Photo courtesy of Warren Petty.
The Bulls at the Ballpark bull riding event is scheduled for Friday, Aug. 9, and Saturday, Aug. 10, at the Hoover Metropolitan Stadium.
Hoover Metropolitan Stadium will have its first-ever professional bull-riding event in August.
Rockin’ D Rodeo Productions is putting on “Bulls at the Ballpark” on Friday, Aug. 9, and Saturday, Aug. 10, with each show starting at 7:30 p.m.
Ryan Davis of the production company described the event as a blend of two American traditions — Talladega racing and UFC fighting — and promised an unforgettable weekend.
“If you have never been introduced to Western sports, you will leave a fan,” Davis said.
Shannon Ealy, general manager of the Hoover Metropolitan Complex, expressed the city’s excitement about the uniqueness of this event, which he said Davis proposed.
“We are always looking for out-of-the-box events at our Hoover Met Stadium,” Ealy said. “It was such an intriguing tie-in to our baseball stadium, and we think people will be curious and want to check it out at a facility they are familiar with.”
After baseball season ends in early August, the Hoover Met will be transformed for the bull-riding event. Rockin’ D Rodeo will create an arena on the baseball infield, removing the pitching mound and building corrals on the dirt paths from the bases to home plate, enclosing it with fencing for the competitors to ride the bulls.
Bulls at the Ballpark will combine the feel of baseball and Western sports, Davis said.
“We will transform the Hoover Met Stadium into a professional bull-riding arena, with a complete production, including lights, LED walls, laser lights and lots of pyrotechnics. Professional bull-riding athletes will compete against some of the best bucking bulls in the world,” Davis said. “You can bring your entire family and trust that what they see will represent great values and morals. This is a family-friendly event. You will see professional athletes giving their all, while also showing respect to our great nation and our animal athletes.”
Davis has recruited the top professional bull riders in the country, with 35 competitors expected to participate. “The list of guys that I am putting together are professional level [and] will be coming from upwards of 15 different states,” he said.
Each night, the riders will mount a bull in hopes of placing in the top eight. “We will take the top eight guys, and they will get on an additional bull,” Davis said.
“The first round will be Friday night, and the second round Saturday night. Each guy has the possibility of riding four bulls in total. The highest average will win the event.”
The winner will receive a $10,000 cash prize. After the bull-riding event, the Hoover Met staff will convert the baseball field to a football field with sod for Hoover High School’s football games in the fall.
Tickets are on sale at bullsattheballpark.com. General admission tickets are $30 per day, and “gold buckle seats” are $55 per day.
