Professional Bull Riders is celebrating its 25th season with a huge event at Madison Square Garden January 5th. Sean Gleason, CEO of Professional Bull Riders, and two-time World Champion bull rider J.B. Mauney, aka "the John Wayne of PBR", join Cheddar to discuss the fast-growing sport.
According to the organization, PBR attendance increased 11% from 2015 to 2017, setting 13 local event attendance records in 2016 and eight more in 2017. Annual global attendance has reached 3 million fans. Gleason also talks about the company's new streaming platform called "RidePass" and how it fits within the distribution strategy.
Mauney talks about how he prepares for a bull riding competition and how he stays connected with his fans. He says he's one of the oldest professional bull riders, which is why he's old school in his training. He predicts he'll ride for a few more years before hanging up his hat.
The component derived from cannabis plants offers an effective alternative for pain relief without causing a "high," said former New York Jets player Marvin Washington, who urges the NFL to change its policy on the substance. "If we don't get our hands around this opioid addiction, we are going to lose a generation."
For the first time since 1980, Iranian women this week were allowed to watch their national team take on Spain at the World Cup. For Iran, soccer is "the one secular institution that really unites the country," says Jeffrey Marcus, publisher of World Cup newsletter "The Banter."
The 28-year-old pitcher for the LA Dodgers pitches something else in the off-season: stocks. As a licensed stockbroker, Stripling invests in FANG shares and dabbles in some commodities, he tells Cheddar.
Paul Boyer, a.k.a. sOAZ, the former starting top laner for Team FNATIC, was sidelined with a hand injury during the Spring Split season of the esport League of Legends. But now he's back in action and ready for the Summer Split.
IBM and Fox Sports have teamed up to bring fans an easy way to create their own highlight reels, drawing footage from archives and current matches. "It is a huge opportunity to tap into that fan passion," says Robert Schwartz, Global Leader of Strategy and Design at IBM iX, the company's digital ad agency.
The athletic brand has signed deals with projected number one overall pick in the NBA, Deandre Ayton, and has integrated music and fashion into its marketing. Former ESPN host Bram Weinstein says that could give Puma an edge over competitors.
Video games and esports, which are front and center at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity this week, have caught the attention of the entrepreneur and CEO of VaynerMedia. "I have been lurking in the grass, as they say," he told Cheddar's Jon Steinberg.
Canada was one of the only developed countries in the world that did not have a premier league for soccer. Until now. The Canada Premier League will kick off its inaugural season next year in the hopes of creating a soccer revolution ahead of the 2026 World Cup, co-hosted in the country, says CPL commissioner David Clanachan.
Any professional athlete faces pressure to win, but the stakes are higher at the World Cup, where soccer players carry the added burden of an entire nation's expectations. To rise to the occasion, athletes "have to have a shared vision and a greater purpose," says Jon Gordon, the author of 'The Power of Positive and Leadership.'
Most World Cup fans may have their money on the usual contenders: Brazil, France, and Germany. But there are a few teams and players that have the potential to upend the game and surpass expectations, says Jeffrey Marcus, publisher of The Banter.
