Literature - Jane Martins "rodeo"

In the opening scene of Jane Martin's "Rodeo," there are many stereotypical props used to portray the beer-drinking, hard-working, cowboy image with the characteristic country music playing as an added touch. Most people are familiar with this type of scene in their minds, with a man as the character, but not this time Ð'- we find a tough, smart, opinionated woman with a distinctively country name of Lurlene, and the typical cowboy kind of nickname, Big Eight. The reader will dive deeper into the true character of this unusual woman and realize that she is no different from the average woman in today's workforce. She is feeling the frustration of discrimination and the push out of the only lifestyle that she knows, by "Them" (1667).

Over the last several years, it has become undeniable that any kind of sport can, and will, be sensationalized and commercialized by the people from the great companies like "Coca-Cola, Pepsi Cola, and Marlboro" (1667). These companies have hundreds of thousands of dollars budgeted each year to pour into sports in the form of sponsorships, advertising, etc. Once the sponsorships are introduced into a sport, it is exactly the kind of thing that will push an athlete out of competition. An athlete will find himself in a "make-it or break-it" situation. If an athlete receives a sponsorship, then the money is free flowing for equipment, testing, training, etc Ð'- anything that the athlete wants or needs to aid in putting himself in a winning position so that the sponsoring company can recoup its investment. Without sponsorship, it is a near hopeless situation for the athlete. The more a sport becomes commercialized, the higher the cost of participating for the athlete. One example would be that there are entry fees established to help raise monies that will be awarded to the winner and the sponsoring company.

Unfortunately, for the athlete, once "they" start investing money into the sport, "they" also begin to place constraints and regulations that all athletes must follow. Some may seem as ridiculous as wearing regulation clothes that some would feel as though they looked "like Minnie damn Mouse in a tu-tu" (1667) rather than a serious competitor. More often than not, the changes seem extreme and one may wonder what could be waiting around the next corner; "it won't be long before they're strappin' ice-skates on the ponies" (1667). Big Eight finds herself having a hard time adjusting to the changes employed. Although she is not adapting well to the arrival of the sponsors, she is most uncomfortable with the dress code changes. She does not feel as though dressing the women up in fancy outfits will increase the capacity of the audiences when the rodeo is only supposed to be about the rides. She believes that it does not matter what you wear, but instead, how you ride. She is noticing that the "big crowds" (1667)