The Rodeo Cowboy as an American Icon: The Perceived Social and Cultural Significance

Pearson, Demetrius W., Haney, C. Allen, Journal of American Culture (Malden, MA)

Rodeo in North America is arguably one of the fastest growing and most dangerous "de facto" contact sport forms in contemporary society. The status of rodeo as a "legitimate" athletic contest has been questioned by sports purists. However, rodeo adheres to the requisite elements detailed by J. J. Coakley (20) for any sport form: physical prowess, institutionalized competition, and intrinsic and extrinsic participant motivation. In addition, rodeo rests upon rich cultural tradition, history, and ritualistic lore quite possibly unrivaled in modern sports. Other than baseball, no sport in the United States appears to epitomize American values, mores, and lifestyles as does rodeo (Pearson and …

Questia, a part of Gale, Cengage Learning. www.questia.com
Publication information: Article title: The Rodeo Cowboy as an American Icon: The Perceived Social and Cultural Significance. Contributors: Pearson, Demetrius W. - Author, Haney, C. Allen - Author. Journal title: Journal of American Culture (Malden, MA). Volume: 22. Issue: 4 Publication date: Winter 1999. Page number: 17+. © 2004 Blackwell Publishers Ltd. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All Rights Reserved.

This material is protected by copyright and, with the exception of fair use, may not be further copied, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means.