Rodeos probably emerged from friendly competitions of work skills among cowboys.

Although amateur and even junior competitions (through 4-H) highlight fairs throughout the West, rodeos constitute a professional sport, controlled by the Rodeo Cowboys Association. Regular events pit individual riders, rather than teams, against ranch animals—riding bareback bulls, steer-wrestling (from horseback), calf-roping (from horseback) and bronco-riding. Between these dangerous events, clowns and displays of roping skill create a lively rhythm. In addition to their individualism, rodeos are also highly masculine; although women competed as early as the 1920s, their participation in modern rodeos is generally confined to barrelracing (a precision-speed competition).

Rodeos, as a symbol of the West and a sport, can be found in small towns, Angola State Prison (Louisiana) and Manhattan’s Madison Square Garden. They figure in westerns to indicate both festive elements and the dangers of cowboy life.