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The past ten years have been amazing for professional bull riding. Where Ultimate Fighting, the X-Games and even NASCAR used to be touted as the fastest growing sport in America, bull riding now holds that honor. The predominant bull riding organization, Professional Bull Riders, Inc., or PBR (wrestled away from Pabst Blue Ribbon beer) has shown a 300% increase in the number of television viewers for an event which used to merely be a part of a larger rodeo, and is now a show in itself, also spawning reality shows like "Ty Murray's Celebrity Bull Riding Challenge" and "Beyond the Bull." Interestingly, those "in the know" report that while the target group for spectators is typically 18-34 year old males, more females are tuning in, and are rooting for the bulls.

Live events, such as the PBR's "Built Ford Tough Series" tour has shown a 72% increase in ticket sales over the same time frame. This year's tour will visit 29 cities, will award more than $10 million in prize money, and is televised frequently on OLN (the Outdoor Life Network), Versus, and ESPN.

This is a godsend for Randy Bernard, CEO of PBR, Inc. whose plan to exploit the growth potential of bull riding and ultimately turn it into a major league sport appears to be happening sooner than later.

Apparently the thrill outweighs the danger, even with the number of deaths and severe injuries steadily rising in this venue. A popular saying among bull riders is, "It's not if you get hurt, it's when and how bad." How do I know this? I'm married to an ex-bull rider. He was never a professional, but did compete for nine years in high school and the Navy. Among his injuries are separated ribs, contusions, lacerations requiring stitches, strained muscles, and dislocated fingers. Being thrown into fences and stepped on are more common than not. Even if one "survives" the eight seconds, the dismount from the bull can be just as dangerous. Whenever I ask him to tell me stories, he always adds, "It's the biggest adrenaline rush ever." I think it was a good way for him to attract females, but he won't admit it. I will say, however, that listening to him get out of bed in the morning reminds me of a bowl of Kellogg's Rice Krispies, with joints snapping, crackling and popping all the way to the bathroom.

Ultimately, and in all seriousness, with the increase in spectators and competitors, extreme sports such as bull riding don't appear to be nearing decline at all. What is it about watching someone take his life in his hands that spikes our interest? Some primordial, macabre sense of living vicariously through those who aren't afraid to do so, I suppose. Because I for one, do watch bull riding with my husband, and secretly I root for the bulls.

Learn more about this author, Natalie Faulk.
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