In a long standing battle between the Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association and the newly formed Elite Rodeo Athletes organization has taken a dramatic step forward as the judge in the court case has issued a ruling late in the day on Thursday February 4th, 2016. There has been much speculation as to how this case would end and who would be deemed the “winner” as each faction maintained their stances and stood toe to toe to fight for what they believed in. Ultimately the ruling was handed down but will this be the last we hear about this intense situation, I have a strong feeling that this is only the beginning!
As word of the judge’s decision spread throughout the rodeo media as well as numerous social media platforms and organizations no one had any details as to what that decision was other than hearing about who supposedly” gained the upper hand. When the judge made the long awaited decision everyone was wondering who exactly that decision would support. All that, at least for the meantime, came to a close as it was announced that the decision would be granted IN FAVOR of the long standing Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association (PRCA).
As everyone that has followed this situation on any level knows, the outcome of this ruling that we all were waiting on would set the tone for what would follow for the remainder or the 2016 professional rodeo season. Even though the Ft. Worth Stock Show and Rodeo and the Black Hills Stock Show and Rodeo are winding down this weekend some rodeo athlete’s PRCA seasons may come to an abrupt end prematurely. Now that the decision has been handed down the ban against any rodeo athlete, stock contractor and/or entertainer can take affect immediately. That being said, unless some type of settlement can be agreed upon this will be the last weekend that many of the “top tier” rodeo athletes make their presence known within the PRCA and the upcoming 2016 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.
Now that the ruling has been announced it will be interesting as to see what will happen to the ERA as a whole and what stances the members of that organization will take to protect the careers that they have to make a honest living for their families. The next big question will be is will current members of the ERA defect and pull their support so that they can continue to do what they love or will they continue to support their past thoughts and stay strong with the ERA as a whole. I have talked to a shareholder of the ERA and have been taken back by things that they have said as to how the ERA is handling business and keeping information from their own members.
Even though we all have found out what the ruling was and who it favored we still have many questions as to what the judgement actually was. We have researched and reached out to our sources that are close to the situation to try and bring you the information that all of us have been waiting to hear. There is a lot of talk about what certain key figures within the ERA think of this and what they will decide to do. Those decisions will directly affect what the status of the ERA organization will be and how likely it would be that the organization would carry on its existence.
We have gotten our hands on the final verdict and ruling that was handed down this last Thursday and have gotten the chance to read through it ourselves. After reviewing the judgement, all of us here at TheRodeoRoundUp.com wanted to share this information with each of you as well. After reading and studying the ruling for yourselves we would like to hear your thoughts and what you think will happen to the ERA as a whole. You can read the entire ruling by simply looking at the official statement from the PRCA that we have included below so you can gather your won information and make your own opinions regarding this sensitive subject.
The Rodeo Round Up team will continue to monitor this situation and will bring each and every one of you any breaking news or announcements that may arise throughout the next few days. Be sure to monitor all the social media platforms that the Rodeo Round Up, AVID Visual Imagery or Tactical Grafx have to stay up to date on anything that may be happening during the next few weeks. Will will strive to bring you any news, roster changes or tour changing announcements that may come up due to this judgement.
It is quite easy to follow all the breaking news and excitement with the Rodeo Round Up simply by copying this website into your favorites in your web browser for easy one-click access to event statistics. You can also like and follow us on Facebook here, or by liking and following us on Instagram and/or Twitter at @therodeoroundup. Jason has also made it easy for you to be a part of his interviews by opening up a listener comment line. If you have a question for a certain rodeo star simply call in and leave your name, where you are from, who the question is for and what your question is and he will do his best to get it answered for you during his interviews!
Leave a Reply