STEPHENVILLE, Texas (June 2, 2010) - Ty Murray used a basic analogy to explain the hiring of Jeffrey Pollack as Executive Chairman of the PBR.
“I look at it no differently than if you’re looking to hire somebody to paint a ranch house,” he said in his weekly Podcast. “You don’t need a cowboy who understands ranching life and the ins and outs of cattle to paint your house. You just need the best painter.”
Pollack has painted quite a résumé, having served most recently as commissioner of the World Series of Poker, a position preceded by leadership roles with NASCAR and the NBA. Prior to those, he was founding president and publisher of Sports Business Daily.
According to a press release, the East Coast native was “elected to the PBR Board of Directors as Executive Chairman and will immediately take an active role in leading the PBR board and senior management team into a new phase of global competition, brand and business growth.”
Murray, who was among the PBR’s original 20 founders, spoke about Pollack’s experience, along with his passion and belief in the PBR. The nine-time World Champion added that he’s looking forward to Pollack’s “new perspective.”
“Sometimes, for us, it’s hard to have the right perspective, because we’ve been so entrenched in bull riding our whole lives,” said Murray, who had in-depth conversations with Pollack prior to his hiring. “Sometimes you can forget the things that are interesting or not interesting to people, because we’re so entrenched in it.
“I think new perspectives are always good. Whenever we’re looking to fill a position … we look for the best guy for that position, end of story.”
Murray’s interview can be heard by clicking the link below, or accessing www.pbr.tv and selecting the “Final Word” tab on the left-hand column.
During the 12-minute interview, Murray downplayed Pollack’s lack of experience with bull riding by explaining, “We have plenty of people in place who know all about bull riding, frontwards, backwards and sideways.
“Most of the original founders are on the different committees, seats and stuff that we have, from rules and [regulations] to competition. We’re looking for a guy who’s great at being the head of a big business. That’s where Jeffrey fits the bill.”
NEWS and NOTES
Injury updates: As of June 1, J.B. Mauney received a clean bill of health from his local physician in North Carolina. Mauney, who is recovering from a partially collapsed lung sustained at a Built Ford Tough Series event in Wichita, Kan., is expected to compete in Tulsa, Okla.
According to Dr. Tandy Freeman, Guilherme Marchi “had right wrist arthroscopy with removal of torn cartilage and inflammatory tissue” last week. The procedure was performed by Thomas Diliberti in Dallas. Marchi is also expected to compete in Tulsa.
