“STOP COMPLAINING”
If you’re a bull riding fan and follower, unless you were sleeping under a rock this weekend you probably know that Silvano Alves won the PBR Last Cowboy Standing event in Detroit on Saturday. It paid him $162,733 for riding three bulls. That's $54,244.33 per bull or $6,780.54 per second, by the hour, not too bad. He did that in front of a stadium packed with 25,476 fans.
In a time when all I seem to hear people do is want to tear something down and talk about all the things that aren't good about something, and what they don't like about it, how about talking about some of the good things. It seems that people want to talk about how the PBR has spoiled athletes, showoffs, weak hearts, the scheduling and TV coverage sucks, it's all about the sponsors, why are all the Brazilians’ winning all the time, blah, blah, blah, the list goes on and on. Now this isn't just about the PBR, I don't work for them, or anybody else, it's about bull riding, it's just that the PBR is the biggest fish in this pond, in my opinion, so they catch the most flack over it, I've heard just as many complaints about the other bull ridings and associations for various other reasons. Now there is definitely some things I don't like, some of the formats I'm not a fan of, I don't like the Iron Cowboy, I don't like that they let a guy qualify for the World Finals based on his finals money alone that he won in a different country that carries him the entire year.
BUT, there are some things that I do like that is pretty hard to argue. This weekend, Silvano Alves rode against several of the best guys in the world, on some of the best bulls in the world, in one of the biggest stadiums in front of a massive crowd and took home a payday that many of the top guys won't even see in a full years worth of riding. That's pretty awesome in my book. And he did that fair and square, black and white, no bs format, eight seconds at a time, when nobody else could. I think that a lot of people forget that the "commercialization" of this sport that some people despise so much is what makes it possible for a guy to do all those things. Wouldn't it be great if we could keep everything "old school" and the traditional way, so to speak, and a guy could go win $162,733 at one bull riding that isn't even a finals.....sure it would....but that's not business and that's not reality, and love it or hate it, the business of Professional Bull Riding has made it grow to what it is today.
Now this opens up a can of worms that could go on and on and we could write a book over the arguments and discussions that could follow. I guess in trying to make a long story less long I would want to get to my points. As a fan, give them a break. Do you think they want to lose fans, make people upset, and make people not want to watch their events? Of course not, they're a business and they survive on fans as well as sponsors and you definitely can't make everybody happy all the time and there are quite a few followers out there with different opinions of what they like or don't like. Also, in a successful business comes growth, with growth comes change and with change comes a trial and error process at times with what will work and what will not. So if you’re a fan and you like it, awesome, tell a friend, if you don't like it, give them some feedback, it's the least you can do, and if it's so bad that you can't stand it, then don't watch it, nobody is making you.
As far as riders go, don't even start. I hear so many guys complain about what is so wrong about various associations and which ones are legit and which one's aren’t for whatever reason and why guys with a name get gifted and new guys get hosed. How do you think guys with a name got a name? Do you think that 10 years ago the PBR was just looking down a list of random young bull riders that weren't even old enough to even ride at their events and picked out, J.B. Mauney and said, "when this kid starts coming to PBR events, we are going to get him on all the right bulls, make sure he gets the whistle and load him every time until we make him a superstar”? Pretty stupid statement, huh? But do you get my point. I've heard the same thing for several other guys in all of the other major associations and my opinion remains the same. Maybe they do get some Gold Buckle points here and there, but that tends to happen when you have done so good for so long that people come to subconsciously expect success every time they see you. Buy a permit, ride your bulls, buy a card, ride your bulls, move up the ranks, ride your bulls and you too can ride for and win $162,733 on three bulls. Stop finding reasons why you can’t win and start finding explanations of why you do. Most people probably won’t give the time to read this whole rant, theory, whatever you want to call it or others just won't care, but for those who do, please share your opinions, I love hearing other perspectives.
In closing, congrats to the PBR for putting on a RIDING CONTEST that paid the right guy a whole pile of money and congrats to Silvano Alves for being the only guy who earned it. (even if you are from Brazil and I like cheering for the home team)
