Taking the best of the past and bringing it to the present

So with rodeo, there is this overwhelming view that it is past its prime. So how do you as a public relations specialist deal with this obviously untrue belief? The best way that you can deal with it is to add modern twists to the classic sport. This has been done by almost any rodeo I have visited. Loud music, flashing lights, and strong personalities calling the festivities make rodeo a different sport than it ever was.

The truth is I see rodeo as easier to market now, so long as the right angle is taken. It is so much easier to gain new fans and attendees when all the modern technology makes it so easy to explain things. With knowledgeable announcers calling the action it becomes easy to educate fans quickly so they can get on to enjoying the action they are witnessing. Also with the big screens and pumped up music how can one not be drawn into the action?

The history of the sport also can help bring in a new audience. There is an arena in Helotes, Texas that has been home to a PRCA sanctioned rodeo for over 20 years, and has been in existence well before that, has been host to some of the greatest cowboys in the history of rodeo. It also was a filming location for the beloved rodeo movie 8 Seconds. I have been going to that event for years now and love feeling all the history that is there. The arena has been exactly the same for 20 years, which to me is something comforting. I think that playing on the history of the sport is a great way to gain new fans. Remember, rodeo is the only sport that can be traced to have been created in America. Use that information to your advantage. People love to show national pride and what better way to do that than to support the only true American sport.

So in the end the ting to remember is that you need to not neglect the past, but blend it in with the present and market rodeo as the best of the past meeting with the present.