Women’s Rodeo Breaks Through on National TV With Landmark Scripps Deal

The Premier Women’s Rodeo lands on ION and GRIT, bringing the sport into 126 million homes and giving athletes a long-awaited mainstream platform to showcase their stories, legacy, and competition.

PWR | PWR

To describe the importance of Scripps’ new national television deal to carry women’s rodeo on ION and Grit, Linsay Rosser Sumpter isn’t thinking about distribution or audience size. It’s more about people like her 95-year-old neighbor in rural Colorado.

She doesn’t have internet or cable TV. A stream to her means a place to cool off and catch fish. Her phone isn’t smart. She watches television courtesy of old-fashioned “rabbit ears” – an antenna from Walmart. And now, she’ll be able to follow the PWR (Premier Women’s Rodeo) overseen by Commissioner Rosser. 

“That kind of reach, putting women’s rodeo in more than 125 million homes, is astonishing,” Rosser-Sumpter said. “The athletes who have dedicated their lives to this sport will now have a platform to celebrate their stories.”

The new Scripps partnership will launch with ION and Grit carrying the highly anticipated 2026 PWR Championship, a two-hour broadcast from Fort Worth, Texas, on Sunday, May 17, at 1 p.m. ET. 

For Scripps, the PWR deal represents its growing commitment to elevating women’s sports. Its portfolio already includes national partnerships with the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL), Major League Volleyball (MLV), Pro Cheer League (PCL), ATHLOS women’s track and field and additional marquee properties.

At the same time, Grit is evolving into a more contemporary Western network, according to Keisha Taylor Starr, general manager of Scripps Networks and Scripps’ chief marketing officer. “Grit is where the spirit of adventure and Western values come alive, and the amazing athletes of PWR are modern trailblazers whose stories, in and out of the arena, will engage a new generation of fans,” she said.

Building on the new partnership’s foundation at World Finals, the collaboration with Scripps will expand significantly in 2027 to include the original series PWR: Road to the Championship on Grit, offering all-inclusive coverage of the PWR season’s most compelling storylines and competitions.

It will culminate with the 2027 PWR Championship airing across both ION and Grit. In 2027, these networks will broadcast a minimum of 18 hours of women’s rodeo programming over 16 broadcasts.

“Through this programming, fans will have the opportunity to understand the mindset of the athlete and what drives them to love this sport,” Rosser-Sumpter said. “We’ll get to see the Paul Harvey version of the athletes – ‘the rest of the story’ showing the sacrifice, passion, drive, and emotion behind the competition.”

Linsay Rosser-Sumpter at the 2022 Women’s Rodeo World Championship | Bull Stock Media

Rosser-Sumpter recognizes that mentality because it’s her own.

She was born into one of the most influential rodeo families in the U.S. – the granddaughter of legendary Cotton Rosser, founder of Flying U Rodeo Company, which is credited with helping modernize and professionalize rodeo stock contracting and event production, improving the consistency and spectacle of contemporary rodeo events.

Rosser was a P.T. Barnum-like showman full of smart, fun ideas for producing and presenting rodeo as a tight, entertainment-first experience, always executed with the opportunities for competitors, the well-being of the livestock, and the hard-earned dollar of every fan in mind.

His granddaughter was too young to remember the first time she mounted a horse. She went on competing in high school rodeo, winning five state titles, and earning a scholarship at California Polytechnic State University.

When she finished her degree in 2006, however, there were scant opportunities in women’s rodeo, especially for a solid all-around cowgirl who excelled in female rodeo events.

“If you weren’t a barrel racer you simply didn’t have a professional career path,” Rosser-Sumpter said. “There was no professional roping. For someone like me your career was over after college.”

Rosser-Sumpter temporarily left competition but wasn’t done with the sport. She trained horses and transitioned to coaching, at the time becoming one of three women’s head coaches at the college level.

She never lost the competitive spirit. When breakaway roping surged back into prominence in 2018 with its return to Cheyenne Frontier Days, Rosser-Sumpter rode that wave, competing through the sport’s resurgence. She appeared in the inaugural Women’s Rodeo Championship (WRC) in 2020 and returned in 2021 in Las Vegas.

To build something big in rodeo, nobody’s going to get fired hiring someone with Rosser in their name and rodeo in their blood. The next year, she was appointed WRC commissioner.

Three years later, PBR doubled down its support of women’s rodeo in launching the PWR as a rebirth of the WRC and the Women’s Rodeo World Championship (WRWC) – the richest women-only rodeo event in the world.

In Fort Worth, a “week of women’s rodeo" on May 11-15, 2026, will gather the most accomplished female athletes in rodeo in the disciplines of barrel racing, breakaway roping, and team roping, featuring Pro, Challenger, and Limited tiers – all competing for a share of the $803,000 total purse.

Adding to the excitement, two special ticketed performances will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 14 and Friday, May 15, showcasing goat tying, ranch bronc riding, and bull riding. Tickets are available at cowtowncoliseum.com.

Linsay Rosser-Sumpter at the Rancho Mission Viejo Rodeo in San Juan Capistrano. | Linsay Rosser-Sumpter

With the backing of PBR, events alongside PBR World Finals, and a TV deal with Scripps, Rosser-Sumpter is carrying the family legacy for fun, competitive events, high-production values, compelling storytelling, greater opportunities for the athletes, and strong value to the fans.

As women’s rodeo surges, she can’t help but think of her grandfather who recently passed, especially in scheduling a rough stock showcase in Fort Worth at the championship. 

“Rodeo has given my family so much,” she said. “It feels like I was destined to do this and give back to the sport, advocating for female athletes. My grandfather produced all-female rodeos at the California State Fair in the late 80’s and early 90’s. He loved cowgirls competing in barrel racing and seeing breakaway roping becoming more popular. I hope to make him proud in bringing women’s rough stock back. He loved crowds and kids and bringing our way of life to different communities.”

With PWR’s on Scripps Sports, women’s rodeo will soon be seen in communities everywhere. Internet is fine, but not required. All you need is a set of cheap rabbit ears.