If Tiger Woods’ career could be turned into a 10-day-long outdoor show, it would look something like this year’s Calgary Stampede.
I mean that in the nicest possible way. Like Woods, no matter what he does, people will continue to respect him. And the Stampede really is no different. Travel the world and you will be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn’t know about the Calgary Stampede.
Yet that reputation masks a darker side to the Stampede. This year’s event was certainly a doozy: Six animal deaths; cancelled chuckwagon races; a near-tragic midway ride wreck; and Kid Rock. OK, the last one doesn’t really count, but I’m betting in about nine months someone, somewhere, will be regretting this year’s Stampede.
After the news about Woods and his mistresses came out, Tiger took a step back, disappeared for a while, and then slowly began making his comeback. It wouldn’t be such a bad thing if Stampede organizers did the same thing. Instead of going on the defensive, they should already be preparing for next year’s Stampede — and, in particular, what they’re going to do about animal protesters whose negative claims about Stampede seem to get proven time and time again.
There were certainly successes at this year’s Stampede. The acrobatic ice show was a treat to watch because the organizers were able to pull in some legitimate talent. And despite its awful location, the Coke Stage continues to churn out great concerts and attract giant audiences.
But, ultimately, the Stampede has to stop relying on the undying devotion of Calgarians alone. Organizers will be the first to admit their event is one of the biggest in Canada and, as such, they need to realize that the idea of rodeos and chuckwagon races is lost on most Canadians. Outside of Alberta, the optics of the Stampede struggle to move beyond a celebration of an outdated, maybe even barbaric, Western way of life.
Just as Tiger Woods has hired dozens of people to improve his public perception, it might not be a bad idea for the Stampede to look at cleaning house a little bit and work on its own public image. Calgarians are proud and confident, but when animals are dying and human lives are being risked, it might not hurt us to be a little humble as well.
