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Bull Fighter Cody Emerson Makes Triumphant Return to the Arena After Serious Injury During Fort Worth Livestock Show and Rodeo

Credit: Avid Visual Imagery (Phil Kitts)

“Adversity causes some men to break and others to break records.” That quote has always rung true in the sport of rodeo, no matter what role you play in the arena. The age-old question isn’t if you will get hurt, but often, when? The same can be said for the gladiators of rodeo, the bull fighters. With an undying passion for taking care of our athletes, bull fighters place themselves in between danger to keep the athletes safe- many say it is the most selfless occupation in rodeo. This unselfish heroism often put the bull fighters directly in harm’s way. They all get hurt, but like every great sports story, we know, it is not injury that stands out, but rather how they overcome that injury to chase a dream that many would call dangerous.

In rodeo, we love a comeback story that rededicates us to the sport and in 2022, that story is of bull fighter, Cody Emerson. As a 3X Bull Fighter of the Year nominee he was put in an impossible place. He was injured at the new Dickies Arena in Fort Worth after the bulls’ horns picked him up and rolled him over causing him to suffer what doctors call a Lisfranc, an injury that results in broken bones and torn ligaments in his mid-foot. Although he has experienced a broken leg and a torn ear, this injury forced him to sit on the sidelines for several months. For this to happen at the beginning of the season, Emerson’s mind swarmed with different thoughts. For those that don’t know, rodeo does not have guarantee pay or worker compensation, making this injury life changing. Despite the situation, we saw Emerson more dedicated than ever to get back in the very arena that hurt him several months earlier. Hearing this, one can ask, are they addicted to the danger or the adrenaline that comes from being the man in the arena? “You love the game, and you love your friends. We do it because we care about their safety, I realized this sport made me want it more. I know this ‘job’ doesn’t last forever and I want to take advantage of doing it well while I’m able to be a part of rodeo in the arena,” said Cody Emerson.

Bull fighters are swift and quick on their feet, in fact, their footwork is a huge reason they are successful. For Emerson, he spent 11 weeks unable to even put weight on his foot. To put that in perspective, take away Tom Brady’s throwing arm and see how successful he is. Going from working some of the biggest events such as Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo to the George Paul in Del Rio to being at home with no pay, is not only devastating but also humbling. This situation is where most would ask themselves, “Is it worth it?” But this thought never crossed his mind. “It never crossed my mind that I wouldn’t come back. If you get in a fender bender, you don’t quit driving. You fix the car and drive again. The same goes for rodeo injuries. We fixed it and got back to work,” stated Emerson. He spent months healing and rehabbing to be able to come back and fight for the first time on May 31st, after stepping off the dirt in January, five months earlier. Despite the odds, we saw a determination and grit that we have come to love and respect in the sport of rodeo. The rehab was grueling, but the itch to get back on the dirt was overwhelming. “I really focused on what I could control and that was rehabbing back to health and my mental game,” said Emerson, “The biggest weapon or biggest asset we have is our mind.” Emerson was not the only one on this journey, his wife, Sierra, saw a side of her husband that inspired her as well, “I saw a whole new love for the sport arise in him after being home rehabbing. His mental game grew, and the focus was amazing.”

After hearing stories like this, we only have one question, why? Why not choose a safer route? Why come back at all? The answer is simple, when you love what you do, pain is just one of the hazards of the job. This injury was just one small part of the story, the comeback is what people will remember. As we embark on our own quest with setbacks, I hope you think of Cody Emerson’s story and how adversity tried to break him but instead it made him more eager than ever to break records.

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