The American has been the talk of rodeo since it was announced several weeks ago.

While some say it’s an attack on ProRodeo, I don’t see it in that way. Actually, I see it as brilliant and an opportunity cowboys and cowgirls.

A couple of weeks ago during a visit with Randy Bernard, I learned a lot about his decision as president and CEO of Rural Media Group to utilize The American as a means to drive attention toward the Western lifestyle in general.

“We are not just to produce television; we want to grow the overall Western lifestyle and Western sports,” he said. “We have to build our cowboys and our cowgirls, and I think this is one way we can do that.”

Bernard served as president and CEO of Professional Bull Riders for many years, then moved on to IndyCar, where he ran things for a little more than two years. He returned to the world of cowboy hats in late 2012 and quickly made RFD-TV a name beyond those in the Western lifestyle.

There is much more for us to learn about The American, including a visit with two-time PBR world champion bull rider Justin McBride, who will forego a probable exemption into the field to battle through the qualifier while competing in bareback riding. He is scheduled to compete on his first horse in, well, a long, long time at the Professional Roughstock Series’ Midwest Classic, set for Oct. 19 at the Bicentennial Center in Salina, Kan.

When it all comes together, it makes everything quite exciting in our world of rodeo.