Thirty-one days remain until the home debut of the Austin Gamblers, the state capital’s newest professional sports franchise, at the new Moody Center on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin.
Among the eight clubs competing in the Professional Bull Riders’ (PBR) inaugural team series, the Gamblers toured the 15,000-plus seat multipurpose venue on Tuesday, July 19 with a month to go before the three-day Gambler Days, which is slated for the weekend of Aug. 26, Austin NBC affiliate KXAN reported.
Team member Ezekiel Mitchell has big expectations for the Gamblers when they trot into the arena.
“We’re looking to bring a win here in the home city,” Mitchell, who hails from Central Texas, told KXAN. “So we’re pretty excited just to be here and be a part of the Austin culture.”
As of press time, the Gamblers’ season was underway with the team participating in an event in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
According to KXAN, the franchise inked Jose Vitor Leme, the top pick in the PBR Team Series Draft, to a four-year contract that’s believed to be one of the largest deals in PBR history.
“To be the first pick ever, for sure it’s very special,” Leme said, the station reported. “That’s only going to happen one time.”
KXAN reported that Gambler Days is one of the few professional sports events to be held at Moody Center, which is primarily the home court of the Longhorns men’s and women’s basketball teams.
The venue is the successor to the nearly 50-year-old Frank C. Erwin Jr. Center.