This year’s National Finals Rodeo will move from Las Vegas to Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association and Texas Rangers officials have called a news conference Wednesday morning at which they will announce the temporary relocation.
Globe Life Field, which has a retractable roof and seats 40,300 people, is the new home stadium of the Rangers MLB team. It debuted with a season-opening game July 24 against the Colorado Rockies. The decision was confirmed by multiple sources who are not authorized to discuss the move.
The NFR has been held in Las Vegas at the Thomas & Mack Center since moving from Oklahoma City in 1985, selling out 10 nights of events every year and filling local hotels. But state restrictions limiting ticket sales to live sporting events amid the coronavirus pandemic has fueled speculation the PRCA would seek an alternative site for this year’s rodeo.
According to an advisory, Taylor, Texas Rangers Chief Operating Officer Neil Leibman, Arlington Mayor Jeff Williams, Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price and Terry Zrubek, director of economic development for the office of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, will be on hand to “announce the first major non-baseball event at the park since its opening.
Representatives of Las Vegas Events, the special events coordinator for the rodeo, said last month that Cowboy Christmas, an annual retail gift show associated with the National Finals Rodeo, would be canceled for 2020. The PRCA announced Aug. 19 that it has been exploring options for temporarily relocating the rodeo. The Colorado Springs, Colorado-based association had said a decision would be reached by September 30.
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