BIG SKY—On July 20, 21 and 22, the Big Sky Events Arena once again filled its bleachers to the brim, serving as the gathering place for the 12th Big Sky PBR, showcasing some of the best bulls and bull riders, celebrating victory after an 18-year-old rookie’s winning ride, a visit from Professional Bull Riders CEO Sean Gleason, as well as two governors, a presidential candidate, energetic spectators, and as always—breathtaking sunsets.
Once a sagebrush field and an idea, Eric Ladd, chairman and CEO at Outlaw Partners, alongside Andy and Jacey Watson of Freestone Productions and Jim Murphy, joined forces to create something authentic to Montana. Now over a decade later, Big Sky PBR has won Event of the Year nine times consecutively, an honor bestowed within the PBR circuit by the touring cowboys. Surrounded by the quickly developing Big Sky Town Center, the Big Sky Events Arena is one of the last patches that remains unchanged since the event began, and emulates the grit that brings it to life each summer.
“We have 150 events … here in the U.S.,” Gleason said during the night’s Event of the Year award presentation. “We play venues like Madison Square Garden, AT&T Stadium, and out of all of those events, the 9x winner of PBR’s Event of the Year is Big Sky, MT.”
“We owe it all to you, you guys are the greatest fans in bull riding,” he added.
The weekend also staged a standing ovation for an icon in the industry, Flint Rasmussen.
