As the current reigning champions after the first season of Professional Bull Riding (PRB) Team Competition in 2022, the Nashville Stampede is working to defend their title.
Just before the season started, the Nashville Stampede made a blockbuster trade with the Oklahoma Freedom. Two-time PBR World Champion Jess Lockwood joined the Nashville Stampede, and current Stampede member Thiago Salgodo will be heading to Oklahoma.
Nashville Stampede Head Coach Justin McBride said in a press release. “Jess Lockwood can take a team to a new level. He has been one of the best the PBR has ever seen.”
“Jess is only 25 years old and has already won two PBR world titles,” Nashville General Manager Tina Battock said. “Our program is built around team culture and hard work — Jess will fit right in with a roster of champion-caliber athletes who are focused on winning. In pairing Jess with Justin McBride, we believe he will be another dynamic Nashville Stampede rider in and out of the arena.”
The young Montana native made his PBR premier series debut in 2016, winning his home state event in Billings, en route to being anointed the 2016 PBR Rookie of the Year. He went on to win many titles, and most recently he became the fifth rider to win both the World Championship and World Finals event title in the same season.
Lockwood will complement the Stampede’s Protected Roster which already includes 2018 PBR World Champion Kaique Pacheco, three-time PBR World Champion Silvano Alves, and annual contender Mason Taylor.
In 2022, coached by two-time PBR World Champion Justin McBride, the Stampede proved how patience, timing and staying true to the game plan are key to winning a championship. While the Stampede finished the regular season 7-20-1 to enter the 2022 Teams Championship seeded last of the eight teams, they went 4-and-0 in Las Vegas, beating the top-three seeded teams to win the inaugural Teams Championship.
In addition to being crowned league Champions, McBride and the Stampede’s General Manager, Battock, were voted Coach and Executive of the Year by their PBR Teams peers.
The 2023 PBR Teams season will include a three-day homestand hosted by each of the eight founding teams, accompanied by two, two-day neutral site events. During event days, each of the league’s eight founding teams will compete in one five-on-five bull riding game against another team, with each team competing in 28 games throughout the regular season. The Teams Championship returns to T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on October 20-22.
The Nashville Stampede will hold their second-annual homestand, and fourth event of the regular season, Stampede Days on Aug. 18-20 at Bridgestone Arena. During their event, they will play the Missouri Thunder (Aug. 18), Kansas City Outlaws (Aug. 19) and Arizona Ridge Riders (Aug. 20). The action begins at 7:45 p.m. on Friday, August 18, 6:45 p.m. on Saturday, August 19, and 1:45 p.m. on Sunday, August 20.
Tickets for the event are now on sale. Prices start at $20, taxes and fees not included. They can be purchased online at Ticketmaster.com and PBR.com, at the Bridgestone Arena Box Office, or by calling PBR customer service at 1-800-732-1727.
Every game during the season will be carried by CBS, including seven “Game of the Week” broadcasts, CBS Sports Network, or Pluto TV. The Nashville Stampede will be featured in one Game of the Week broadcast when their showdown with the Kansas City Outlaws in Nashville airs on CBS on Aug. 20.
Nashville Stampede are based at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. They are owned by Morris Communications Company, LLC (MCC), which is part of a privately held company with diversified holdings in media, real estate, property development and agribusiness. MCC is based in Augusta, Georgia. MCC’s current media holdings include Morris Media Network (MMN) which reaches millions of consumers with diversified content brands in print, digital, products and live events. Related media including “Western Horseman,” “Barrel Horse News”, “Quarter Horse News,” “Road to the Horse,” “EquiStat” and the National Barrel Horse Association publication.
For more information about Nashville Stampede, visit pbr.com/teams/stampede/, Nashville Stampede on Facebook, @NashvilleStampede on Instagram, or @Nash_Stampede on Twitter.
