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 – 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 – anything that the athlete wants or needs to aid in putting him...