Why I’m Still O.K Promoting Rodeos

On Friday, native El Pasoan and rodeo legend Tuff Hedeman will be a guest in the studio.

We’ll be promoting the Tuff Hedeman Bull Riding Tour event that will take place this Saturday, February 4th, at the El Paso County Coliseum.

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I’ve been friends with Tuff for many years. He’s legitimately one of the most famous figures in rodeo history.

He shows his hometown a lot of love and I’m a big fan of Tuff.

The last time I went to one of his Bull Riding events, there were protestors outside the Coliseum. I had parked across the street, next to the zoo. As I crossed Paisano Street toward the Coliseum, I noticed about a dozen protestors.

Most of them were younger people, maybe college-age or slightly older. Some of them were holding signs condemning bull riding as cruel and inhumane.

A few of them, very quietly and not directed toward anyone in particular, would say, “Rodeo is cruel; get your entertainment some other way”. Or, words to that effect.

So, I thought about it. Even during the event, I thought about it. Was I supporting a sport that was cruel to animals at its core?

After thinking about it and considering it for over a year, I’ve come to a conclusion.

I don’t know if all of those young protestors were vegan. Some of them might have been.

But I certainly am not. How can I condemn bull riders when I just ate a medium rare ribeye earlier that evening?

Seriously, how could I condemn RIDING a bull when I eat hamburgers and wear shoes made out of their skin EVERY DAY?

I can’t. I just don’t have the moral high ground. And I’m NOT thinking of going meatless any time soon.

I mean, at least at the rodeo, THOSE bulls are probably going to make it out with their lives. The cow I’m going to eat three months from now has ZERO chance of getting out of the feedlot alive.

The rodeo bull might even have the chance to injure the human riding it. A little revenge from lower on the food chain, eh? For a bovine, that’s got to be about as good as it gets.

You’re not getting eaten anytime soon.

And you MIGHT just get to break your oppressor’s clavicle. Or face (you can ask Tuff about that one).

So, I guess…make plans to see Tuff Hedeman’s Championship Bull Riding this Saturday at the Coliseum. It’s the only situation where a cow has a fighting chance!