Growing up in Texas meant football was imbedded into my DNA. Childhood was filled playing ball, idolizing elite athletes, and hoping to one day to make it to the big leagues. After a string of season ending injuries that retrospectively were a result of poor nutrition (fractures, concussions, lumbar disc pathology), I decided that my future health was more important than the glory of smash mouth sports. Lucky for me, “retiring” from football was a catalyst for the pursuit of something much greater and led to a dramatic change in my diet, introduction into endurance sports, and many years later, the birth of EPIC.
Ever since we started EPIC, Katie and I have long dreamed of producing a super bowl halftime show that featured some of the greatest athletes in the animal kingdom. For the past four winters, we have pitched our idea of a halftime show to our most trusted bison suppliers. These proposals were always met with a laughing rancher on the other end baffled by the idea of bison playing football. Some of the common feedback received was that the herds across the country are entering the 3rd trimester of pregnancy and “stressing” the animals with cameras, props, and drones would result in risk of miscarriage. We were also frequently told that bison were too “wild” to produce, and having a camera crew working closely with the animals would inevitably result in pissed off bison and broken camera equipment. It felt hopeless, that is until now!
Since we purchased ROAM Ranch in 2017, Katie and I have been telling people that the bison bowl was happening! With the early winter arrival of our 70 athletes (bison), this long-time dream was destined to become a reality that would stream live from the pastures of our ranch. On February 4th (Super Bowl Sunday) join us for the live showing of our first annual Bison Super Bowl show. We anticipate quite a show with some incredibly stunning animals expressing their natural instincts. If you are impressed with the top end speed of the Philadelphia Eagles running back Jay Ajayi, just wait until you see the second fastest land mammal in North America blaze through the fields at speeds up to 40 mph. If you think that Danny Amendola and Dion Lewis have agility, just wait till you see a sprinting bison pivot 180 degrees in less than a second. If you’re awe-struck by the physical mass and strength of the New England Patriots starting offensive line, you will be blown away by the size of North America’s largest land mammal.
Aside from guaranteed entertainment, the first annual EPIC Bison Bowl is targeted to raise awareness on behalf of the National Bison Association’s goal to return the North American bison herd to 1 million animals. Although far from the 40 million bison that once roamed our country, the Bison 1 Million campaign is a powerful campaign to advocate the herd growth of our National Mammal. When properly managed, bison have the ability to restore our lands, heal our soil, enrich our ecosystems, and produce some of the most nourishing food on the planet!
Join us this Sunday @ 3:00pm Central Standard Time for a Facebook live stream of EPIC’s Bison Bowl. Let’s celebrate these majestic beings and their symbiotic relationships to healthy lands!
