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James Cheng / msnbc.com
Cowboys enter the arena with flag-waving fanfare during the first go-round of National Finals Rodeo Thursday, Dec. 2, 2010 in Las Vegas.
“There’s never a child born at some time in his life that didn’t want to be a cowboy. You can always buy a hat as a little kid. You might get to go to the fair and sit on a pony. Some of them are raised where they have a horse, but there’s always gonna be cowboys.”
-- Randy Corley, rodeo announcer
LAS VEGAS -- From the legends of outlaws such as Billy the Kid and Jesse James to the charismatic swagger of entertainment stars Gene Autry and John Wayne, the cowboy life has left an indelible mark on American culture.
What kid hasn’t donned a cowboy hat and silver star, shoved a cap-loaded six-shooter into a plastic holster and imagined capturing the glory of the Old West?
It’s a fantasy that harkens to a simpler time, when pioneers worked the land as farmers and ranchers. They lived off what they produced themselves, and their biggest reward came from the product of their own sweat and toil.
It seems like a long time ago, and it’s hard to imagine living such a lifestyle surviving the sensory overload and short attention spans of modern day pop culture. But it has survived in one sector of American life: the world of professional rodeo. It’s a sport where the majority of those involved are connected to the Western way of life – the backbone of American culture, in a way -- through ranching and farming.
We will take you behind the scenes of professional rodeo this week at the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas, where the best cowboys in the world are competing in their version of the Super Bowl. We’ll introduce you to the tough, gritty competitors themselves and try to discover why they compete in such a dangerous sport, risking so much for so little. We’ll also get to know many of the other people involved with the sport, from the former legends to the stock handlers, from the bullfighters to the medical staff and beyond.
“One thing good about rodeo is it’s the way this country was settled, the Western way of life,” says Dean Oliver, a former calf roping champion who at age 81 still comes to the National Finals every year to work as a grip for a television crew. “I really like the type of people who rodeo and ranch. They’re honest, they work, they won’t cheat you. I like to be related to their way of life.
“Kind of like the people that came over in the wagon train. They were tough, and cowboys are tough. I respect that.”
Toughness. Respect. Honesty. They are themes that come up time and time again in Western culture. But how strong and deep is that culture? How does it survive in the flash and glare of the MTV generation? How does a sport keep that spirit of the West alive?
We aim to find out. So saddle up and ride with us into the world of professional rodeo. Every day this week, we'll post new "Faces of the Rodeo."
See Faces of the Rodeo: The cowboys. Get to know some of the top competitors in rodeo, and find out what they love about their sport.
Leave a Comment:
long live cowboys
Long live Cowboys
"Cowboy Up" forever!
If you love cowboys and rodeos, you should check out One Ride the musical at www.oneridethemusical.com -- its coming soon to Broadway! ONE RIDE is a powerful and passionate story told through the songs of country legend Chris LeDoux. Full of energy, dynamic movement and the live music of Chris’ band, Western Underground, ONE RIDE is a timeless tale about the quest to find the “champion" & bull-rider :P in ourselves! See your fantasy come to life on stage!
It may be fun to be a cowboy, but it's no fun at all for the animals used in rodeo. Horses, calves, bulls and other animals are treated with brutality so that the cowboys and spectators can "get their kicks."
It may appear that the livestock is abused, but the bottom line is that the rodeos and cowboys wouldn't make any money if the animals don't perform well. No stock contractor or Cowboy is going to abuse or mistreat the animals involved because the stock is the bread and butter for both. If you add in the fact that rodeo people generally have a bone deep respect and affection for animals you realize that statements such as yours are groundless and the result of thoughtless verbage.
anpeople, no one treats a horse with brutality, or the other animals in the rodeo. That statement sounds like you live in Chicago or New York City and don't know nothing about Rodeo. Get a life, if you don't lile don't watch..
anpeople, your right. It is fun being a cowboy , but your flat out wrong about any brutality to these animals. These animals have a better life than you or I. Judging by your dumb comment, your one pathetic liberal who voted for Obama and listens to Barry Manilow. Get a life loser!!!
oh no no no not Manilow
Actually... I love Manilow and am more liberal than conservative, though I don't hold to any one ideology. AND I still think Anpeople is an uneducated dolt who doesn't know the first thing about the rodeo! Bottom line... don't give into assumptions, they're usually wrong.
Anpeople, you really sound like you do not know what you are talking about, probably should really inform yourself before spewing your nonsense on people, although I do respect that you are for the the humane treatment of animals, I must correct you animals are not mistreated in any rodeo sanctioned by the PRCA.
Actually, most of the animals get treated very well, for instance did you know that some of the bulls used in the bull riding event, are worth thousands and thousands of dollars, and their owners feed them top of the line feed, and travel in very comfortable trailers AC, Heat, etc. Some times the bulls make more money than the Cowboys! So I don't know any stockman who would neglect or mistreat his or her stock.
I think you may be one of those hypocrites, who spew all the mumbo jumbo, but then turn around and put on $300 leather shoes, with matching leather belt. Like the PETA ad with Chad Ochocinco standing naked, with only a LEATHER football covering his privates. I thought they were all about non leather and fur?
Cowboys and cowgirls have an ingrained love and respect for animals. The idea that they intentionally mistreat or harm animals is largely nonsense. I'm a 5th generation cowboy, a former Montana rancher, who now works for an international nonprofit focusing on relief and development in poor countries (what some would call going from very right of center upbringing to left of center vocation...) I've lived or worked in more than 100 countries. Agricultural people in virtually any rual setting in the world depend on their animals for a livelihood. These animals are vital to their survival and for their families well-being. I've never met a pastoralist in any country that abused their animals. In fact in most cases the animals have personal names, and many are brought into the home at night for safekeeping. I can't count the number of times when we were calving in winter and brought newborn calves into the house, warming them in the bathtub, and then putting them in a sleeping bag with a heating pad to make sure they survived. Most pro rodeo competitors come from the same kind of backgrounds, steeped in a reverence and awe for the intelligence and sensitivity of animals. And when these tough cowboys or cowgirls lose an animal a tear is often shed. If city slickers think otherwise, then book a week at a working ranch and get a clue up close and personal - and go away with an informed opinion.
Anpeople, the others are right. I'm orig from Queens N.Y. the closest I'd ever gotten to a horse was at Mrs. Motts pony farm in Uniondale , Long Island when I was a kid. But I have lived out my dream and have had horses and mules the last 26 yrs as I'd moved to Texas. I love rodeo too and as an avid animal lover, the rodeo stock is not abused. Rodeo stock are athletes and are well cared for.