IT’S AN UNAVOIDABLE TOPIC for Nick Tetz when he’s hanging out at a bar.
He’s a professional bull rider. That’s a mechanical bull in the corner. How long can he last before flying off?
“It’s kind of like telling someone you’re a UFC fighter and having someone say, ‘Oh really? Go fight that guy.’ And you’re like, ‘Well no, I’m not going to go do that,'” said Tetz, a rising star in Professional Bull Riding PBR who competed in last year’s PBR World Finals.
To set the record straight: He could hang on a mechanical bull “probably for quite a while.”
Depending on his, ahem, mindset at the time.
“It depends on how many wobbly pops I’ve had that night,” he said. “I’ve been on a few of them. It’s a different vibe than riding a real animal. I usually stay on until my head starts spinning,”
Tetz’s head was spinning for a different reason about a decade ago. He was being pulled in different directions. One moment, he was a hockey player growing up in Calgary, seeing a path forward to juniors and then perhaps a pro career beyond that. The next moment he was hanging onto a steer at amateur rodeo tournaments around Alberta.
Eventually, he chose bucks over pucks.
“When I got to the age where I started to get on steers and bulls, it just kind of took over,” he told ESPN, days before a PBR tour stop in New York City. “I thought about the bull riding more than I thought about hockey. It switched directions completely.”
The 2018 PBR Canada Rookie of the Year and 2022 PBR Canada champion, Tetz said his hockey past has directly led to his current success in rodeo — as an athlete, as a teammate, and as someone who learned it’s the passion that ultimately makes or breaks a champion.
TETZ GREW UP in Calgary. He considers himself a Flames fan, but he grew up rooting for the Edmonton Oilers. He felt like he had to, as Ryan Smyth, a 15-year veteran of the team, was his cousin.
Sort of.
“My auntie married his uncle, so not by blood or anything. Maybe a second or third cousin? I got to meet him a couple times and hang out with him. So I still like to brag about it,” he said, laughing.
Being an Oilers fan in Calgary wasn’t as uncomfortable as one might imagine.
“Honestly, it’s harder being a Flames fan. Oilers fans are pretty crazy, and they’re all over the place,” he said. “It seems like home-ice advantage isn’t a thing at Calgary games, that’s for sure, because there are so many Oilers fans all over the place. It doesn’t matter how bad the team is. They ride or die.”
Like many Canadian kids, Tetz was surrounded by hockey players. Friends. Extended family members who played Junior A hockey and had a chance to advance to the Western Hockey League.
Tetz was skating before he was 2 years old. He was constantly playing hockey. “It was my first love. I wanted to make the NHL,” he said.
He went to a private school, Tanbridge Academy, where hockey wasn’t just a focus but was literally one of his courses. “We weren’t a big enough school to have a hockey team, so we just did practice sessions on the ice,” he said.
Tetz estimates that between school and his youth hockey teams, he was on the ice nine times a week.
He played high-level youth hockey, including the Circle K Classic tournament in Calgary. His Elite Prospects page shows four seasons of the sport, culminating with the Calgary Royals U18 AAA in 2016-17. He said he played against players such as Peyton Krebs of the Buffalo Sabres and Kirby Dach of the Montreal Canadiens back in their youth days.
Tetz’s teammates were aware of his affinity for rodeo. “But I don’t think any of them really knew how invested I truly was into it,” he said.
His love for riding was first sparked on a ranch in Arrowwood, Alberta. Duane and Judy Ashbacher were Tetz’s godparents, local stock contractors who own a family ranch and helped produce local rodeo events. Tetz would go there in the summer to work.
“The older I get, the more I can see what [my dad] was doing: I think he kind of thought I was starting to become a spoiled hockey kid and he figured I needed to learn how to work,” he said.
Tetz was around 12 years old, baling hay and learning to drive around the ranch. When his dad arrived to pick him up, he asked Tetz whether he wanted to get on a steer and ride it for the first time.
“I was scared to do it, honestly. But my dad seemed really excited about it, so I didn’t want to disappoint him,” he said. “Two years later, I was going to pro rodeos. A couple of years after that, I had made my first Canadian finals and just kept rolling from there.”
Tetz was about 15 years old when he decided bull riding was his passion. When he did, a funny thing happened on the ice.
“I was still playing hockey competitively. As soon as I realized that I didn’t really care as much about hockey as I did bull riding, all of a sudden I never really had a bad game,” he said.
He ended up earning first-pairing minutes as a defenseman, despite knowing that hockey was no longer his sport of choice.
“I never really had a bad shift after that,” he said. “I was like, ‘Oh man, I should have just stopped caring a long time ago. That would have saved me and my dad a lot of arguments while driving home from the game.'”
His father, Bruce, loves hockey. He loved watching Tetz play and was invested in his son’s burgeoning career. He traveled for his job, and he would book his trips around Nick’s games — always making sure he was home on Tuesday night and again on Saturday.
Eventually, Tetz and his teammates aged out of the Royals association, which meant it was time to make the jump to Canadian junior hockey. Some of his friends moved on, including a few who would play in the NCAA instead. Tetz had his own chance to make the jump to juniors, but his heart was elsewhere.
“An amateur rodeo I had entered had its finals at the same time as the junior team’s main camp,” he said. “All I really had to do at the camp was show up and not suck [to make it].”
When his father talked about signing him up for that junior main camp, Tetz had to inform him that he had entered the Lakeland rodeo finals on the same weekend.
“I think I’m going to go to that instead,” Tetz said.
He still remembers his father getting upset in that moment.
“It was because he didn’t really know where I was at. I didn’t … I didn’t really tell him or anything,” Tetz recalled. “I’m sure at some point he kind of thought it was kind of a waste having done all of this hockey. But him and my mom always raised me to understand that if you’re going to do something, you need to be all-in and try the best you can at it. That’s what hockey was like for me [until rodeo].”
THAT “HOCKEY IS LIFE” approach was something Tetz applied to riding. He considers it a main factor behind his success.
“A lot of people don’t take it to the next level. They think it’s cool to be the bull rider, to go to the bar and brag about how you were out there,” he said. “The guys that truly love it, you don’t ever hear them talking about that kind of stuff unless somebody asks them. It’s because you gotta truly love doing it. It’s so dangerous that if you don’t love it, it’s not worth doing. You’re almost stupid for doing it if you don’t love it.”
“That kid’s unreal. He just truly loves playing hockey. Broken wrist, shooting pucks with one hand, you know? That’s why he’s got such a good release now,” he said. “It’s just going that extra step compared to other people. Because you truly love what you do.”
Tetz said that hockey gave him the foundation he needed as a young athlete. It helped him catch up as a rider.
“I started the sport a little bit later than a lot of guys. I was always busy playing hockey and couldn’t afford to get hurt, so I was playing catch-up most rodeo seasons,” he said. “What kept me competing around everyone was my athletic ability that I had gotten from playing hockey.”
Unfortunately, hockey also gave him something else a little less beneficial to his main sport.
“When you’re a bull rider, you want to stay a little bit smaller. But I’ve got hockey player legs,” he said. “I’ve lost them a little bit, but there’s a lot of Western-style jeans that I can’t fit into because my thighs are a little bit bigger than everybody else’s.”
Casey Lane, general manager of the Arizona Ridge Riders, said Tetz’s history with hockey helped him understand the importance of preparation.
“What it means to stick to a plan, to go to the gym, to listen to what your coaches are saying,” Lane said. “To work his own individual success plan on a daily basis is something, again, is not something that’s engrained in Western sports athletes, who generally come up on their own with no coaches, no plans. They just sort of do it until they are good enough to become professional, and then they become professional.”
The PBR Team Series debuted in 2023 with eight teams. The Arizona Ridge Riders picked Tetz up as a free agent early last year.
“Nick was the diamond in the rough for me. I soon realized that he was our secret weapon,” said Colby Yates, the Ridge Riders’ head coach. “His talent speaks for itself, but Nick has an ability to maintain confidence in not only in himself but with the whole. He is a coach’s dream and the ultimate team player.”
Hockey also helped him understand his role in the locker room. Tetz quickly reverted back to his normal role.
“I wasn’t sure what my role was going to be [in PBR], but coming from hockey, I was always the energy guy. I kept the room light, messed around, let’s keep the vibes high,” he said. “The guy who high-fives everyone before we went out. Keeping the morale up.”
The “energy guys” in hockey can set the tone early with an effective shift. Tetz transferred that mindset to rodeo: In many events, he was the first one on his team to get on a bull.
“I liked it because whether I did good or bad, I still could contribute to the team. If I was the first guy out and I did great, I got the ball rolling for us. If I didn’t, I could come back and help motivate the other guy,” he said. “It reminded me a little bit of hockey. That brotherhood going into the arena, stuff like that.”
Lane said the Ridge Riders moved Tetz up the order because his team sports background helped him understand momentum.
“Regardless of whether he rode or bucked off, he still understood how important it was to get back in the dugout with the team, pump the next guy up, pulling ropes, slapping backs, really creating an energy there that helped us create a winning culture regardless of how the momentum of the game was going,” Lane said.
The Ridge Raiders finished third in the PBR team standings in 2023. One of Tetz’s career highlights came one year earlier, when he was crowned 2022 PBR Canada champion. He received a $50,000 bonus, which was quickly cycled into home renovations for him and his fiancée. Perhaps just as importantly for a bull rider, he also won a belt buckle.
“It was the first buckle I got that had my name on it,” Tetz said. “That win was pretty special for me because it gave me a lot of opportunities that I don’t think I would have gotten.”
It was the kind of accomplishment that he dreamed about as a young athlete. Only, at the time, he didn’t think it was going to be in rodeo.
“When I was a kid, it was all about getting to the NHL and winning the Stanley Cup. What’s crazy is that I’m at the NHL level for bull riding,” he said.
“The job’s not finished. But it’s cool to look back and realize what you’ve accomplished and where you came from. It’s pretty unreal.”
Why he could win: Olson is a late replacement for Acuna as the home team’s representative at this year’s Derby. Apart from being the Braves’ first baseman, however, Olson also was born in Atlanta and grew up a Braves fan, giving him some extra motivation. The left-handed slugger led the majors in home runs in 2023 — his 54 round-trippers that season also set a franchise record — and he remains among the best in the game when it comes to exit velo and hard-hit rate.
Why he might not: The home-field advantage can also be a detriment if a player gets too hyped up in the first round. See Julio Rodriguez in Seattle in 2023, when he had a monster first round, with 41 home runs, but then tired out in the second round.
2025 home runs: 36 | Longest: 440 feet
Why he could win: It’s the season of Cal! The Mariners’ catcher is having one of the greatest slugging first halves in MLB history, as he’s been crushing mistakes all season . His easy raw power might be tailor-made for the Derby — he ranks in the 87th percentile in average exit velocity and delivers the ball, on average, at the optimal home run launch angle of 23 degrees. His calm demeanor might also be perfect for the contest as he won’t get too amped up.
Why he might not: He’s a catcher — and one who has carried a heavy workload, playing in all but one game this season. This contest is as much about stamina as anything, and whether Raleigh can carry his power through three rounds would be a concern. No catcher has ever won the Derby, with only Ivan Rodriguez back in 2005 even reaching the finals.
2025 home runs: 24 | Longest: 451 feet
Why he could win: He’s big, he’s strong, he’s young, he’s awesome, he might or might not be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. This is the perfect opportunity for Wood to show his talent on the national stage, and he wouldn’t be the first young player to star in the Derby. He ranks in the 97th percentile in average exit velocity and 99th percentile in hard-hit rate, so he can still muscle the ball out in BP even if he slightly mishits it. His long arms might be viewed as a detriment, but remember the similarly tall Aaron Judge won in 2017.
Why he might not: His natural swing isn’t a pure uppercut — he has a pretty low average launch angle of just 6.2 degrees — so we’ll see how that plays in a rapid-fire session. In real games, his power is primarily to the opposite field, but in a Home Run Derby you can get more cheapies pulling the ball down the line.
2025 home runs: 20 | Longest: 479 feet
Why he could win: Buxton’s raw power remains as impressive as nearly any hitter in the game. He crushed a 479-foot home run earlier this season and has four others of at least 425 feet. Indeed, his “no doubter” percentage — home runs that would be out of all 30 parks based on distance — is 75%, the highest in the majors among players with more than a dozen home runs. His bat speed ranks in the 89th percentile. In other words, two tools that could translate to a BP lightning show.
Why he might not: Buxton is 31 and the Home Run Derby feels a little more like a younger man’s competition. Teoscar Hernandez did win last year at age 31, but before that, the last winner older than 29 was David Ortiz in 2010, and that was under much different rules than are used now.
2025 home runs: 16 | Longest: 463 feet
Why he could win: If you drew up a short list of players everyone wants to see in the Home Run Derby, Cruz would be near the top. He has the hardest-hit ball of the 2025 season, and the hardest ever tracked by Statcast, a 432-foot missile of a home run with an exit velocity of 122.9 mph. He also crushed a 463-foot home run in Anaheim that soared way beyond the trees in center field. With his elite bat speed — 100th percentile — Cruz has the ability to awe the crowd with a potentially all-time performance.
Why he might not: Like all first-time contestants, can he stay within himself and not get too caught up in the moment? He has a long swing, which will result in some huge blasts, but might not be the most efficient for a contest like this one, where the more swings a hitter can get in before the clock expires, the better.
2025 home runs: 23 | Longest: 425 feet
Why he could win: Although Caminero was one of the most hyped prospects entering 2024, everyone kind of forgot about him heading into this season since he didn’t immediately rip apart the majors as a rookie. In his first full season, however, he has showed off his big-time raw power — giving him a chance to become just the third player to reach 40 home runs in his age-21 season. He has perhaps the quickest bat in the majors, ranking in the 100th percentile in bat speed, and his top exit velocity ranks in the top 15. That could translate to a barrage of home runs.
Why he might not: In game action, Caminero does hit the ball on the ground quite often — in fact, he’s on pace to break Jim Rice’s record for double plays grounded into in a season. If he gets out of rhythm, that could lead to a lot of low line drives during the Derby instead of fly balls that clear the fences.
2025 home runs: 19 | Longest: 440 feet
Why he could win: The Athletics slugger has been one of the top power hitters in the majors for three seasons now and is on his way to a third straight 30-homer season. Rooker has plus bat speed and raw power, but his biggest strength is an optimal average launch angle (19 degrees in 2024, 15 degrees this season) that translates to home runs in game action. That natural swing could be picture perfect for the Home Run Derby. He also wasn’t shy about saying he wanted to participate — and maybe that bodes well for his chances.
Why he might not: Rooker might not have quite the same raw power as some of the other competitors, as he has just one home run longer than 425 feet in 2025. But that’s a little nitpicky, as 11 of his home runs have still gone 400-plus feet. He competed in the college home run derby in Omaha while at Mississippi State in 2016 and finished fourth.
2025 home runs: 17 | Longest: 442 feet
Why he could win: Chisholm might not be the most obvious name to participate, given his career high of 24 home runs, but he has belted 17 already in 2025 in his first 61 games after missing some time with an injury. He ranks among the MLB leaders in a couple of home run-related categories, ranking in the 96th percentile in expected slugging percentage and 98th percentile in barrel rate. His raw power might not match that of the other participants, but he’s a dead-pull hitter who has increased his launch angle this season, which might translate well to the Derby, even if he won’t be the guy hitting the longest home runs.
Why he might not: Most of the guys who have won this have been big, powerful sluggers. Chisholm is listed at 5-foot-11, 184 pounds, and you have to go back to Miguel Tejada in 2004 to find the last player under 6 foot to win.
CINCINNATI — Cincinnati Reds right fielder Jake Fraley was activated from the 10-day injured list on Saturday.
He had injured his right shoulder while trying to make a diving catch June 23 against the New York Yankees.
An MRI revealed a partially torn labrum that will eventually require surgery. Fraley received a cortisone shot and will try to play through it for the rest of the season.