutionary new league is now in its third season, and things are still growing and changing. With two new teams in the mix – the Oklahoma Wildcatters and the New York Mavericks – things will look a little different this season.

Read on to have all your questions answered!

Q: What is PBR Teams?

PBR Teams takes what was nearly 30 years an individual sport and puts riders on teams. The world’s best compete on teams in 5-on-5 bull riding games during a 13-event season culminating in a championship at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Oct. 18-20.

Q: How many teams are in the league?

Ten teams will compete in the 2024 season, with two new squads joining the eight that competed in the first two seasons. The founding teams are the Arizona Ridge Riders, Austin Gamblers, Carolina Cowboys, Florida Freedom (formerly the Oklahoma Freedom), Kansas City Outlaws, Missouri Thunder, Nashville Stampede, and Texas Rattlers. The expansion teams are the New York Mavericks and the Oklahoma Wildcatters.

Q: What is a game?

Two of the 10 teams face off in a head-to-head battle, and the team with the highest aggregate score from their five riders wins the game.

Q: How does a team win a game?

Eight teams compete in head-to-head, 5-on-5 games each day (totaling four games per event day). The team with the highest aggregate score from the respective matchup will win that game.

Q: How does a team win an event?

Unlike in past seasons, there are no event winners in 2024. Instead, each team that wins a game on an event day will receive $20,000. After the four games are contested, each team with a win will compete in the shootout round, which will be for additional prize money. The shootout round has no bearing on wins or event standings. (Two teams have a bye on each competition day.)

As with other team sports leagues, game wins and losses are crucial. Wins and losses at the end of the 12-event regular season determine the playoff seeding going into the PBR Teams Championship, held Oct. 18-20 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. All eight teams qualify for the PBR Teams Championship playoffs. The two teams that finish first and second in the regular-season standings will receive a first-round bye, while the teams that finish seventh-10^th will compete in a four-way game to determine which two teams advance to the next day of the Championship.

Q: What is the shootout round?

During the regular season, after the four games of an event day are contested, the shootout round – one additional round of bull riding competition – comes into play. The shootout round will feature one rider per winning team. The team coach designates any rider from the final event roster to compete in the shootout round. The high-marked qualified score in the shootout round will earn $10,000-$15,000 for the rider’s team, and the event day will conclude. If there are no qualified rides in the shootout, the tiebreaker will be the teams' aggregate scores from the event day. If only one team records a win on an event day, they will still ride in the shootout round.

Q: What does a team’s roster consist of?

Teams have a roster of up to seven “protected roster” riders and up to five “reserve roster” riders. Teams can then use free agency to sign riders to their rosters. During competition, teams have five starters and up to seven riders on their bench. These riders can be subbed in/out of games throughout an event weekend, giving teams flexibility for optimal performance.

Q: Can substitutions be made during games?

In regular-season and Championship games, as well as during the shootout round, a coach may make an in-game roster substitution, but only in the instances of a re-ride award, if the team is mathematically unable to win the game, or if the team has clinched the game win. The rider must consent to the substitution.

Q: Are the rules for a rider on a bull the same as in the PBR’s individual series and tours?

Yes – for the most intense 8 seconds in sports, hang onto the bull rope and don’t touch the bull with your free arm or the ground.

Q: How will riders be matched against bulls?

Five bulls via eight bull pens will be randomly drawn to teams. Coaches will work with their riders to determine bull assignments, which may change from game to game within an event.

Q: What is the playoff format for PBR Teams?

The 2024 season culminates with the PBR Teams Championship in Las Vegas on Oct. 18-20 at T-Mobile Arena. Our Championship is an elimination tournament format in which all teams participate. The top two teams in the regular season receive first-round byes, while the teams ranked No. 7-10 will compete in a four-way game to determine which two teams advance to the next day of the Championship. The elimination format includes a Last Chance Game for losing teams to attempt to win their way back into the championship race before Championship Sunday.

Q: Will there be any individual championship within the team format:

There will be a $100,000 league MVP based on the highest individual aggregate score total across all outs in the season (minimum of 20 outs). There will also be event day MVPs, which is the rider that achieves the highest ride score across all games of an event day (not including the shootout round), who will win $3,000.

New in 2024, the rider who achieves the highest riding percentage across all regular-season events (minimum of 20 outs) will receive the Great 8 Award and $25,000.

Q: Can riders ride more than once in a game?

Riders cannot compete twice in a given game or round. However, a rider who rides in a game is eligible to ride in the shootout round. If a team doesn’t have five available riders for a game, they forfeit the rides.

Q: Can teams make trades?

Teams may trade protected roster riders up until the trade deadline, which is Sept. 25, 2024. In addition, teams can trade future draft picks, cash and/or future considerations. Teams cannot trade riders on the reserve roster.

Q: If a rider gets hurt in Round 1 of an event, does the team call up another rider?

All teams will bring at least six riders to each regular-season event. Each game features five riders designated by the coach. Throughout an event, coaches may rotate their starting lineup as they see fit. There are also up to five riders on the reserve roster who may be called up to compete.

Q: Other sports have an “IR” – is there an injured reserve?

There are three types of injured reserve: Pre-Season, Regular Season and Full Season. Teams may have up to two riders on Pre-Season and Regular Season IR at any one time. Riders on Pre-Season IR have to miss a minimum of the first five events. Riders on Regular Season IR have to miss a minimum of two events. Teams may have as many riders as they want on Full Season IR, but riders on Full Season IR are not eligible to ride again until the 2025 season.

Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media