U2 Rodeo and Community Engagement: More Than Sport and Entertainment by Demetrius W. Pearson Department of Health and Human Performance University of Houston
African Americans have played a significant role in the development of modern sport and were among the participants in what was arguably America’s first integrated sport form: rodeo (Rattenbury, 2010). Despite experiencing systematic and pervasive discrimination throughout history, African Americans have made a concerted effort to participate in mainstream sports. However, with the exception of boxing and brief stints in cycling, horseracing, and baseball around the turn of the 19th century, they were relegated to segregated sporting organizations established by them and for them (e.g., CIAA, Negro Leagues, Harlem Rens). According to Gems et al. (2017), a vibrant Black sporting culture during the late 19th and early 20th centuries facilitated the growth of Black sports involvement. Unfortunately, most African Americans would not be afforded opportunities to participate in integrated sports until the post-WWII years. This was the case for professional rodeo, wherein African American cowboys, much like their Negro League counterparts, organized their own associations and scheduled “colored” rodeos. This legacy was the impetus for the creation of U2 Rodeo, a Black family-owned rodeo company that has carved out a niche through the promotion of an inclusive multicultural rodeo enterprise. Since its inception in the early 1970s, U2 Rodeo has been actively involved in community engagement activities while providing “wholesome” family entertainment through rodeo. The objective of this essay is to highlight the sociocultural significance and community engagement activities of U2 Rodeo and the Cowboys of Color Invitational Rodeo Series. The Architect U2 Rodeo Production Company is the brainchild of Oklahoma native Cleo Hearn. Fondly referred to as “Mr. Black Rodeo” (Jones, 2003, p. 68), and one of the first Black men to portray the “Marlboro Man” in cigarette commercials, Hearn is the CEO of Lancaster, Texas-based U2 Rodeo, which annually promotes the Cowboys of Color Invitational Rodeo Tour, billed as the “Largest Multicultural Rodeo in the Country” (“Cowboys of Color,” 2008, p. 9). The Hearn family is involved in all aspects of the rodeo series, which consists of five to six rodeos in designated cities 226
