NEW YORK, NY — The Professional Bull Riders are on their way and en route to Madison Square Garden for the annual Monster Energy Buck Off, and for those interested, tickets are still available on Ticketmaster.
The Professional Bull Riders return to MSG this Friday, Saturday and Sunday for the first major sporting event of 2026, the Monster Buck Off. PBR officials like to call the eight seconds bull riders need to remain on a bull before getting tossed off to qualify for points, “the greatest show on dirt.”
Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports
Professional bull riding was long considered a fringe sport in terms of interest, but that has changed over the last decade, thanks to increased viewing options. CBS broadcasts PBR events on Sundays when their NFL and PGA Tour commitments do not conflict. CBS’s affiliated streaming services, Paramount Plus and Pluto TV, televise every PBR tournament both live and on-demand.
There is no shortage of diversity in the ranks of the Professional Bull Riders. One of the most successful riders in recent years is Brazil’s José Vitor Leme. He is one of many riders from South America. The Empire State is represented by Daylon Swearingen, who grew up outside of Rochester.
Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports
Texas is synonymous with cowboys, so it is no surprise that the Lone Star State has three top earners on the PBR tour: John Crimber, Dawson Gleaves, and Ezekiel Mitchell, who is also the best-known African-American rider. Native Americans Caden Bunch and Keyshawn Whitehorse are also PBR fan favorites.
Just as riders have distinct personalities, so do the bulls who have various temperaments. The three toughest bulls for riders to tame are the appropriately named Man Hater, Red Demon, and The Intimidator. They follow in the footsteps of such ornery legends as Bruiser, Bodacious, Bushwacker, and Dillinger.
Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports
After the bulls force a rider to dismount, most just trot nonchalant back to the pen. Some are natural showmen and enjoy taking a celebratory lap around the ring before being escorted backstage.
An Early Look for 2026 in Queens
Mets fans are far from sanguine as 2026 begins because longtime stars Pete Alonso and Edwin Diaz departed as free agents, while Brandon Nimmo and Jeff McNeil were traded for what most consider to be less than commensurate value. There is a feeling among the Flushing faithful that Mets President of Baseball Operations, David Stearns is making the 2026 New York Mets into the baseball on-field equivalent of the brokerage firm Bear Stearns circa 2008.
They want multi-billionaire Mets CEO Steve Cohen to exert more authority.
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The topic of Mets clubhouse chemistry playing a role in his decision to break up the team’s core has become a staple of “hot stove” season. It appears new NYC mayor, Zohran Mamdani, may have played an indirect role in creating dissension there.
Sports talk show radio legend Mike Francesa recently reported on his podcast there was friction between the wives of some Mets players. Katia Lindor served as a member of Mamdani’s inaugural committee. Since most baseball players, and by extension, their wives, are politically conservative, Francesa’s take makes sense.
Penn State defeats Clemson in Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium
New York City’s annual holiday college football game, the Pinstripe Bowl, always features teams from the Big 10 and Atlantic Coast Conference who failed to qualify for the College Football Playoffs. While the game may pit also-rans from those conferences and has little implication for season-ending college football rankings, the Pinstripe Bowl has proven to be a winner for New York City tourism.
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Over 41,000 fans came to Yankee Stadium on a cold, gray late December day to watch the Penn State Nittany Lions defeat the Clemson Tigers, 22-10. The subways were jammed with Clemson fans from South Carolina who mostly flew into New York, and Penn State fans, who mostly made a day trip from eastern Pennsylvania. The four inches of snow which fell in New York the night before had a negligible effect on the size of the crowd, despite the best efforts of some television meteorologists to make it sound as if it were the Blizzard of 1888.
Lions-Vikings on Christmas Day becomes most-watched sporting event ever on a streaming service
Netflix’s Christmas Day NFL game between the Detroit Lions and the Minnesota Vikings averaged 27.5 million viewers, which made it the most-watched sporting event on a streaming service. Viewership was boosted by Snoop Dogg’s ‘Holiday Halftime Party.” For better or worse, more sporting events will be aired on streamers.
New York Red Bulls hire Michael Bradley as new head coach
The New York Red Bulls hired one of the best American soccer players in history, Michael Bradley, to be their new head coach. It is to be seen whether Bradley’s skills as a player will translate well to his new role.
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The Red Bulls missed the Major League Soccer playoffs which led to the ouster of previous head coach, Sandro Schwarz.
Newsday’s Neil Best announces his retirement
The local sportswriting fraternity has become diminished with the retirement of Newsday’s Neil Best, who called it a career on New Year’s Eve after more than forty years at the Long Island daily. Neil covered every sport at every level and was most recently Newsday’s sports media columnist. His low-key, easygoing persona was in stark contrast to too many with bloated egos in the press box. I always appreciated him being a good listener when I would complain about access issues covering certain sports teams. Enjoy your well-deserved free time, Neil!
Sandy Koufax celebrates 90th birthday
The most dominating pitcher of my lifetime, Sandy Koufax, celebrated his 90th birthday. I had the good fortune of running into him outside the visiting team’s clubhouse at Citi Field in 2019. He was as gracious as I could hope, and he did not look much different from his baseball card from back in the day.
Image Credit: National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
Koufax still has a long way to go to catch 104-year-old Dominick Critelli. The Floral Park resident, and World War II veteran who survived the Battle of the Bulge, made national news when he performed a flawless version of “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the UBS Arena on his saxophone before a Rangers-Islanders game two days after Christmas. It was a wonderful move by the Islanders to spotlight this great man.
Rob Gronkowski unfazed and a force on television
Former New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski continues to be a force on television. He has been an in-demand pitchman for advertisers and is a panelist on Fox’s “NFL Sunday” studio show.
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Gronk clearly wants to expand his talents into the entertainment industry as he was a co-host on the Las Vegas portion of ABC’s “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest.” Playing in the rough climes of Foxborough, Massachusetts for years prepared him well, as he was unfazed by the pouring rain of the West Coast storms which fell during the show.
Celebrating America’s 250th birthday for New Years?
Speaking of New Year’s Eve, it was a smart move by the Times Square Alliance to have a crystal ball which highlighted the 250th birthday of the USA this coming July 4th. The Alliance will be planning a ball drop at midnight on that date.
ABC and Hulu brings back “Will Trent” and “High Potential”
The weather may be frigid, but there is one sign spring is not too far away. ABC has brought back two of its shows which always draw good ratings in the first quarter of recent years, “Will Trent,” and “High Potential.” You can also watch them on Hulu.
You can read more of Lloyd Carroll’s columns posted weekly on The Queens Chronicle.
