The National Finals Rodeo, or NFR as it’s know far and wide and especially around here, is the Super Bowl of the cowboy-competition circuit. It’s organized by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA), sponsored by Wrangler, and hosted by the Thomas and Mack Arena for 10 days early every December.
The first NFR took place in Dallas in 1959; this is the 50th annual event. Las Vegas has been throwing this party since 1985, after it wrestled the Finals from Oklahoma City, where it’d taken place for 20 years. The UNLV Rebels basketball team schedules away games while NFR occupies its home court.
Buckaroo (from the Spanish word vaquero) skills, and presumably, competitions, have been evolving every since man mounted horse in the unrecorded mists of history. These tests of cowboy talent became a spectator sport in the mid-1800s. Today, rodeo contestants travel upwards of 50,000 miles every year to participate in scores of competitions around the country, such as the Reno Rodeo, one of the oldest and largest events on the circuit.
The top 15 contenders in the seven different riding, racing, roping, and wrestling competitions, as measured by money won, are invited to the finals to vie for the millions (nearly $6 million this year) in prizes. Whoever has won the most money, during the course of the rodeo season, in each event at the end of NFR is crowned the World Champion and receives a belt buckle of solid gold. At the end of the Finals, the title of World All-Around Champion Cowboy is also bestowed on the competitor who has won the most money by regularly competing in more than one event during the year.
The seven events are: bareback riding, bull riding, saddle-bronc riding, team roping, tie-down roping, steer wrestling, and barrel racing (which is exclusive to women and the only women’s event).
NFR is one of the toughest tickets in town, as cowboys and cowgirls from around the world descend on Las Vegas to celebrate the heroes of their sport. Cowboy mania descends on the city right along with them, and all the casino entertainment and promotions revolve around a country-and-western theme: Check out the NFR section in Special Events for details on all the concerts and other happenings that have been announced so far, and keep checking back between now and then for updated.
The week between NFR and Christmas is the slowest of the year in Las Vegas.
