NFL, NHL kinds get behind kings of cowboys

0 Comments | USA TODAY, May, 2008 | by Gary Mihoces

Stepping in it

Bull riders get big-name investors

For everything Wayne Gretzky has accomplished, he also has a not-to-do list.

"There are a couple of things in life that I'll never do," the NHL's all-time leading scorer says. "Sky diving and bull riding would rate as the top two that I have too much respect for."

Says his friend, Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway: "I totally agree with him."

Neither has any sky dives planned. But both are jumping, in a way, into the bull riding arena. The Professional Bull Riders will formally announce today that Gretzky and Elway are its two newest shareholders. They've bought in through Spire Capital, a private-equity firm that partnered with the PBR in 2007.

Gretzky...