Why Limited Tournament-Format Rodeos Draw Criticism From Some Competitors

There has always been a discussion surrounding these big winter rodeos, so let's talk about them.

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RODEOHOUSTON, Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo, and the Calgary Stampede are prime examples of three rodeos that take place each year that have been deemed bucket list events to not just qualify for, but win.

These are some of the elite rodeos that go on throughout the year, and it has become nearly unheard of for a contestant to win one and then not be competing inn Las Vegas when December rolls around. What do all three (amongst others) have in common? They have a limited number of entries and a substantial payout.

However, the year comes to a close for contestants when the clock strikes midnight that final day of September, or for the top 15, when the last bull bucks in round 10 of the NFR. These standings are then carried forward and used for several rodeos to start the next year.

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Competitors shouldn't get catered to once the money slate is wiped clean and the new year starts; although, that is exactly what every single limited rodeo does.

Does a Super Bowl champion start a game ahead of everyone else the following year? On the contrary. The more a team wins, the further down they will pick in the upcoming draft. Someone with a gold buckle shouldn't have to come from behind, but in the world of “professional” sports, they should not get a head start on everyone else.

The Format

Nelson Wyatt and Jonathan Torres make their record-breaking 3.3-second run and win Round 1 of Bracket 3 at the 2026 FWSSR | FWSSR photo by James Phifer

Now, to tackle another portion of the tournament-style rodeos, the bracket setup.

To be crystal clear, a tournament-style rodeo breaks the allotted number of contestants into pools, or brackets, where they will only compete against other members of their group, not the entire rodeo. So, with the most money on the line for the entire year, people only have to compete against no more than 11 others.

Ultimately, this set up hurts those who are actually there competing for their lives. If someone is slotted in a "tougher" bracket. In Fort Worth for example, Bracket 2 of the bull riding saw one score in either performance, while the fifth had to send three to the Wild Card after a knife fight.

Taking a look at one specific bracket in Fort Worth in the barrel racing, reigning world champion Kassie Mowry won her first set by nearly 6.5 tenths of a second. In no other rodeo would someone win a $2,000 check for being that far behind the lead, while other girls in different brackets, who ran three tenths faster, won nothing in their sets.

Shouldn't a rodeo like this be more competitive from the first competitor to the last?

One argument has always been that ground conditions can change over the course of the rodeo and that is why some believe the tournament style works better. There is certainly credence to that argument, but in these big indoor winter rodeos, there really is no excuse for the conditions not to be the same throughout the entire rodeo.

Only A Few Competing

Carlee Otero turning a barrel at FWSSR | James Phifer

The personal grievance is always in regard to the limited number of entries, because these rodeos have life-changing money up for grabs, and only a handful are competing for it. It's the committee’s right to say who gets to compete, but why does the PRCA allow this to go on?

There are certainly answers to that question and in follow up articles, we will try to tackle some of those issues straight from the PRCA.

Those who fought until the very end of the year prior will reap some of the benefits of that hard work, but if a competitor is that good, then why can't everyone go through a qualifier?

From a financial standpoint, the amount a committee would profit from a barrel racing qualifier is near astronomical. How many girls from across the country would show up with a $500 entry fee for a mere chance at running at RODEOHOUSTON? 100? 200? 500?

More Runs Less Money

Mason Couch in Round 1 of Bracket 3 at FWSSR | FWSSR photo by James Phifer

With rodeos like the ones listed above, there is actually less money being paid out than years ago, because it gets split up into each performance rather than straight rounds, and an average. Picking on Fort Worth since it is the most recent, but a competitor could end up making five runs before the event is over.

Back to the barrel racing industry, every single run counts on a horse, since they have a limited lifespan in the arena compared to a steer wrestling horse. For the men, their bodies take a beating. Rodeo is a dangerous sport, and they risk their bodies every time they nod their heads.

This is one of the few professional sports that cater to the top 1%. Rodeo On SI spoke to a past NFR barrel racing average champion, Becky Carson, and she stated that it used to be that when the season ended, that was it, and everyone had a clean slate in the new year.

At the end of the day, most of the lineup is still going to look eerily similar, even with a qualifier, but everyone has a chance, and there will be more than one spoiler in each event. Seems unlikely that this will change much in the future, but it is food for thought.

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