Minneapolis, MN (5/21/2014) - Polaris Industries Inc. (NYSE: PII), the leading manufacturer of off-road vehicles, today announced the company will continue as the presenting sponsor of RFD-TV’s THE AMERICAN, which is the largest and richest one-day rodeo in western sports history, with a payout of $2 million. As the presenting sponsor, Polaris RANGER will continue to have a strong presence at the event.
“Polaris RANGER was proud to be part of the first-ever AMERICAN rodeo,” said Beth Shimanski, marketing manager for Polaris RANGER. “We are thrilled to continue our sponsorship for 2015 and look forward to another spectacular event showcasing the amazing talent, hard work and dedication these athletes bring to this amazing sport.”
”Polaris RANGER has been an outstanding partner that helped us reach our goals for the first RFD-TV’s THE AMERICAN,” said Randy Bernard, President and CEO of Rural Media Group. “We are looking forward to continuing our partnership with them to bring our viewers another great rodeo.”
THE AMERICAN presented by Polaris RANGER is the signature event of RMG and the richest one-day rodeo in the world paying out $2 million dollars in prize money. The epic event changed the sport of rodeo and leveled the playing field for all rodeo contestants in 2014. Cowboys and cowgirls in 2015 will, once again, match their skill and talent against the best in the world to win.
The road to the rodeo has a path unlike any other sport. The top contestants in the world receive automatic invitations along with event exemptions. The second route begins with qualifying events conducted by the sanctioning bodies of Better Barrel Races, Professional Bull Riders, Professional Rough Stock Series, Ultimate Calf Roping and United States Team Roping Championships. In a progressive format qualifiers must advance to the highly anticipated Semifinals, which further narrows the field advancing to THE AMERICAN. The momentum for qualifiers is their eligibility for the $1 million dollar side pot.
RFD-TV’s THE AMERICAN presented by Polaris RANGER will be held on March 1, 2015, at Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium, in Arlington, Texas as part of the multi-million dollar Western Sports Weekend with PBR’s Iron Cowboy VI, on Saturday, February 28, 2015.
About Polaris
Polaris is a recognized leader in the powersports industry with annual 2013 sales of $3.8 billion. Polaris designs, engineers, manufactures and markets innovative, high quality off-road vehicles, including all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and the Polaris RANGER(r) and RZR(r) side-by-side vehicles, snowmobiles, motorcycles and on-road electric/hybrid powered vehicles.
Polaris is among the global sales leaders for both snowmobiles and off-road vehicles and has established a presence in the heavyweight cruiser and touring motorcycle market with the Victory and Indian Motorcycle brands. Additionally, Polaris continues to invest in the global on-road small electric/hybrid powered vehicle industry with Global Electric Motorcars (GEM), Goupil Industrie SA, Aixam Mega S.A.S., and internally developed vehicles. Polaris enhances the riding experience with a complete line of Polaris Engineered parts, accessories and apparel, Klim branded apparel and ORV accessories under the Kolpin and Cycle Country brands.
Polaris Industries Inc. trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "PII," and the Company is included in the S&P Mid-Cap 400 stock price index.
About Rural Media Group, Inc.:
Rural Media Group, Inc. is the world's leading provider of multimedia content dedicated to the rural and western lifestyle. RMG is the parent company of RFD-TV, FamilyNet, RURAL TV, RURAL RADIO on SiriusXM channel 80, RFD-TV the Magazine and RFD-TV the Theatre. RFD-TV, the flagship network for RMG, launched in December 2000. RFD-TV is the nation's first 24-hour television network dedicated to serving the needs and interests of rural America with programming focused on agriculture, equine and the rural lifestyle, along with traditional country music and entertainment. RMG acquired FamilyNet, America's trusted entertainment network dedicated to providing wholesome and responsible viewing choices for today's diverse family. RURAL TV produces rural business news covering commodity markets for both cash and futures. Daily productions include Market Day Report and the Rural Evening News.
RMG networks are distributed into more than 63-million homes worldwide by DBS, telco and cable systems including DISH Network, DIRECTV®, Comcast, Verizon FiOS TV, AT&T U-Verse, Mediacom, Charter, Brighthouse, Suddenlink, Time Warner, Cox, and more than 600 independent rural cable systems. RFD-TV The Magazine is the print programming guide for the networks, which has attracted over 200,000 paid subscribers. RFD-TV The Theatre is a 2000 capacity soft seat venue in Branson, MO where entertainment programming is produced. Corporate headquarters are in Omaha, NE, and production operations are in Nashville, TN. For more information, visit www.rfdtv.com, www.myruraltv.com and www.familynet.com. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter: @OfficialRFDTV @RURALTV @FamilyNet @RURALRADIO80 @WesternSportsUP @RFDTVAmerican.
