RICHARD GREEN/THE CALIFORNIAN FILE PHOTO Billy Etbauer of Ree Heights, S.D., won the saddle bronc buckle in July 2002, at the California Rodeo Salinas. RICHARD GREEN/THE CALIFORNIAN FILE PHOTO Philip Elkins wins the buckle in the bull riding event July 21, 2002, at the California Rodeo Salinas. SCOTT MACDONALD/THE CALIFORNIAN FILE PHOTO Brittany Johnson of Salinas, center, lets it all hang out during the stick horse race in July 2002, at the California Rodeo Salinas.

Rodeo evolved from cowboys and ranchers testing their skills and showing each other up. No longer just an elbowing contest, it's become a bona fide sport with a huge following.

"Everyone wants to be a cowboy, even if it's just for a day," said Sally Hamana, marketing coordinator for the Salinas Rodeo. "The beauty of rodeo is that it's a sport based on an industry and it's the only sport in the country that is, as such."

With 23 million wannabe cowboys annually congregating in grandstands nationwide, rodeo is the fastest-growing sport in the United States, said Anne Bleiker, public relations coordinator for the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association.

Bleiker also said an additional 40 million fans watch the bucking broncos and angry bulls on television from the comfort of their own homes.

"The increase in fans directly has to do with the number of hours it's shown on television," she said. "Five years ago we only had 48 viewing hours, and this year we're promised 230 hours."

The California Rodeo Salinas is one of 10 rodeos that have helped grow the sport's fan base by being televised on ESPN2 and the Outdoor Living Network.

"We've definitely moved the sport in front of people and they can't help but watch," Bleiker said. "This sport is extreme. You have a 150-pound rider and a 2,000-pound bull. People want extreme, and you can't get much more extreme than that."

Television and larger prize purses have allowed the Salinas Rodeo to come a long way since its humble beginnings. It is now the largest rodeo in California. It's ranked 15 out of 688 professional rodeos, according to the PRCA and No. 5 among rodeos of its length -- something that not even Frank J. Griffen could have envisioned when he organized the first Big Week in 1911.

A way of life

But in Salinas, it's not just the sport that attracts people. It's the nearly 100 years of Rodeo tradition.

"The Rodeo preserves a way of life, and particularly in an area like this with an agricultural center, I think it really reflects the community," Hamana said. "I think rodeos do the same thing county fairs do. They bring a community together as a gathering spot for families."

Events like the Rodeo are important, she said, because they let residents belong to something bigger than even the city they live in. It's also a good way to pay homage to their Western heritage, the rancher's way of life and Salinas Valley history.

This year, Hamana anticipates 50,000 people will enter the Sports Complex gates to experience the Rodeo, which she said has everything from great food to great fun. But not every spectator will be watching the sport.

"It's even good for seeing people you haven't seen since last year's Rodeo," Hamana said. "People might not be interested in the action out of the chutes, but you can see them outside of the grandstands girl-watching or boy-watching and having a good time."

The Rodeo will see its largest crowd on Saturday and Sunday, while a Professional Bull Riders competition on Wednesday -- the night before the main event -- will attract the youngest adult fans. The bull riders are the rock stars of the sport, Hamana said.

The Rodeo will have to attract the younger fans and keep them coming back each year if the event is to thrive and grow as organizers hope.

In past years, the Rodeo was marketed as "the original extreme sport." That message helped catapult the sport into its status as the nation's fastest growing sport. But Hamana said it didn't capture the fan loyalty and sense of tradition that are so much a part of the Salinas Rodeo.

"The sport itself is exciting enough to attract younger followers," she said. "Our little barbecue (Rodeo) is about family and community, and the marketing has to represent that."

Economic boost

Although what the Rodeo represents has not changed in 93 years, the event itself has. In decades past, Big Week -- the week of the Rodeo -- was an extended community-wide phenomenon characterized by business closures and Western wear. The Rodeo continues to be an annual highlight, but it has to compete with other big attractions and diversions.

"At its core it's the same event," Hamana said. "But as times, change the Rodeo does also."

Businesses can no longer afford to close up shop during Big Week, but many still decorate their storefronts and welcome Rodeo fans with signs, banners and special sales.

The Rodeo brings in more than $16.1 million annually to Salinas, some of which comes in by way of hotels, motels, food, beverage and gasoline businesses, Hamana said.

Also, in an effort to support local nonprofit organizations, the Rodeo invites them to participate in concessions, parking and program sales. In 2002, the Rodeo was able to generate more than $292,400 in charitable contributions.

Though the event continues to evolve, one thing fans and traditionalists can count on is the manner in which the Rodeo operates. It has functioned like a two-ring circus since 1911 and it will continue to do so as long as the event is held at the Salinas Sports Complex. The land on which the Rodeo takes place is sanctioned for horse races, and so while cowboys attempt to tame steers, horses in full gallop race by on the track.

All that action and excitement is perfect to attract both the old-timers and people who haven't turned out for a while, Hamana said.

"Rodeo is it," she said. "Folks aren't traveling, and they're more interested in staying home and going to events at home. The beauty of it is that it really gives us a chance to show folks what Salinas can really do."

Originally published Monday, July 14, 2003