Sage Kimzey Shifts Focus to PBR Tours: A New Chapter in Bull Riding

The PBR called Kimzey during a time when he was out with an injury to offer him a position as a broadcaster. This allowed him to watch the team concept and more of the PBR up close and personal. Kimzey knew then that this could be a game changer for bull riding and offer a fresh perspective for fans. The teams take the one-on-one approach away and redirect the focus to the team. Fans are offered a new way to cheer; instead of just being for one cowboy, they have a team to support. 

Kimzey explains, "It's fun to walk in and see fans dressed in the team colors. It also helps shift the mental focus because you have to be for the team. When things aren't going well, you have to change something to turn the tide for the team."

When the draft happened for 2023-2024, the oldest Kimzey was the number one draft pick and placed on the Carolina Cowboys team. Coincidently, another NFR cowboy, Josh Frost, went as pick number two and to the same team. Further down the draft, Kimzey's younger brother Trey also ended up with the Carolina Cowboys.

The team events are structured much like a professional athlete in mainstream sports. Athletes are drafted to a team and then compensated as a team member instead of specifically individually for their performance.

"Each person on the winning team is paid, and then each athlete has their own contract with the team they are on. You can win money several different ways through the team, whether it is competition dollars or contract dollars with your team," Kimzey summarized. 

It wasn't just the team concept that was a draw for Kimzey. 

"Going full-time with the PBR allows me to be home with my family more often. Even though I am gone every weekend, I know where I am going, when I will ride, and when I will be home. There isn't the question there is when you are on the road going to rodeos," he said. "Being home more often also allows for me to take care of my body and recover better, and that is certainly something I am looking forward to."

Kimzey is currently a part of the "Unleash the Beast" tour, which requires him to be in a major market each weekend, but he knows his schedule well in advance. He can fly in on Friday and then home on Sunday. 

"I am just gone for three days a week instead of sometimes weeks at a time."

Making this commitment is a maiden voyage for Kimzey as he has always devoted the majority of his time to the PRCA. Now, he will be full-time nearly every weekend with the PBR. His Unleash the Beast Tour will run every weekend until June, and then Kimzey will continue on with the Carolina Cowboys as a team member, where their tour will start in July and end in November.

Making the switch to be a PBR cowboy wasn't necessarily driven by money. Kimzey believes that you can win about the same amount of money in either place, but the expenses may be slightly smaller in the PBR. 

The most significant driving factor for the world champion came in the form of a very special delivery in January 2022. Kimzey and his beautiful wife, Alexis, welcomed a son, Steele, whom they stay in shape chasing around. 

"You know, it just changed everything for me. I want to be there, and I don't want to miss anything. My focus shifted to being a good father and setting a good example along with being a good husband and being there for Alexis."

Kimzey cracks out in 2024 and will get down on his first bull since the NFR in Madison Square Garden this weekend. Slated against the world champion is a bull named Shew Bubby, which is owned by Shuler Bucking Bulls. The black bull is known to spin to the left and move during the spin. While the bull boasts an 89% buck-off rate, Kimzey is confident.

"He's just a nice bull. My plan is to just stay in the middle of him and keep my hand shoved in there. The goal moving forward is to ride every bull. It sounds pretty simple, but it's the truth. Just ride every bull," the proven Iron Man tough cowboy said. 

Having earned several world titles and accomplished many goals, there wasn't even a hesitation in Kimzey to answer what his new goals included. 

"Obviously, at the very top of that list is winning a PBR World Championship," Kimzey stated.

Between Kimzey and that goal are about 55 more bulls and several worthy bull riders. The Unleash the Beast tour narrows the field to the top 40 that will then go into the qualifying rounds of the PBR World Finals held in May of 2024. This is when Kimzey will need to be at the top of his game. Those 40-plus-five invited cowboys from the Velocity Tour Finals will attempt a bull each day. When the dust settles on day four, the top 15 in the Unleash the Beast standings, along with an additional five who will have to earn their spot through a redemption round, will move on to AT & T Stadium May 18 - 19 to determine the best of the best. 

Providing Kimzey makes it through those rounds, he will need to battle aboard four more beasts to be the number one ranked bull rider in the standings to earn the title and the $1 million bonus.

Kimzey has broken record after record in the PRCA, but his story is yet to be written in the PBR. Although he has sometimes kept his hand in the PBR, he has never fully committed. With that choice being solidified, only time, bulls, travel, injury, and competition are the hazards of standing in front of the man on a mission.