January 10, 2009
Cowboys in Crash Helmets
It's snowing in my part of the world today so I didn't feel to much like going anywhere or doing anything. In and around what I did do I spent a good deal of time riding the range of the interwebs.
I read a bunch of fantastic reviews of Clint Eastwood's latest and reportedly last film Gran Torino. By all accounts, Eastwood was superb and his role and the move itself called to mind many of his classic performances. The Outlaw Jose Wales was mentioned often as the most apt comparison.
Eastwood was and always will be a cowboy. Strong, independent and uncompromising. Even his other signature role, Dirty Harry, is really just an old west sheriff with a car and a bigger gun.
Then I saw this story in the New York Times: Bull Riders Start Trading Hats for Helmets
I suppose wearing a helmet for bull riding makes sense from a safety standpoint. And as one "cowboy" put it:
But the contrast couldn't be any more clear. And any more saddening.
I read a bunch of fantastic reviews of Clint Eastwood's latest and reportedly last film Gran Torino. By all accounts, Eastwood was superb and his role and the move itself called to mind many of his classic performances. The Outlaw Jose Wales was mentioned often as the most apt comparison.
Eastwood was and always will be a cowboy. Strong, independent and uncompromising. Even his other signature role, Dirty Harry, is really just an old west sheriff with a car and a bigger gun.
Then I saw this story in the New York Times: Bull Riders Start Trading Hats for Helmets
I suppose wearing a helmet for bull riding makes sense from a safety standpoint. And as one "cowboy" put it:
“You can’t make money in this sport if you’re at home with a busted face.”
But the contrast couldn't be any more clear. And any more saddening.
Posted by: Stephen Macklin at 09:15 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
1
I know a friend who got involved with bull riding, that is until he got a hoof punched through his lung and he had to retire. Bull riding is more like putting cigarettes out on your arm at the local bar. They don't need to protect the brain with a helmet cause they never had one; the face is a whole different issue;that about covers my thoughts on the sport.
Posted by: T F Stern at January 13, 2009 11:07 AM (Ruh11)
2
"Bull riding is more like putting cigarettes out on your arm at the local bar."
Which makes the whole idea of helmet even more out of place - and sadder still.
Which makes the whole idea of helmet even more out of place - and sadder still.
Posted by: Stephen Macklin at January 13, 2009 06:03 PM (R7LgM)
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