New York's Newest Professional Sports Team - The New York Mavericks

by Warren Rosenberg and John Chuhran - MetroSports Magazine March 1, 2023

The inter-borough rivalry between Manhattan’s Madison Square Garden and Brooklyn’s Barclays Center is about to get hotter. More than just being the homes of the NBA’s Knicks and Nets, the two venues will soon share another sport – Professional Bull Riding (PBR). For the past 17 years, Madison Square Garden has attracted sell-out crowds during three days of competition for a round of the PBR Unleash the Beast Challenger Series (which conducts more than 60 annual events nationwide) for Individual riders.  

Above: Madison Square Garden on the night of a PBR Monster Energy Buck Off event

In 2022, the PBR launched another national series – the PBR Camping World Team Series, which has now grown to 10 teams of the world’s best bull riders competing as groups for the new championship. The series continues to gain in popularity. The existing Oklahoma Freedom is moving to Florida, but a new franchise – the Oklahoma Wildcatters is being added along with a local team to be based in Brooklyn.

“Fans in the greater New York area deserve their own bull riding team,” said Sean Gleason, Commissioner and CEO of the PBR, “and they’re about to get one – the New York Mavericks.”

The New York Mavericks are owned by Avenue Sports Fund, which acquired the sanctioning rights from Professional Bull Riders in February 2024. Avenue Sport Fund provides capital solutions to a wide variety of established teams and leagues across the globe, as well as investments in emerging sports to capitalize on areas of exponential growth. The Sports Fund is led by Avenue’s Marc Lasry. 

Two World Champions have been named the coaches of New York’s first-ever bull riding team. Kody Lostroh, 2009 PBR World Champion and Ring of Honor inductee, will lead the team as Head Coach, and Ednei Caminhas, 2002 PBR World Champion pictured below aboard Man Hater at the 2023 Madison Square Garden PBR event, will be Assistant Coach. In addition, Chris Pantani has been named as the General Manager of the Mavericks.

Above:  Ednei Caminhas aboard Man Hater at the 2023 Monster Energy Buckoff at the Garden. Photo credit-Warren Rosenberg

The Mavericks’ roster will begin to take shape when up to six riders are selected in the 2024 Expansion Draft, scheduled to be held in New York City in April. Additional riders will fill out the roster when the 2024 New Rider Draft takes place. Finally, unrestricted free agency will also provide the Mavericks and the Wildcatters with the opportunity to fill out their rosters. 

Above: Some of the action caught at a recent PBR Monster Energy Buck Off at The Garden. Photo credit Warren Rosenberg.

PBR Teams builds on the existing structure of professional bull riding with the same basic rules for judging and scoring qualified 8-second bull rides. In events staged in a tournament-style format, all teams compete in head-to-head matchups against a different opponent each day. Each game features five riders per team squaring off against another team. Full team rosters are comprised of seven riders on the Protected Roster and five Reserve riders. The team with the highest aggregate score of qualified rides among its riders is declared the winner of each game. All PBR Teams events are carried on either the CBS Television Network, streaming live on Paramount+, CBS Sports Network, or RidePass on Pluto TV.

The inaugural homestand for the New York Mavericks is scheduled for August 9-10 at Barclays Center – the first time the Brooklyn arena will host a Bull Riding event in its nearly 12-year history. Tickets for the event go on sale Monday, March 4 at 10 AM, and start at $20. They can be purchased online at Ticketmaster.com and PBR.com, at the Barclays Center Box Office, or by calling PBR customer service at 1-800-732-1727. Two-day ticket packages are available and offer fans a 15 percent discount on select price levels.

With the January PBR Monster Energy Buck Off at Madison Square Garden and the August Camping World Team Series, the Manhattan vs Brooklyn rivalry is sure to heat up.