The PBR took the heart out of the broadcast booth when it released the names of this season's broadcast announcers and Justin McKee wasn't on the list. This came as a shock to the fans of the PBR and it is a particular loss to the people who breed and haul the bulls that appear in PBR events. McKee, a breeder of bucking bulls himself, made sure to put the bulls at the front and center of his commentary.
He spoke about breeders, bloodlines, and the ABBI futurity and classic competitions. He was the guy who knew who bought what bull from whom. He was the guy who knew what breeding program a bull came from and who the sire and dam were. He was the guy who would mention the Katich family in connection with Major Payne, when everyone else just mentioned Jeff Robinson. He was the guy who knew why a lot of the bulls in the Idaho event were muleys, or who was the top-ranked Classic bull, or which bull won was the futurity champion two years ago.
The PBR, determined to increase its audience and attract new fans, has recently hired veteran sports producer David Neal to recreate its broadcasts, promising new and better things. I suspect he will deliver them. But sadly, this seems to have included the decision to go from three announcers to two. If that was the decision they were determined to make, one of the two was going to be a professional "mainstream" sports announcer - which means Craig Hummer - and the other was going to be a former bull rider. I understand that having two announcers may make for a tighter broadcast, but it's a shame to lose McKee.
Attracting new fans will be good for bull riding, I suppose. It will probably be good for breeders in the long run, and it will definitely improve the PBR's bottom line. But it is already changing the way the PBR is packaged and presented, and it will continue to do so. Some of the changes will be for the better, and some are going to be mistakes. McKee was knowledgeable, smart, and always enthusiastic. He wasn't one of the dudes with the big bull riding buckles and I suspect that worked against him in the end. In the broadcast booth of the PBR, Justin McKee was a bull man with heart, and people are going to miss him. Let's hope that the PBR's loss is the PRCA's gain and that Mckee will be out there announcing more rodeos, raising some championship bulls, and steer roping his way to the NFR. Living well is the best revenge.
