Traditional media outlets are always looking for the next great storyline. Oftentimes, the newspapers and TV newscasters overlook rodeo.

Typically, it’s not malicious. More, it’s because they know nothing about the sport. Sports editors know football, basketball and baseball. They even know a little about soccer and volleyball, and they play golf. But they don’t know the athleticism it takes for a 160-pound cowboy to spur in time with a bucking horse.

But if they were introduced to the people, they’d quickly learn the fantastic storylines that follow the cowboys, cowgirls and everyone else down the rodeo trail. They’d learn about the rookies and the veterans. They’d learn about the great animal athletes, from the bucking stock to the timed-event horses that make rodeo work. They’d learn about the families and friends and the camaraderie the contestants share.

More importantly, they’d share their lessons with the general public, and more people would start to see why so many of us have a love affair with rodeo.