The Cordish Companies, Texas Rangers And Professional Bull Riders (PBR) Announce Flagship PBR Country Bar To Open At Texas Live!

Born from the toughest sport on dirt, PBR country bar at Texas Live! will be a powerhouse concept that brings an authentic country experience to Arlington, marrying an electric combination of "cowboy cool" and big-time, Texas-sized entertainment. The soul of PBR country bars comes alive through its rich music traditions showcased by its Hot Country Night live concert series. PBR venues have welcomed some of the biggest names in country music including Luke Bryan, Old Dominion, and Justin Moore. More recently, PBR announced the organization's new "party" anthem as "I Think I'll Just Stay Here and Drink," a remake of the classic Merle Haggard song by Warrant. The new anthem will be played every night at midnight in PBR country bars across the country.

"Since the first PBR country bar launched in 2008, the concept has been a phenomenal success and will soon expand to 10 locations nationwide," said Sean Gleason, CEO of PBR.  "PBR country bars provide a strong daily brand presence for the sport in a fun, lifestyle venue where our fans can come out and release their inner cowboy. We are thrilled to expand our partnership with The Cordish Companies and now the Texas Rangers and bring our flagship PBR country bar to the spectacular new Texas Live!."

The country's flagship PBR will exceed 1,500-capacity and will feature a 7,000 square foot balcony overlooking Arlington Backyard, a 5,000 capacity event pavilion that will welcome the best national, regional and local music talent.  The PBR country bar will be located on the second floor above Lockhart Smokehouse which was announced last week by The Texas Rangers and The Cordish Companies. Lockhart Smokehouse, an iconic Texas barbecue restaurant, was founded on rich family traditions deeply rooted in Texas for more than a century.

Located in between the Texas Rangers' Globe Life Park and the Dallas Cowboys AT&T Stadium, Texas Live! is part of a greater $1.25 billion vision for the Arlington stadium district that features a new Rangers ballpark; 200,000 square feet of best-in-class restaurants, retail and entertainment venues; a full-service 300-room convention hotel; 35,000 square feet of meeting/convention space; and a 5,000-capacity outdoor event pavilion.

"In keeping with the spirit of Texas, we could not be more excited to announce that PBR will debut its flagship PBR country bar in Texas Live!," stated Blake Cordish, Vice President of The Cordish Companies.  "Sean Gleason and the entire PBR team have been fantastic partners to work with across the country coming up on a decade. We are thrilled to work with PBR and our development partners, the Texas Rangers, to bring this incredible venue to Arlington."  

With over 61 million fans across the United States, PBR is hotter than ever, recently setting 13 local attendance records in 2016. Television viewership for PBR on CBS Sports increased 12% last year, with PBR television ratings second only to the NFL on several weekend days during 2016.  Over the past five years, CBS viewership has grown 39%. PBR has also achieved significant growth in social media.  In 2016, across major sports properties, PBR was #1 in fan engagement on Facebook, had the highest engagement rate on Twitter, and the highest growth rate on Instagram.

"This announcement is extremely exciting for the project," said Rob Matwick, Executive Vice President of Business Operations for the Texas Rangers. "PBR is one of the most exciting, fastest growing, popular sports in the country and the venue here at Texas Live! will prove the same. With each announcement for the project, we are bringing a diverse offering of best-in-class experiences for our guests."

About Texas Live!
Texas Live!, in partnership between The Cordish Companies and the Texas Rangers is a dynamic $250 million world-class dining, entertainment and hospitality district nestled between the Texas Rangers' Globe Life Park and the Dallas Cowboys AT&T Stadium in the heart of Arlington, TX.  The 150,000 square foot project is part of a greater $1.25 billion vision for the Arlington stadium district that features a new Rangers ballpark; 200,000 square feet of best-in-class restaurants, retail and entertainment venues; a full-service 300-room convention hotel; 35,000 square feet of meeting/convention space; and a 5,000-capacity outdoor event pavilion. Texas Live! will bring over 3,000 new jobs and 3 million new visitors to Arlington upon opening in 2018.  For more information, please visit www.texas-live.com. 

About the Professional Bull Riders Inc. 
The world's premier bull riding organization began as a dream of 20 bull riders 24 years ago and is now a global sports phenomenon. On its elite Built Ford Tough Series, the PBR features the Top 35 bull riders in the world and the top bulls in the business. The televised PBR Built Ford Tough Series, the PBR Real Time Pain Relief Velocity Tour, the PBR Touring Pro Division and the PBR's international circuits in Australia, Brazil, Canada and Mexico have paid more than $150 million in earnings to its athletes. Thirty bull riders have earned more than $1 million, including two-time PBR World Champion J.B. Mauney who has become the top-earning athlete in Western sports history with more than $7 million in career earnings. In May 2015, PBR was acquired by WME | IMG, a global leader in entertainment, sports and fashion. For more information on the PBR, go to PBR.com, or follow on Facebook at Facebook.com/PBR, Twitter at Twitter.com/PBR, and YouTube at YouTube.com/PBR. 

SOURCE The Cordish Companies

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