The Elite Rodeo Athletes (ERA) was a professional rodeo organization founded in 2015. Its only season was in 2016, and it ceased operations the following year.
Background
Men's rodeo sports have long been governed by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA). In 2015, approximately 5,000 cowboys and cowgirls purchased membership in the PRCA. Membership allows them to compete at the 624 PRCA-sanctioned rodeos. Rodeos sanctioned by the PRCA must follow a defined format, offering a full set of required events. These rodeos have little control over which cowboys would compete, as they must use the PRCA's registration system, and are required to give the PRCA a percentage of the purse. Cowboys earn money only when they are among the top finishers at a rodeo event. In many cases, a win will earn them no more than $1,000. Each dollar of prize money earned at PRCA-sanctioned events is counted towards qualification for the annual National Finals Rodeo. There is no weighting for level of competition; a dollar earned at a rodeo against performed ranked in the top 20 counts the same as a dollar earned at a rodeo when competing against people who only ride once a year. In their attempts to become one of the 15 people in each event who qualify for the NFR, many cowboys compete at 100 or more rodeos per year, travelling more than per year. The 2014 PRCA world champions had annual earnings of $200,000 - $500,000. The costs of travel and the entry fees for these rodeos can become a considerable monetary burden; those who don't qualify for the NFR, with its large purse, can be put in a considerable financial bind.
Female competitors, primarily barrel racers, are governed by the Women's Professional Rodeo Association. Members of the WPRA compete at PRCA-sanctioned rodeos and can qualify for the NFR.
Not all rodeos are affiliated with the PRCA. After a series of lawsuits in the 1980s, cowboys earned the right to participate in both PRCA and independent rodeos. In 1992, 20 bull riders formed the Professional Bull Riders (PBR). They launched a tour of bull riding champions who also participated in the PRCA. The success of the PBR inspired the PRCA a decade later to create several small televised tours featuring champion rodeo athletes and offering large prizes. When a new PRCA commissioner took over in 2004, the PRCA was deeply in debt; he refocused the organization on the traditional competitions and not its stars.
One of the premier indoor rodeos, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, received a waiver to test changes to the rodeo format. They offered fewer events, had a faster pace, and implemented a playoff-style competition. By using their own registration system, Houston was able to invite specific cowboys to specific days and advertise their individual appearances. Attendance jumped. When the PRCA refused to renew the waiver in 2011, Houston became independent. In 2014, a new independent rodeo, The American in Arlington, Texas, was launched with a similar format and one of the highest purses in rodeo. Then PRCA commissioner, Stressman, called this "the 'Showdeo' business" and blamed it, and organizations like the PBR, for a steady decline in PRCA membership. Houston was unsanctioned from 2011 to 2018, before becoming a PRCA-sanctioned rodeo again in 2019. The American was unsanctioned from 2014 to 2018, before becoming a PRCA-sanctioned rodeo in 2019. However, it became unsanctioned again in 2022.
Formation
Many of the elite cowboys became frustrated with the PRCA. They could see the success of the independent rodeos with large purses. They were tired with the pace and cost of the travel necessary to become NFR-qualified under the current guidelines. Fourteen of the elite athletes, two from each event, banded together to lobby the PRCA changes. These men included world champions Bobby Mote and Trevor Brazile. In discussions with PRCA representatives, they asked that two additional professional cowboys sit on the eleven-member PRCA board. Four contestants were already members of the board; decisions required seven votes. The cowboys even offered to stop competing at unsanctioned rodeos if contestant representation on the board was increased. When the PRCA declined to consider their offer, the men asked for a formal meeting, scheduled for February 2014. The PRCA sent lower-level representatives with no decision-making authority, infuriating the cowboys. The following morning, Brazile's agent, Tony Garritano, was able to get the men a conference call with the PRCA board. They categorically refused to entertain the possibility of a current competitor on the board. That was the last straw for the elite cowboys.