Colleges Try Bull Riding and Concerts to Balance Budgets Amid NIL Demands

With packed stadiums, major artists, and millions in local revenue, PBR's college tour may be a new playbook for athletic departments in the NIL era.

PBR

As NIL squeezes college budgets, is PBR the answer?

Last July, PBR’s high-stakes Last Cowboy Standing stormed into Colorado State University’s Canvas Stadium – and the results were a hit. Each night ended with a live concert, featuring performances by Cross Canadian Ragweed and Jon Pardi. The event drew 23,780 fans and generated $5.67 million in ticket sales, lodging, and visitor spending, according to Visit Fort Collins.

That success didn’t go unnoticed. Now, in partnership with Florida State University, PBR is taking the cowboys and bulls to the ACC when its premier Unleash The Beast tour heads to Doak S. Campbell Stadium on March 13–14, 2026 for a Major with a $200,000 total purse.

Following the model set in Colorado, a high-energy celebratory concert with acts to be announced will follow the bull riding mayhem on the dirt.

PBR

“All of us at FSU Athletics are extremely excited to welcome PBR to Tallahassee and Florida State University,” said Michael Alford, VP and Director of Athletics at FSU. “This is a landmark event for FSU, Tallahassee, and the entire Big Bend region. PBR has earned a reputation for excellence, and we are proud to partner with them to bring this event to Doak Campbell Stadium.”

PBR says that following the success of Last Cowboy Standing at CSU, several major universities inquired about bringing the sport wrapped with a concert to their stadiums.

It makes sense for schools to creatively use these venues to generate extra cash.

Universities aiming to be sports powerhouses are now facing the direct cost of paying athletes a share of revenue, while the athletes now have the power to shop their services to the highest bidder.

It’s a spending arms race new to athletic departments forced to keep up with their peers, maintain competitive rosters, and find new revenue streams.

“We’ve proven a new model for transforming college football stadiums into premier bull riding stages,” said CEO and Commissioner Sean Gleason. “It’s a win-win—fans get an unforgettable experience, and universities unlock new revenue opportunities for their athletics programs by hosting major events beyond football.”

Cross Canadian Ragweed in concert after the first day of PBR’s Last Cowboy Standing at Canvas Stadium | Bull Stock Media

To transform Doak — the world’s second-largest continuous brick structure after the Great Wall of China — into a bull riding mecca, PBR will truck in 5.5 million pounds of dirt to cover approximately 30,000 square feet.

The larger production, requiring 20 semi-trucks in all, will also include stadium-scale sound, lighting, and video systems spanning the entire football field – making it more than three times the size of a standard PBR elite tour event.

Ticket sales dates and artist performances will be announced in the coming weeks, according to PBR.

The only other question is, where does the Tomahawk chop fit into a bull riding – before or after the 8?

PBR

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