Saving Lives in the Toughest Sport on Dirt

“Being strapped on the back of a thousand pound bull sure isn’t easy, but boy is it fun”, fourteen year old amateur bull rider, Cullen Wise, shares his opinion of the sport he enjoys mostly every weekend. Unlike many of the riders he competes with, Cullen’s parents require him to wear all the protective gear available to bull riders: Kevlar vest, Chaps, a leather glove, a mouthpiece, and a helmet. While wearing the available protective gear may seem like an obvious and safe thing to do, many of the bull riders around the world tend to ignore the fact that wearing a helmet can save their lives in an instant. While many rodeo organizations require protective gear, very few require the use of a helmet. All rodeo organizations should require protective headgear in order to keep bull riders safe.

There is no question that bull riding is a dangerous sport. Bull riding consists of tying a rope with a handle to the bull and trying to hang on for eight seconds. If the rider is successful they will be given a score out of 100. Looping your hand through a rope tied to an angry, thousand pound animal is clearly not most people’s idea of fun. The real danger starts from the moment the rider falls or jumps off the bull until the bull or cowboy exits the arena. In a study by the BullTough helmet company they received surveys from 81 cowboys that had purchased their product. These 81 cowboys reported a total of 110 career injuries occurred while they were not wearing headgear. The most common head injury was concussion, impairment of neurological function (Brandenburg 593). Going to a rodeo or watching it on TV, the danger comes to life. Watching boys of all ages try their best to hang onto a bull, anyone would wonder, why would they not want ...

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... their riders as well as require them to be safe by wearing a helmet. It is time that the toughest sport on dirt gets safer by simply taking one precaution. Helmets aren’t just a smart choice for bull riders it’s a safe one.

Works Cited

Brandenburg, Mark A. and Pam Archer. "Survey Analysis To Assess The Effectiveness Of The Bull Tough Helmet In Preventing Head Injuries In Bull Riders: A Pilot Study." Clinical Journal Of Sport Medicine 12.6 (2002): 360-366. Academic Search Complete. Web. 26 Feb. 2014.

Cartwright, Keith Ryan. “Heroes & Legends: Brent Thurman.” Professional Bull Riders. Professional Bull Riders, 23 Oct. 2011. Web. 25 Feb. 2014.

Health And Safety Code Chapter 768. Children Participating In Rodeos. State of Texas, 2009. Web. 12 Mar. 2014.

Luscombe, Belinda. "10 Questions." Time 183.3 (2014): 60. Academic Search Complete. Web. 25 Feb. 2014.