Editor’s note: This story has been updated with additional attribution to Gazette news partner KOAA.

Cheyenne, Wyo., could be the new home of the ProRodeo Hall of Fame and the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association if a bid from an out-of-state economic development corporation successfully woos the organization away from Colorado Springs. 

A potential relocation is still far from certain, as negotiations are ongoing and will require future votes from multiple boards of directors, officials in Colorado Springs and Cheyenne said. 

Wyoming officials are actively lobbying for the move, citing the state’s business climate, lack of personal and corporate income taxes, and lower sales and property taxes. The possible move emerges as Colorado Springs reels from several high- and low-profile departures. 

Cheyenne LEADS, Cheyenne and Laramie County’s economic development corporation, first approached PRCA last spring to float the idea of a potential relocation to Wyoming. Over the past few months, both organizations have had a “healthy dialogue” on the matter, Cheyenne LEADS Chief Executive Officer Betsey Hale told The Gazette. 

“With Wyoming being the Cowboy State, it just naturally occurred to us (that) we should go talk to the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association and see if they would consider relocating their headquarters, hall of fame and museum,” she said Tuesday. “This is certainly nothing that happens overnight.”  

Any potential move wouldn’t affect the Pikes Peak or Bust Rodeo hosted every year at the Norris-Penrose Event Center in Colorado Springs, Gazette news partner KOAA reported last week. The rodeo, sanctioned by the PRCA, is still under contract at the site through 2031, according to KOAA. It will be held July 14-18 next year. 

The PRCA was not able to respond to The Gazette’s email request for more information on Tuesday, Veterans Day. 

PRCA spokesman Paul Woody told news partner KOAA, however, that “It’s been thought through and discussed at length, but there’s no pending vote from our board of directors on when or if we would accept an offer,”  

In a statement to KOAA, Woody said, “Cheyenne Leads reached out to us and started the conversation. The longer it progressed, the more it seemed to be a real opportunity that we needed to fully explore.” Woody said the PRCA is always looking at what’s best for its members and the long-term sustainability of the sport.

“The state of Wyoming has an attractive business climate. Long-term sustainability, ownership of our assets, and treatment of our employees is paramount,” Woody told KOAA.

The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association was created in 1936 and is the world’s oldest and largest rodeo organization. Its headquarters was established in Colorado Springs in 1979, also hosting the ProRodeo Hall of Fame and Museum, which opened in August of that year. 

The Hall of Fame and Museum attracts roughly 35,000 visitors annually, according to Uncover Colorado, an online travel guide. 

Any potential move isn’t expected for several years. Additionally, votes from the PRCA and Cheyenne LEADS boards of directors that are necessary to authorize the move aren’t expected until a later date, with Hale hoping to have negotiations concluded by next spring. 

That could give Cheyenne the time it needs to select a new home for the PRCA and ProRodeo Hall of Fame and Museum. The Hall of Fame and Museum are home to artifacts that must be carefully moved, should the PRCA decide Cheyenne is a better fit. Currently there is no identified place in Cheyenne for those artifacts to land, Hale said. 

It was unclear Tuesday how many people the PRCA employs; while it’s a roughly three-hour drive from Colorado Springs, where they live, to Cheyenne — provided there are no major traffic hiccups on Interstate 25 — relocating can be an inconvenience for employees. 

Hale believes Wyoming offers benefits that could make moving, living and working there easier. She highlighted the state’s lack of personal and corporate income taxes, lower sales taxes and lower property taxes as key drivers. 

The state cannot, however, offer incentives like those from Colorado’s Office of Economic Development and International Trade that use taxpayer dollars to attract businesses.  

“We would hope that the city (of Colorado Springs) and everybody would work with us and maybe develop an opportunity to stay here if it’s the best fit,” Woody told KOAA. 

Colorado Springs hasn’t conceded, officials said Tuesday. 

In a joint statement, the city of Colorado Springs, Visit Colorado Springs and the Colorado Springs Sports Corp. said they “remain united in our commitment to supporting, promoting and expanding sports and recreation opportunities across our community.” 

The statement continued: “We value our longstanding relationship with the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association and the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame. As with any successful organization, it’s natural for conversations and opportunities to arise with other cities. We remain confident in the strong roots PRCA and the Hall have built here in Colorado Springs and look forward to continued collaboration in celebrating and advancing the sport of rodeo in our community.” 

If the PRCA moves its headquarters to Cheyenne, it will be the latest in a series of blows for the Springs economy and the city’s sports sector.  

On Sept. 2, President Donald Trump announced U.S. Space Command, one of the 11 unified combatant commands, would depart Colorado Springs for Huntsville, Ala., taking with it roughly 1,000 jobs. Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, who is running for governor, filed a lawsuit challenging the move on Oct. 29.  

On the heels of Space Command, Space Training and Readiness Command leadership announced it will depart Peterson Space Force Base for Patrick Space Force Base in Florida.  

Also in September, Colorado Springs lost its bid for the national governing body of USA Gymnastics, which opted to stay near Indianapolis and build a new training center in Noblesville, Ind.

Just last week, Colorado Springs’ independent baseball team, the Rocky Mountain Vibes, confirmed they have ceased operations.  

All of this impacts Colorado Springs’ efforts to develop a robust sports economy, resident and former Olympian Eli Bremer recently told The Gazette. 

“I’m an eternal optimist. That being said, it’s hard for me to see, short of a huge change to the system, (the city) having a sports economy,” he said. 

However, Davis Tutt, senior director of sports tourism and Olympic engagement at the Sports Corp., said by email Tuesday the city is and continues to be one of the country’s most vibrant sports destinations.  

Colorado Springs is home to 25 National Governing Bodies of Sport, the Olympic Training Center, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee and the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum; the next closest city in terms of NGB concentration is Indianapolis, which has three, Tutt said. 

The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum opened downtown in July 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Officials have grappled with attendance figures that haven’t measured up to original projections and revenues that have fallen year-over-year. The museum is working to right the ship, officials said this summer, by investing hundreds of thousands of additional advertising dollars under a “renewed commitment” to promote the distinctive attraction.

While Colorado Springs was part of the competitive process for USA Gymnastics, the organization decided to stay in Indiana and build its training center there based on long-term facility needs, Tutt said. 

The Rocky Mountain Vibes made a financial decision to cease operations “given the current landscape of the Pioneer League,” he added. Tutt noted the Vibes were not the only Colorado team to cease operations; teams based in Grand Junction and Windsor also recently disbanded. 

“We remain deeply committed to fostering a strong and growing sports economy that continues to attract, retain and celebrate organizations across all levels of sport,” Tutt said. 

Beyond financial questions and other considerations, Hale of Cheyenne LEADS believes having a “destination attraction” like the ProRodeo Hall of Fame and Museum as well as the PRCA headquarters is a good fit for her city.

Since 1897 Cheyenne has also hosted the Cheyenne Frontier Days rodeo and Western celebration each year. Dubbed “The Daddy of ‘Em All,” it is the largest rodeo event in the world, according to its website.

“The rodeo is really our professional sport,” Hale said. “It’s one of those things where we’ve never been blessed with that … but we have so many men and women who are professional rodeo athletes.”