The Rodeo Cowboy

Abstract

North American rodeo, once considered a festival pastime engaged in by nomadic ranch hands, has evolved into a contemporary sport form. Given its cultural trappings and savvy business and marketing strategies, rodeo has experienced a rise in popularity. Furthermore, with other sport forms falling into fan disfavor due to the behavior of owners, coaches, and players, rodeo appears to offer a purer, less complex, competitive environment whereby competitors pit their skills against a myriad of unknowns for a financial purse. The purpose of this study was to explore the cultural milieu of the rodeo cowboy in an attempt to thoroughly examine and ultimately answer the question, Is the American rodeo cowboy a cultural icon, athlete, or entrepreneur? Ethnographic and archival research methods were employed in the collection and corroboration of data for this study. The findings suggest that the contemporary North American rodeo cowboy is a cultural icon, athlete, and entrepreneur.