Tobacco-free rodeo sponsorships
There is great news for families that enjoy the sport of rodeo. We are one step closer to tobacco-free rodeo events.
The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) announced that U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company (and their new parent company ALTRIA – AKA Philip Morris) will be ending their sponsorship agreement with the PRCA at the end of this year.
Hopefully this signals the start of a tobacco-free era for professional rodeo. Rodeo has been around since the 1800′s. Tobacco sponsorship of rodeo began in 1986.
A number of organizations including, Buck Tobacco, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, Oklahoma Students Working Against Tobacco (SWAT), Montana REACT, and many others have been instrumental in sending out the message that rodeos are for families, not big tobacco.
Many tobacco prevention programs across the United States and I have also asked the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) to step up and make their rodeo event family-friendly by giving tobacco the boot.
Lets make rodeo an event that we are comfortable to share with our kids. I encourage kids and parents to contact the PRCA and PBR and the sponsors of those organizations to let them know that you are in favor of tobacco-free rodeos.
By Ted Hallisey
