On September 16 and 17, man versus bull will be main attraction in Austin, the capital city of the Lone Star State. The Professional Bull Riders 2017 Built Ford Tough Series will roll into town for two days of action and fun for the entire family.

Only the best PBR competitors qualify for the Wrangler Long Live Cowboys Classic in Austin. As one of the most challenging tournaments within the Built Ford Tough Series, the 2017 Austin Classic will feature intense competition when World Champion Cooper Davis, a Texas-born native, rides against legends such as J.B. Mauney and the Brazilian former champs Guilherme Marchi and Silvano Alves. Riders from across the United States and from other nations in the Americas will do their best to unseat Davis, but this will not be an easy task considering that he will be riding before the home crowd.

This year's main sponsor of the Long Live Cowboys Classic is Frontier Communications. The rodeo will be held at the University of Texas Frank Erwin Center, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary. Tickets can be purchased online by visiting http://uterwincenter.com/

Rodeo fans who would like to meet and greet PBR competitors will be able to do so on September 15 at the Walmart on Norwood Park Boulevard; this will be a perfect opportunity to collect autographs and get a close look at the bulls before they hit the sand and try to throw off riders. On September 16, the riders and bulls will be at the Walmart on Ben White Boulevard from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. On the final rodeo day, fans will be able to meet and greet with the riders at the Frontier Communications section of the arena.

Modern PBR events pay out millions of dollars in prize money each year. When the circuit started in 1992, the payout for the year was around $332K; by 2010, annual payouts had climbed to more than $10 million. The Austin Classic is one of the most prominent circuit stops before the World Finals in Las Vegas later this year.

Coverage of the Built Ford Tough Series and the PBR Long Live Cowboys Classic will be handled by the Cowboy Lifestyle Network in collaboration with the Papa John's Pizza Road Team, the Ak-Chin Indian Community and Earnhardt Auto Centers. As the leading online community for those who enjoy the country and western life, the Cowboy Lifestyle Network invites all rodeo fans to visit http://cowboylifestylenetwork.com to stay abreast of news and events.