Bring On the Bulls

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Perhaps the smartest thing the tour did was to recognize that the bulls, not the riders, are the stars. Fans show up to see the fiercest bovine in the land. The tour promotes the bulls with merchandise like T shirts, dolls and bobbleheads, which sell better than any rider-themed goods. (The first bull to sign an autograph will make a killing.) "The bulls should be more famous than us," says two-time champ Adriano Moraes. "They're better athletes." They also have better names, which reflect their personalities. Bodacious, a bull who died in 2000, was the Babe Ruth of bull riding, the sultan of cowboy swat. A bull named Ugly wasn't beauty-contest material, but in the arena he was a champ. This summer, one bull literally tore the pants off a handler before an event. The animal's nom de guerre: Hit and Run.

As terrifying as it can be to climb aboard an irate bull, riders want the beasts plenty riled up. The bull's performance counts for half the rider's score--out of a possible 100 points--and the harder it bucks the better. Indeed, what separates a star bull from the herd is his ability to get bucky on demand. Each year the bulls are shuttled to dozens of events from California to Connecticut, and one never knows how they will emerge from the ride. "Everywhere we go, the hay and the grain might taste a little different," says Cody Lambert, the PBR's livestock director. "The good ones learn to relax through all of this and not let it stress them out." Dehydration is a risk, and can leave a bull lethargic for an event. And no one wants a sleepy bull.

Riders, for their part, generally fall into two camps: Bible thumpers and hard-living cowboys. Riders know that each contest could be their last, a realization that drives some to church, others to drink. The religious types, says veteran rider Chris Shivers, "want to be in the right spot when it's time to go." This fall, they may want to add one more thing to their prayers: that football fans stay tuned to their eight seconds of glory.

STAR RIDES

Bull of the Year hopefuls --and a rider they would like to stomp [This article contains a table. Please see hardcopy of magazine.]