Words by Kerry and Stephen. Visuals by Stephen
We like to tell ourselves that there is something for everyone in New York City. But I think if you grew up around rodeos and horses and cows and bulls, there might actually be nothing for you here. On Friday night, I found myself en route to Madison Square Garden, fighting silent inner kicks and screams, to stand in the press pit for a professional bull-riding competition. I didn’t really want to go. I considered joining the protesters out front. But I admit that it was also fun and fascinating. - Kerry
When I got on the media list for PBR Unleash The Beast, I didn’t know what to expect. Technically, this not a rodeo. This is a night solely of bull riding, which is normally the final event of a proper rodeo. PBR UTB, is a bull riding series with the best 30 bull riders in the world over a 3 day event. When I was very young, my father took me to a rodeo in Jackson, MS and I haven’t been to anything like it since. I knew if nothing else, it would be exciting and different. Something you definitely can’t do on a normal night in NYC. - Stephen
WATCH VIDEO BELOW
We happened to walk out of the tunnel onto the floor of The Garden at the same time as the bull riders in their full gear. They are all super compact. It was wild to be on the floor, at nose level with the action. We only had a few minutes to get settled and then the lights went out, and we watched as event staff started pouring gasoline across the floor — a floor transformed into a dirt pen. I looked at Stephen with the sinking feeling that this was about to turn into fire and I was right. They opened the show with fireworks and actual fire burning in the dirt—I guess this is allowed?! I do wonder exactly how MSG staff signed off on this part. In the dark, dozens of bull riders come running out to walk the stage for their introductions. I am not used to having no idea what to expect, and this was all happening fast. - Kerry
The energy of the crowd felt much like any other night at Madison Square Garden whether you’re there for a Knicks game or a concert. Lots of people, music over the loud system, the smell of popcorn and beer. Just an overall festive night in midtown. The big difference, outside of the horses in Central Park, livestock isn’t something you see every day in the city. - Stephen
Here are some things I learned as the show started, and some questions that were raised.
1. The goal is to stay on the bull for 8 seconds. I did not know this. It’s hard. It took maybe 15 guys before one hit the 8 second mark.
2. It is hard to watch and also impossible to look away. There were maybe 40 riders and not one of them landed without being in immediate peril.
3. As soon as a bull dumps a rider, they pretty instantly head right back to the gate and disappear. A handful took careening tours around the Garden floor, and the crowd goes nuts. One or two went straight after a rider or the rodeo hands, also a move the crowd loved. And one or two needed intervention from a cowboy atop a giant horse who is standing by to lasso the most aggressive bulls. These moments were even more exciting than any successful 8 second bull rides.
4. There was a system of scoring that was incomprehensible. There were also a handful of “fouls” called on the bulls — which, LOL.
5. So wait — why do they wear these fringe pants? I’m not saying I don’t like them, but, just, why?
6. The rodeo hands were wearing gear that said “Protected by US Border Patrol”, and a related logo showed up on the screen and in the stands. I have to know: is this unauthorized use of the border patrol name? Is it sincere? Satirical? At one point, the announcer explained that the cowboy on the horse was part of US border patrol, but I can’t imagine that any federal agencies have agreed to be part of this event in any way. There were several references to border patrol in a MAGA / Capitol rioter way, but also the reality that bull riding culture draws deeply on traditions of the American West along with Spanish, Central and South American cultures. Brazil was the second most-represented country of bull riders. It was baffling to see repeated references to border patrol alongside competitors admired from places we are evidently working hard to keep out. So many questions.
7. The economics of all of this are mind-boggling. There were maybe 40 bull riders. A team of workers spent days carting dirt into the Garden. There are actual bulls, dozens of them, inside the biggest city in the US. Are ticket sales and event sponsorships enough to pay for all of this? So many more questions.
8. I immediately wanted more data. How dangerous is this? How often does someone die? What exactly are they doing to the bulls before they get released into the arena? Stephen thinks it’s more dangerous to be thrown off a bull. I think it’s more dangerous to get caught underneath a bull. We have no way to resolve this difference of opinion.
I did A LOT of screaming in horror, much of which is caught on camera. And because two things can be true at the same time, I also had fun and was, on the whole, glad for the adventure. It was an escape and a window into a part of the world that you can’t otherwise access in the City. - Kerry
I also couldn’t shake the comparison to the Damar Hamlin situation from just days earlier, still playing out in the news. The whole country seemed transfixed by an athlete who almost lost his life on the field, and yet here were 40 men and 3,000 spectators all willingly here to watch as bull riders neared death every few minutes. It was a spectacle. I’m glad we went, and also glad that my little New York bubble more or less guarantees that I won’t be going again. - Kerry
