Bull Fighting: Fine Art or Bloody Sport?

Most people when they think of bull riding is staying on as long as possible and falling off and getting hurt. But they probably don't think of the pains that happened behind the scenes or the payout that are possible when they win. Payouts, spinal and brain injuries, and little but very painful pains is all thing that can happen to someone that bull rides.

Professional bull riding is a fierce, rough, and grueling sport with roots deeply imbedded in American culture. It's America's original extreme sport. The PBR has evolved into a captivating and adrenaline charged sporting event that features an all star cast of the greatest bull riders and bucking bulls in the world. Bull riding originated in charreadas, contests of ranch and horsemanship skills that developed on the haciendas of Old Mexico. First termed jaripeo, bull riding was originally a variant of bullfighting where riders would literally ride the bull to death. It later evolved into an event where participants merely rode the bull until it tired and stopped bucking. The history of bull riding started first back in the 1850's. Texas men

a short cross piece at the end) which he stabs into the bull's neck severing the

From the beginning of recorded history, mankind has struggled with finding a way of showing domination over others. So now, they can show that they are more dominant and are better then bulls. Roman times, the gladiators would fight to show his strength to a more modern time where people box to show their strength. Matadors in Spain show their dominance by killing the bulls. Most people think that bullfighting is bad by killing the bull and the suffering of it, but it is positive because it gets the country money and it helps the economy.

They believed that the bull’s movements could fortell the future. The Apis Bulls birthday was celebrated with a festival, and on his twenty-fifth birth year he was killed. Devotees drowned, mummified, and entombed the mummy in the Serapeum.” The Serpeum was an underground chamber in the temple. It is also known as Saqqar Necropolis. “Here he is mourned for seventy days.” This ritualistic killing was probably very symbolic of the sacrificial slaying of the king, which was a rite common in pre dynastic times. “After the bulls death a new incarnation of the god was sought, and when the right calf was found, the process was begun again.”3

The history of Pit Bulls is a violent one that most people don’t know about. The term pit bull referred to the now outlawed sport of bull-baiting, where they had a bull attach to the ground by rope in a pit. They would send dogs into the pit to subdue the bull by biting its nose and the bulls usually died since the dogs

This blood sport became a lot more popular than bear-baiting because of the lack of bears in England. Bull baiting is just like bear baiting, but there are a few distinct differences. It became very existent in Crete and Lascaux during the Renaissance period, though it began in ancient times. People were paid to breed and train specific dogs for this sport. They were usually bull mastiffs or English bulldogs. These breeds seemed to have the intensity and aggression needed to take down the bull. The dogs went through similar training as bear baiting dogs, though the mastiffs were trained a lot harder. The dogs were trained to clamp their jaws on the bull's nose ring and not let go until killed. They were released two at a time, and it usually took three or four dogs to finally subdue the bull. Many dogs were pierced by the bull's horns. The wagers on the contests were usually lower. However, the low prices greatly increased attendance and increased participation. Bull baiting stayed around for an extremely long amount of time.

The fighting alone is abuse, but the prepping for the fight itself is even more horrifying. Pit Bulls spend their lives in a small cage cooped up in filthy conditions. Trainers add weights to the Pit Bulls chain to strengthen the dogs upper body. The Pit Bulls are beaten and starved to increase their aggressiveness. Trainers force the Pit Bull to kill cats or rabbits as form of training to practice for the real deal. After fifteen months of training, the Pit Bull will participate in a "roll" where the Pit Bull fights another for ten minutes to test and seeif the dog is worth the trainers time anymore. If not, the dog is neglected or killed (Silverman 4). This a prime example that people are the problem, not the breed. Some may argue that the American Pit Bull Terrier was bred to fight and attack people; however, it is the trainers who abuse and neglect the breed to make the breed trust no one. Through proper training from a professional trainer, the Pit Bull attacks would go down.

The Unbacked Killing of Pit Bulls In his essay “Then they came for the dogs!”, Simon Hallsworth who is a acknowledged expert in the study of urban violence, examines the British state’s desire to end the Pit Bull breed. He approaches the topic from many angles such as its relation to gangs, the genetics of Pit Bull’s and the instances when the Pit Bull has attacked humans. He does a marvelous job of systematically deconstructing this moral panic. He concludes that “the dogs are the victims and humans the inhuman aggressor” (391).

    The object of bullfighting is for a matador to defeat and kill a bull with a swift clean kill. But before a bullfight, the bulls ears get filled with

Cockfighting (Sabung is the word for cock used by the locals) was, and continues to be, popular in the Philippines. It had started out as a religious ritual that over time evolved into that a national sport that became the life’s blood for many on the Island. It wasn’t unusual to see cages lining an alleyway stocked with clucking little warriors. Funny, one of my first thoughts about seeing the cages was wow that must be what’s for dinner or what the guy on the corner would be cooking up on a Hibachi grill to sell later in the

The origins of bullfighting can be traced back to prehistoric times. The Greeks sacrificed bulls for religious reasons, but in its earliest forms, bullfighting did not even involve humans. The bull was often put into a small enclosure with another predatory animal, such as a tiger or lion, and the beasts fought to the death. The spectacle eventually evolved into a struggle between man and bull gaining similarities with what we know today as bullfighting. Along with these changes came the spectacle and formalities that are now an integral part of the corrida de toros. Arguably, the first of the modern bullfight took place in Vera, Logroño, Spain in 1133. The modern bullfight evolved from rejoneo, which

What is the origin of bullfighting in Spain? According to Martin Seufert's book La Corrida de Toros The Tradition of Bullfighting in Spain, there are "several" hypotheses that attempt to explain how bullfighting began in Spain. One of those hypotheses is that the tradition of the "corrida" has roots in the Middle Ages; it was a form of Roman entertainment, Seufert explains on page 4 of his book (Seufert, 2011, p. 4). It is possible that bullfighting evolved from "the sacrifice of animals in religious festivities," Seufert explains, or perhaps it was created by the Moors.

I observed that she is from a Spanish speaking country, living in the rural area. She was a tom-boy who loves to take care of bulls. The first time she saw a picture of a bullfighter, she became interested in the sport. She started the sport at a young age and when all the men in her family failed at their attempt she didn’t fail. She was dedicated in becoming a professional matador in which she did. Before she enters the bull ring she practice her routine, dressing in her jump shot of fine patterns and dazzling decorations. In the ring, she uses a red flag to distract the bull in order to kill it. The way she moves in the ring reveals her love for the sport.

The regional pastime of the running of the bulls in Pamplona is an exciting tradition that involves a group of bulls that are lets loose in the streets of Pamplona. The main purpose of the run is to transport the bulls from the corrals into the bullrings, where they will be killed. This run takes place for seven days in San Fermin, Pamplona in Spain. It started in the 14th century. Today the running of the bulls attracts many tourists from around the world that like to participate. Many participate by joining the bulls, and running along side of them. This is very dangerous, many are injured and some are even killed. Others participate by dressing the part and cheering. Runners wear the traditional outfit of a white shirt and pants. Some have a red scarf or handkerchief, some wear red belts. Runners also have with them a newspaper to draw attention away from the bulls just in case.