I always watched bull riding as a kid. As I got older I quit following it. I've been keeping up with it the last two seasons on Versus and since moving to Texas, I started going to Fort Worth just about every Saturday to the local arena at the stockyards. I absolutely love it and kinda wish I would have got into riding when I was younger. Just a pipe dream, I guess. Anyways...any one else follow?
This thread title confused me at first because nowadays the only PBR I know is Pabst Blue Ribbon, but now I'm pretty confident it means Professional Bull Riding? Yes? Damn I'm so smart. Anyways, I would attend ever rodeo I could back when I dreamed of becoming a cowboy, I even rode a bull when I was 16. However, I have now become a sissified city boy, so the thought of straddling a 2 ton bull scares the crap out of me.
I used to follow it back when Adriano was tops. Those guys have a whole different kind of pain threshold. Those guys will have fresh broken limbs/ribs or concussions.. cuts... and will still climb up on a bull. I can remember cringing when one guy who had a broken ankle rode his bull successfully but still had to leap off the thing... he landed on his feet and you could tell it had to hurt but he gimped off with his head held high.
Your not kidding. Most of these guys ride with torn bicep muscles by the second half of the season. Renato Nunes won Sacramento this weekend with a broken bone in his riding hand. Amazingly tough!
I used to follow it closer back when BowTech was a sponsor and my job required me to go to many of the events for onsite activation. I still watch it from time to time and love it. I used to think hockey players were the toughest athletes on the planet, until I went to PBR events and got to know a lot of the cowboys. These guys are just plain tough, ain't nobody tougher in the sports world...Period! I love it when Flint Rasmussen (PBR Barrelman & Entertainer) makes fun of other sports athletes that miss games for small injuries like oh say...turf toe. lol Other sports athletes still get paid whether they play or sit on the sidelines/dugout. PBR cowboy's don't get a paycheck unless they place and they can't place if they sit out with injuries. I've been fortunate enough to call many of the riders my friends and have shared hunt camps with many - Tony Mendes, Tater Porter, Dustin Elliot, Justin McBride, Ross Coleman, Wiley Petersen, Brendon Clark, Rob Smets and many others.
My dad and uncle did some bull riding (not pro) in their younger days. We went a few times when the PBR circuit would come to St Louis. I don't get into it on TV, put its pretty cool watching it live.
My nephew used to ride bulls. Then he got married and had a kid. He was not your typical bullriding little bitty dude. He's over 6 feet with arms and legs as long. After one particular night of being hurled through space like a rag doll.... he decided he'd had enough. He wanted to beable to play catch with his son. LOL He quit cold turkey.
Try to catch it when it is on. We are going when it comes to St. Louis at the end of Feb. Definitely some tough and gritty dudes. Some of the injuries they ride with blow my mind.
I watch it now and then whenever it's on the Versus channel. I'd love to try and ride one someday just to see what it's like. Maybe one of these days...
