You reminded me of the 4H grounds I grew up in front of. There were all sorts of events that went on there, not just the ag stuff. There were roping contests, barrel racing, etc., all of them under the 4H umbrella.
My joint (pub darts) at Frontier Days in Cheyenne knocked down around 2K a day of which I made 35%. For carnival season, Frontier Days is THE major event and if a joint agent can’t make money at that spot then he might as well pack his bag and go back to delivering pizzas.
Last night we were watching the Reno PRCA rodeo and could see carnival rides in the background full of riders. One rodeo wife and I attended, we looked behind us and could see numerous people standing around talking and drinking beer at a beer stand. Once bull riding started, the beer stand area was empty of those people. In certain parts of the U.S., like Texas, fans wearing western attire/cowboy hats is huge. We watched, again on the Cowboy Channel, the Ft Worth, Houston, San Antonio, Austin and The American...........all PRCA rodeos in Texas with plenty of folks wearing western attire and cowboy hats. Plenty of western wear/cowboy hats at rodeos in Wyoming and Montana also. Quite a bit in Colorado, but not nearly the amount of years ago (2002 thru 2007). Some folks become total rodeo fans, while others, one rodeo and that's it. Some really have no idea what they are watching, or don't like what they are seeing, and never return. But, many, many others do return and even spend money to go to the NFR in Vegas each year.
That's because the events were in the 4-H grounds. A rodeo is never put on by a 4-H Club. There could be a 4-H event, like Calf Scramble, for 4-H kids, but that's it. Nothing professional.
CFD is extremely popular, but a very long rodeo, like Reno is. Reno Rodeo can last three hours. As far as CFD goes, Post Malone/white rapper, was there a few years ago and many, many complaints over him being there. A number of young folks, full of tattoos, loved him, but then again, he is full of tattoos as well........including on his face. Last year, Garth Brooks was the headliner and this year, Brooks & Dunn are. We have been to CFD a few times and love the parade and the Indian Village, but the rodeo was simply too long. Actually, we met Walt Garrison there one year. The old NFL and PRCA Steer Wrestler.
The locals get in on it and some make a fourth of their yearly income during those four days. One has to look hard to find a $5 hot dog. Last year one vendor close to the grounds was getting $10 for a hot dog. A lot of clubs, churches, and youth groups rake in piles of cash selling everything you can imagine. China-made straw hats and umbrellas sell for 10 times their price at Walmart.
You win!! So, I deleted my post. But, the only events in a 4-H rodeo that is in a PRCA rodeo is barrel racing, team roping and breakaway roping. At least that is what I just read about "events at a 4-H rodeo" online. With the "Likes" you got Ken, people on the forum are still loving it when I'm wrong. LOL
Maybe rodeos should impose standards where only "real" cowboys and "real" fans could spectate. Then you can go back to being sponsored by the local hardware, grain & feed stores, and instead of making millions of dollars (those are "real" cowboys???), the top prize would be an engraved saddle and a refurbished mobile home.
Well, John, there are rodeo competitors that only rodeo part-time and done spend the entire summer traveling with/or without a horse trailer. None of the guys I knew done it full-time and I didn't either. Doing it full-time and making good-to-great money takes big sponsors that pay for a whole lot when a competitor is traveling. Food, gas, horse feed (if hauling a horse/horses) and other expenses. Generally, the Rodeo Committee will serve a free breakfast, lunch or supper to all rodeo competitors. Many winners at the National Finals Rodeo, in Las Vegas, will win enough money to buy a nice new combined multi-horse trailer with living quarters in it and, sometimes, even a new truck to pull it with. I've seen some very, very expensive multi-horse trailers and trucks. But, to stay on top (Top 15), a contestant has to do a whole lot of traveling and enter the biggest rodeos of each year, like Cheyenne, Pendelton, Red Bluff, Reno, Houston, Ft Worth and so on. These have multi-million dollar purses for contestants to get a piece of. But, don't get hurt! Sage Kinzey had to have shoulder surgery and it out for the rest of the year. He is one of the great bull riders of today's rodeo.
Just like going to a NFL, NBA or MLB game, people spend money and plenty of it. When we go to a rodeo, we spend enough. Got to each have a: hot dog/pizza slice, nachos, beer, and before leaving, a funnel cake (to go). The only t-shirts I've bought, have the NFR or Mountain States Circuit Finals printed on them. I have three. The Mountain States Circuit Finals t-shirt was given to us after we paid for admission. The NFR ones, I bought online in the prca pro rodeo store.
My point is that if posers offend the industry so much, then don't take their money. Then all the sponsors will dry up and go away, and rodeos will return to their natural roots of being local competitions among local cowhands for local bragging rights. This would be a good thing, if purity were the goal...wouldn't it?
I knew a guy who grew up in an Amish region of Pennsylvania. During tourist season, he and his friends (none of them Amish) would burn crude designs on tree bark and sell them to tourists in roadside stands. I don't know if he temporarily changed his name to Amos.
Actually, I have an honest (not-a-gotcha) question for you. Do you think that the influx of casual observers into the sport has tainted it? I think of football where the rules are changed to facilitate higher scores, because that's what many of the "casual fans" want. Personally, I like a good defensive game...it's what the purity of the game is all about. I don't like NBA games because it's "dribble/dunk/score, dribble/dunk/score." It is boring. There is no real gamesmanship...and lots of sports are going this way. This is short-term thinking, because the purists are the only ones that can be counted on long term and such compromises will drive them away, while the casual fan is gonna move onto something else eventually...then the sport will be left with no one. So, has rodeo modified its rules to make it more "casual fan appealing" solely for the money, and (if so) does that run the risk of ruining it? Has rodeo already been damaged by it?