South Florida has become a hub for professional sports of all kinds. We've got pickleball, cricket, soccer and now — bull riding.
Considered the most dangerous eight seconds in sports, it's not like riding a mechanical bull at your local honky tonk. Riders mount bareback bulls weighing thousands of pounds trained to buck.
What began as way of life in ranch country in the Southwest, around Latin America and even central Florida, has evolved into a professional sport. Now South Florida has its own team — and this weekend you can see them compete in their first home tournament at the Amerant Arena in Sunrise.
Members of the Florida Freedom team met each other for the first time for a recent training exhibition at the Hollywood Rodeo arena.
Denim-clad cowboys endured sweltering temperatures to give fans a glimpse of Florida's first professional bull riding team. In just eight seconds, fringes flew and spectators hollered as riders tumbled off bucking bulls.
"I rode a nice bull and it’s just — it’s a good tune up, I think," said rider John Crimber. "It's good to get on here in the home state of the team and try to get it rolling here."
Crimber, who grew up in Decatur, Texas, rode his first calf at six years old. Now, at 18, he’s competing at a professional level as part of the Florida Freedom. The feeling of riding a bull he says, is like no other.
"Ah, shoot. It's something different, someone's definitely got to experience it," said John Crimber. "You feel ten feet tall and bulletproof."
Generally, bull riding is an individual sport. But the Professional Bull Rider’s organization (PBR) brings some of the best riders in the world to compete against each other in teams as part of its Camping World Team Series, launched in 2022.
"Bull riding is a great life. You get to travel, see different places, meet different people, and doing what you love — that's not really a job. It's a way of life." Paulo Crimber, head coach of Florida FreedomPaulo Crimber, head coach of Florida Freedom
All eyes are on up-and-comer Crimber this season. He’s following in the footsteps of his father, Paulo Crimber, a former world number one who qualified for the PBR World Finals 10 times in a storied career. Paulo is the head coach of the Florida Freedom.
"He was the one I looked up to ever since I was a kid, watched him ride when I was growing up, so I just wanted to be like him," said John.
This will mark Paulo Crimber's first year officially coaching the team. Originally called the Oklahoma Freedom, it relocated to South Florida after the hedge fund investor Heath Freeman bought them in December 2022.
"That's what it's all about," Paulo said. "It's another family, putting different guys from different countries, from different natures, all together to go after the same goal."
The arrival of the Florida Freedom is good news for people like Edith Hernandez, who drove two hours from Okeechobee with her family to see the team in action. Her kids waited in line to take photos with the team and get autographs. They’ve been following the team online.
"My husband bull rides, so it’s nice to have this right in our backyard, which is crazy because a lot of people, if you're not into it, you don't know about it," she said.
Her kids take part in the children’s rodeo, including steer roping, dummy roping, and barrel racing in Okeechobee .
"It's cow town, so they have rodeos for every occasion," Hernandez said. "It's a small town, so everybody shows up for any little event. It's really nice."
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She said rodeos like this are a big deal in Central Florida, which has had a history of open range cattle ranching. In the late 1800s, Florida had cowmen or cowhunters — instead of cowboys. This class of early Florida pioneers were also called “ Florida Crackers, ” which were mainly small farmers and cattle ranchers.
Much of this culture are remnants of Spanish-Mexican settlers, and was later popularized in the American Southwest by ranch hands, known as vaqueros, who perfected the roping and riding skills we see in modern day competitions.
Today, the tradition continues in places such as Kissimmee, which is also home to Silver Spurs Arena in Osceola Heritage Park, a popular venue for rodeos. Founded in the 1940s, the Silver Spurs hosts the largest rodeo east of the Mississippi River sanctioned by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA).
The most dangerous eight seconds in sports
Bull riding is considered one of the most dangerous sports in the world. The premise may seem simple: Stay on the bull and hold on for dear life with one hand for at least eight seconds. The judges then score their performance on discrete factors, such as balance, control and even the difficulty of the bull.
"It’s just like a dance," Paulo Crimber said. "You have to follow him and make that look so smooth and aggressive at the same time."
This isn't his first rodeo in Florida. He’s competed in the state before, most notably in Orlando where he broke his neck, an injury that ended his riding career.
Anyone who takes bull riding seriously understands that pain is part of the job.
"We have a saying in bull riding," Paulo Crimber said. "The guy knows if you really want to follow that path — being a bull rider — after he gets his first injury."
"Fans cheering for you … that crowd, that rush, that's a memory that hasn't faded, which is why I'm still riding." Trey Benton, Florida FreedomTrey Benton, Florida Freedom
Bucking bulls weigh 1,200 to 2,000 pounds, and they’re bred specifically for competition. Injuries are common, particularly knee and shoulder injuries. In 2013, the PBR made helmets mandatory to protect against concussions.
The sport requires its riders to be flexible, agile and lean, with good core strength. Above all, the sport requires mental fortitude. The goal is to make bull riding second nature.
"We know it's going to be a dangerous sport, but we just can't be afraid of that," John Crimber said. "We go out there and we lay our lives on the line, but it's just — we love doing it."
Trey Benton is the oldest member of the team at 32. When he was a kid, his dad gave him a choice: baseball or bull riding. He stuck with the latter, riding in competitions throughout his life.
"Fans cheering for you … that crowd, that rush, that's a memory that hasn't faded, which is why I'm still riding," Benton said. "When that dies, then a guy needs to get out before he gets hurt."
Now, Benton gets to hone his skills under the guidance of pros like Paulo Crimber.
"I grew up watching all the greats. Paulo was one of them. He was always a real energized rider and always stayed on a lot. He had a nice little dance after," Benton said. "You dream about it and you vision yourself doing that, and it's crazy because dreams do come true."
Finding a better life on the back of a bull
While the Florida Freedom may be bringing a new sport to South Florida, it’s also highlighting a long standing tradition in the Americas.
That’s where Paulo Crimber’s dream began. He was inspired by the people he saw riding bulls in his home country of Brazil.
"Bull riding is a great life. You get to travel, see different places, meet different people, and doing what you love — that's not really a job," Paulo said. "It's more like a way of life."
In 1998, he was just 18 years old when he moved to the U.S. to pursue a bull riding career.
"Soccer and bull riding, it's the most popular sports in Brazil," he said. "When we come over here, we don't have a second chance, that's all we got."
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Elizmar Jeremias, 27, came to America to take that chance. He grew up in a family of bull riders — six of his brothers rode bulls.
“I fell in love with it. The hard part was getting on it the first time. After I got on it, I wanted to do it as a career — I always dreamt big,” Jeremias said.
Jeremias is one out of the five members of the Florida Freedom who hail from Brazil. The country has produced some of the sport’s best riders. In fact, the 2023 PBR World Championship winner and Rookie of the Year was Brazilian Rafael Jose de Brito.
Jeremias said that Brazil produces many professional bull riders because many Brazilians have grown up on farms and ranches. The country, the fifth largest in the world, also has one of the world's largest livestock populations at more than 200 million.
"I think Brazil is a country of more countryside, so many parents don't have a career but have many farms,” Jeremias said. “That brings that [bull riding] culture to us.”
IF YOU GO:
WHAT: Camping World Team Series homestand, PBR Freedom Days
WHERE: Amerant Arena | 1 Panther Pkwy, Sunrise, FL 33323
WHEN: Aug. 2 - Aug. 4
MORE INFO: https://www.amerantbankarena.com/events/detail/professional-bull-riders
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