Brazilian influence strong in American bull riding

One may believe bull riding is as American as apple pie, and that would be true. But in recent years it has become as Brazilian as beaches full of unashamed citizens, too.

It's not quite as Brazilian as soccer, but bull riding isn't too far behind. Performers from the South American country are dominating the Professional Bull Riders Built Ford Tough series, which stops at Intrust Bank Arena for a two-day event beginning tonight.

Brazil is one of the world's leaders in cattle production, and with a population of about 190 million, there is plenty of room in the country for multiple extra-curricular activities.

"Bull riding is getting really big and really popular," said Brazilian rider Robson Palermo, a six-year veteran of PBR. "A long time ago, bull riding was just bull riding; nothing big. But now with PBR and the Internet and everything, people (in Brazil) know about bull riding. Now it's getting really big. It's almost as big as soccer."

Palermo is third in the PBR point standings and also third among Brazilians, trailing Silvano Alves and Valdiron de Oliviera. The fourth-place rider is Brazilian, too, and so are Nos. 7 and 15. Four of the top 10 all-time money leaders in PBR, which began in 1994, are from Brazil.

The central soccer figure in Brazil is Pele, and the country has a bull rider who similarly helped the sport become more popular there.

It's Adriano Moraes, who won the PBR world championship in the tour's inaugural year and followed that with titles in 2001 and 2006 before retiring in 2008. His 1994 championship was the first of six world wins by Brazilians. Americans own 10 championships, and Australian Troy Dunn won in 1998.

"He opened the door for all the Brazilians," said Palermo, who leads the BFTS in earnings this season. "He gave the opportunity for all of the Brazilians and now all the Brazilians come over here and dominate the bull ride. He's like the grandfather for everybody."

Though bull riding traces its roots to Colorado, near the PBR headquarters in Pueblo, the infusion of Brazilian stars doesn't appear to have negatively affected a sport that saw little cultural change for a century.

Palermo said the riders from Brazil are as well-received as their American counterparts, and the result of a recent fan vote backs him up. Thanks to the vote, a statue of Moraes was erected outside of the PBR headquarters.

"This is really good for us because the fans don't care if you're American or from Brazil or from Mexico," Palermo said. "Everywhere I go, in every city and every hotel, people ask about autographs and pictures and everything. This is awesome for us that the (United States) has opened the door for us."

Since several elite riders are Brazilian, it would make sense if they competed among each other. But Palermo said that isn't the case. The sport is so dangerous that riders support competitors of all nationalities and the performers are more friends than enemies.

"All the Brazilians help each other," Palermo said. "Once the gates are open, it's just me and the bull. I have really good friends, but once the gates are open I need to ride the bull."

The next Brazilian superstar might be Alves, a 24-year-old who finished eighth in the point standings last season. His first step toward being the face of the sport in the country is unseating defending champion and fellow Brazilian Renato Nunes.

"He learned quick how to ride American bulls," Palermo said. "Now I think for sure Silvano is the best of the Brazilians, and of the Americans, too."

This story was originally published September 23, 2011 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Brazilian influence strong in American bull riding."