NFR

BY FRANK ARNOLD farnold@aol.com

NFR....NATIONALFINALS RODEO.....LIKE A BIG BRAND...... NATIONAL NAME !

HERE IT IS IN LAS VEGAS AND GOING STRONG.....HOWEVER THE DAY OF RECKONING IS NEAR !

THE NFR ESTABLISHED IN 1958 HAS GROWN TO MONUMENTAL PROPORTIONS !

THE FIRST NFR WAS IN DALLAS IN 1959 THROUGH 1961.....2 YEARS
                                        LOS ANGLES  1962 THROUGH 1964......3 YEARS
                               OKLAHOMA CITY  1965 THROUGH 1985.....17 YEARS
                                         LAS VEGAS   1985 THROUGH 2014.....20YEARS          

CONTRACT TIME......THE NFR AND ITS COMMISSIONER KARL STRESSMAN ARE IN NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE LAS VEGS CONVENTION AND VISTORS AUTHORITY ON A NEW CONTRACT...LVCA PRESIDENT PAT CHRISTENSON HAS COMMITTED $15 MILLION DOLLARS TO THE PRCA AS SOME LAS VEGAS "JUICE " TO HELP CONVINCE THE NFR TO RETURN TO LAS VEGAS FOR ANOTHER DECADE.

NOBODY KNOWS HOW THE NEGOTIATIONS ARE GOING BUT I WOULD LOVE TO BE IN ON THEM....A DECISION IS COMING IN 3 WEEKS....THE NFR DRAWS 175,000 FOR ITS TEN DAY RUN...NEEDLESS TO SAY NO SMALL PEANUTS FOR A CITY THE LANDS 4000 PASSENGERS AN HOUR RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET FROM THE THOMAS AND MACK CENTER WHERE THE EVENT  PLAYS OUT.  THE THOMAS AND MACK HOME TO UNLV'S BASKETBALL TEAM....(THE ONLY THING WORSE THAN COLLEGE BASKETBALL IS WOMENS BASKETBALL).....I HAVE ALWAYS THOUGHT OF THE THOMAS MACK AS HOME TO THE NFR AND THE PBR !

I WAS GIVING THIS  SOME THOUGHT LAST NIGHT ON THE BASIC MECHANICS OF THE NEGOTIATING GAME WHICH IS A TASK IN ITSELF....WITH 100'S OF THOUSANDS OF ROOMS WITHIN 5 MILES OF THE EVENT THE BOOTOM LINE SEEMS A NO BRAINER.....HAVING COVERED THE EVENT HERE FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS THE SCIENCE OF PRODUCTION HERE IS ONLY BETTER THAN PERFECT....LAS VEGAS AND THE NFR HAS THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE EVENT DOWN PAT.....WHEN 75 CONTESTANTS RODE IN FOR THE OPENING CEREMONIES AND FORMED THREE  PERFECT LINES IN 2 MINUTES THAT ANSWERED A LOT OF QUESTIONS FOR ME.....HOW DID THEY DO IT.....WHERE DO THE HORSES STAY....HOW DO THEY COME AND GO AND HOW DO THEY PRODUCE SUCH A WONDERFUL TIGHT PROGRAM EVERY NIGHT.

THIS ALL GOES IN LESS THAN TWO HOURS ....75 CONTESTANTS NO BULLSHIT (ALSO NO COWSHIT) AND WE ARE DONE.....WE HAVE WATCHED THE EVENT ON CABLE 374 (EVERYTHING IS ON TV SOMEWHERE) AND IT TOOK OVER 3 HOURS...OBVIOUSLY SOME EDITING AND COMMERICALS GO THERE TO PAY THE BILL......YET ANOTHER REASON TO ATTEND THE EVENT LIVE.

AND HERE IS ANOTHER THOUGHT IN PASSING.... THE LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL HAS BENT OVER BACKWARD IN COVERING THIS EVENT WITH INFO ON PARTICIPANTS....PICTURES...WEEKLY EVENTS...SPONSERS...PRE AND POST EVENTS...SPECTACULAR....THEY  DO NOTHING LIKE THIS FOR THE PBR OR NASCAR OR EVEN THE ELECTRONICS CONVENTION.....WHAT GIVES ?

WE HERE AT LVEN  JUST WANT TO INITIATE THINKING AND MOTIVATION AS WELL AS REPORTING ?

AND THATS ANOTHER THING ATTENDING THE  EVENT LIVE IS NO SMALL PROJECT...SOLD OUT YEARS IN ADVANCE WITH A MINISCULE DAILY WALKUP PROGRAM IN PLACE.

SELLING TICKETS THE TRICK AND OKLAHOMA CITY WHERE WE IN LAS VEGAS ACQUIRED THE EVENT FROM CERTAINLY COULD NOT SELL MORE TICKETS AND FOR SURE WOULD NOT HAVE THE HOTEL SETUP....NEITHER WOULD DALLAS....HOWEVER THE JERRY JONES DOME DOES HAVE MORE SEATING BUT AT WHAT EXPENSE....WE SAT 15 ROWS FROM THE TOP AT THE THOMAS AND MACK CENTER AND THE TOTAL SIGHT LINES ARE PERFECT.....HARD TO BELIEVE THE TOP OF THE DOME IN DALLAS COULD PROVIDE SUCH SIGHT LINES.   QUESTION FOR ME IS HOW MANY TICKETS COULD DALLAS SELL ?  PROBABLY QUESTIONS FOR THE NFR TOO ! ! !.....PLEASE DON'T GO !

OH YEAH.....RUN NUMBER 7 LAST NIGHT....THE NFR PUTS OUT A MAGNIFCENT PROGRAM FOR $3..... THE BEST BUT IN TOWN AND IT INCLUDES AS OF LAST NIGHT 23 NUMERICAL CATEGORIES FOR 75 CONTESTANTS....YOU DO THE MATH....THEIR STAT TEAM IF NOT UP ALL NIGHT IS RIGHT ON TOP OF THE GAME...THIS A CONSTANT WORK IN  PROGRESS.  AND IF YOU CANT KEEP TRACK IN THE NOISE AND THE DARK OF THE ARENA THE NFR POPS OUT A TOTAL NUMBERS RELEASE NIGHTLY ON THE INTERNET.....WEDNESDAYS CAME TWO HOURS AND 11 MINUTES AFTER THE LAST RIDE...THANK YOU...GREAT STUFF.....NOTHING BUT FIRST CLAS.

ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT TAYLOR JACOB OF CARMINE TEXAS RAN THE BARRELS IN 13.47 THAT AFTER TUESDAYS RUN  OF A RECORD SETTING 13.37....CANT WAIT TO SEE HOW SHE FINISHES THE WEEK.

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