CALGARY, Alberta — Sports is one of the oldest surviving activities of man and over time it has proven to be useful as a form of entertainment, in improving health and maintaining social bond. With the passage of time, there have been improvements on the old sports, while new sports have emerged. In the same light, some sports have been subject of controversy, and the point has been whether the existence of such sports meet the modern ideals. One of such sports is the Rodeo in Alberta, Canada. While Alberta seeks to make the sport its official local sport, there are oppositions to such move on the ground of its correlation of modern-day ideals, values and practices.

The word “Rodeo” originates from the Spanish verb “rodear” which means “to go around”. The sport originated from the practices of cowboys who initially engaged in the sport as a form of relief from their tough work and for their own amusement. The sports gained popularity in Canada and the very first Rodeo competition in Canada was held in Alberta in 1903.  The major activities involved in the Rodeo competitions include bull riding, saddle-bronc riding, bareback riding, calf roping and steer wrestling. With Alberta being the “home” of the sport, the sport has persisted and there are now moves to make the sport the official sport of Alberta.

As of March 2021, Muhammad Yaseen, a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, introduced Bill 212- a private member’s bill, which is aimed at making Rodeo Alberta’s official sport. Yaseen, who introduced the bill, is of the opinion that the sport has afforded him the opportunity to experience rich rural culture. Some also have claimed that the sport will revive the energy of the state and will be beneficial to the economy of the province.

On the other side of the divide is Camille Labchuk, the Executive Director for National Animal Law Advocacy Organization Animal Justice, who is of the opinion that “rodeo incredibly cruel, it’s so cruel that it’s been banned in many jurisdictions. So, Alberta shouldn’t be considering celebrating this as a provincial sport. It should be considering banning this activity.” As it stands, fingers are still cross on what the outcome of the bill will be.

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