A word to those of you who read and post to the message board on this site…

Ever wonder why you don't hear more profanity when Pam interviews those bull riders on TNN? Ever wonder why those bull riders don't trash each other like pro wrestlers do? Well, probably not. You don't have to wonder about that, do you? Because you know why. It would reflect poorly on the PBR, the network, the bull rider himself, and everyone else involved.

In America, you are entitled to the right to say whatever you please in however crude a way you wish to say it. The flip side of that is that other people are equally entitled to form their own opinions of you and your peers and possibly your way of life based on anything they might hear you say. In short, every time you open your trap, someone is forming an opinion of you.

If you are standing in front of a TV camera after raking one for 90 points when you open your trap, millions of people all over the world will be listening. And listening intently, because they tuned in to see you and others like you. They're the people who buy tickets to rodeos so they can see bull riding. They want to see what you are like in person. They want to hear whatever you have to say. Do you care what they think of you? Do you care what they think of bull riders? You better.

Most of those people will think less of you if you open your mouth and a stream of profanity comes out. Rodeo's fan base is not made up entirely of Hell's Angels. Those who do not find bad language offensive would soon tire of someone who constantly brags on himself, and belittles others. That's not what they expect to hear from you - a cowboy.

Posting a message here is just like talking to that TV audience. Worse in some ways, because reading profanity makes more of a lasting impression than simply hearing someone say it. Two to three hundred people a day visit this site, and while many of them are bull riders, many of them are just people who are interested in bull riding. Some of them may not know a thing about it, but want to know more. Do you care what they think when they read what bull riders have to say? You better. If their first impression is that bull riders are a lot like foul mouthed, squabbling third-graders, do you think they will buy a ticket to the rodeo? Why would they? They probably have third graders at home.

Rodeo fans want you to be a hero. You are already their children's heroes. When they were children, other cowboys were their heroes. For that matter, when you were a child, cowboys were your heroes. In any case, they don't want want their children to look up to a man who acts like a child. They want you to be David and slay Goliath, which you have a chance to do on a daily basis. If the original David had been a slanderous, egotistical little runt, I suspect that many people that were there on that day would have been secretly hoping that Goliath would stomp a mudhole in him.

I remember going to the rodeo when I was a kid and hanging on the fence to get a closer look at the bull riders. They were the coolest guys I had ever seen. They even shook hands with me once in a while. I thought they were so cool I grew up and became a bull rider myself. Next time you are at a rodeo, look around at all the little kids gawking at you. If you rodeo long enough, someday one of those kids will come up to you at a rodeo with a pair of spurs on his feet and tell you that he remembers seeing you ride when he was 11 and you rode the hair off some rank sucker somewhere that you don't even remember being. That kid probably hung on every word he ever heard you say. Geez, let's hope you didn't teach him too many bad habits.

This site and it's message board are here specifically for professional bull riders. The idea is that the board would be a good place to inquire about a bull or find a re-trade or even a ride from one rodeo to the next. Other interested people are welcome to come here, and welcome to use the board as well. Ask a stupid question if you want to. Talk to one of these guys that ride if you want to.

If you ride for even part of your living, you'd do well to present yourself as a professional. If you don't, it reflects poorly not only on you, but on this site, your event rep, on me, on all other bull riders, and on bull riding itself. If you make a good impression on one curious visitor here, that's one more person that is going to tune in to see you on TV or buy a ticket to see you in person. They might not think you are the greatest bull rider that ever lived, but they will admire you nonetheless.

So go forth and play nice. And don't cuss around women and children or my Mom will wash your mouth out with soap.

Slade Long

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