PBR's "Mauney Rules"

As I write this blog, I know full well that there are dozens, if not hundreds, of folks posting or reading posts on PBR.com (Finally we can get rid of PBRNOW.com)following today's event in Oklahoma City. They are ranting and raving about the alleged bias that is taking place on the PBR's Built Ford Tough Series toward none other than J.B. Mauney. The opinions will be as diverse as the fans of the PBR. Some will swear that the PBR is doing everything that they can to help J.B. win, and is going to hell in a handbasket. Those same fans are the ones who think that Ty and Jewel being on the WWE broadcast tomorrow night is a sign of things to come for the PBR. Others will defend J.B. and claim that those who continue to complain, only do so when these things happen to J.B., and not when they happen to Chris Shivers, Mike White, or any other number of "good guys". The fact is that the truth lies somewhere in the middle.

You can probably tell from the opening paragraph of this blog where I stand on this, but it wasn't always like this. When I started following the PBR on a weekly basis and really becoming a fanatic, instead of a casual fan, I was not a supporter of J.B. Mauney. I fell into the same crap that a lot of the posters on PBR.com fall into. I didn't like his hair, his goatee, his attitude, etc., etc. I wanted to see Kody whip him every week. However, as I began to watch J.B. during the remainder of the season, I began to respect what he is about, and how he goes about his job. While attending the finals, I was still pulling very hard for Kody Lostroh, but I found myself wanting J.B. to continue his run towards something that noone had done before. When they announced that Kody had held on, I was ecstatic for him and his family, but I had learned to look at J.B. in a different way.

As I watched J.B. and compare him with his counterparts and with other athletes that I have been around, or studied, the same attributes that the "greats" have stand out. He puts in the time, he puts out maximum effort on a more consistent basis than anyone on tour, and he is never afraid to go after the rankest bull in the pen.

These are the things that gain respect in any sport, and especially in the sport of bull riding. J.B. is the epitome of "cowboy" to me. Being a cowboy isn't about starched Wranglers and 20X hats. Any clown can go to Cavender's and buy these the night the rodeo comes to town. It also isn't always about pushing cattle or whispering to horses. The basis of the cowboy attitude is hard work, fierce independence, and more hard work. Yes, we all love the clean cut cowboy with the "awe shucks" attitude, but that stereotype doesn't fit every bull rider. It takes a lot of guts, confidence, and intensity to get on the back of a bull one time, much less 5-6 bulls a week, year after year. Sometimes that confidence comes off the wrong way. Sometimes that intensity leads to fits of rage after failing to reach your objective. Of course, we would all like these guys to handle failure like Cord McCoy, but not everyone is blessed with that type of personality. J.B. has a chip on his shoulder. He has been told that he doesn't have what it takes for a long time, and like any great competitor, he carries that with him. He takes flack for everything from his facial hair to his tobacco use, but regardless of any of that, he stays on the back of bulls, and that is what he gets paid to do. Right now, he is doing it better than anyone in the world, and I, for one, hope he keeps it up.

God Bless Cowboys.