Carrollton, Texas-based BuzzBallz LLC/Southern Champion has sponsored two professional bulls, marking uncharted territory for the company.
“We met … Cord McCoy – one of the guys that does pro rodeo and raises bulls – and his buddy, Sammy Andrews, who had some bulls for sale that were on the PBR circuit,” said Merrilee Kick, CEO and founder of BuzzBallz, LLC/Southern Champion.
“We expressed interest and here we are with BuzzBallz and Choc Tease.”
In the southwest, bull riding is a cultural mainstay.
According to Front Office Sports, Professional Bull Riders, Inc. rodeos on CBS were the second most-watched programs on the channel, only behind NFL games in 2020.
“Every summer, we attend PBR in Big Sky, Montana,” said Kick.
“It’s a blast. We’ve attended the Fort Worth shows, as well, in Texas,” she said.
The bulls – BuzzBallz and Choc Tease, who was named after one of BuzzBallz’s cocktail flavors – will be competing in PBR rodeos this year, some of the most highly viewed competitions in the sport internationally.
As a sponsor, BuzzBallz is gaining insight about the performance of the bulls from McCoy. Success is measured by the bulls bucking wildly until the cowboys they’ve been paired with have fallen off in the shortest amount of time possible.
“Those cowboys are really good and extremely tough,” Kick said.
“It is entertaining and personal for me to watch them riding a bull who is bucking like crazy trying to buck them off. You root for the cowboy even if you own the bull,” she said.
Both Choc Tease and BuzzBallz will be making the cross-country drive soon to compete in the PBR Tractor International Invitational.
On Jan. 14-15, both bulls competed against professional cowboys during Unleash the Beast, a match at the Allstate Arena in Chicago, Illinois.
BuzzBallz LLC/Southern Champion is a woman-owned and family-operated distillery, winery and brewery, founded in 2009 as the result of Merrilee Kick’s master’s degree thesis project.
Since its inception, BuzzBallz, LLC/Southern Champion has expanded its product base and begun to grow into a worldwide brand. As the only joint distillery, winery and brewery in the U.S. that is woman owned, this company has gained significant recognition, boasting distribution nationwide and dozens of awards.
For more information, visit southern-champion.com and buzzballz.com.
For more information about upcoming competitions, visit pbr.com.
