This is What’s Drawing Massive Ovations at Rodeos Across Montana

When he first talks with the rodeo announcers about his pitch, they figure ok- we will let him on the mic for a second. But then het gets on the mic, and the crowd loves it. They go crazy for it.

State Rep. Greg Overstreet (R-Stevensville) is the author of the legislation that made rodeo the official state sport of Montana. He has been travelling the state going to all sorts of rodeos, and when he gets on the mic and tells folks about rodeo now being the official state sport- they go wild.

Rep. Overstreet: "There's nothing more Montana than rodeos. That's the heart of this. It is the thing that describes our values. It's hard work, it's fair competition. Rodeo athletes pay to compete. Now, the NFL doesn't do that, and so- and rodeos start off with a prayer...and you've got, you know, the national anthem, you've got the military recognized. It is 100% America, but more importantly, it's 1,000% Montana. So I thought, well, it'd be great to have a state sport that reflected our values. And I looked it up, and Montana didn't have a state sport. And I said, Well, we got to change that. "

Pretty soon, Overstreet says they will be launching a Rodeo state sport license plate effort.

Rep. Overstreet: "We're going to have a rodeo for state sport license plate, and so Montanans can show everybody that rodeo is the state sport and that they're behind it, and that this resurgence in rodeo is real, because there's a resurgence in America."

By the way, Overstreet called in to our statewide show last week when we were also joined by rodeo greats- Bob Tallman and Sparky Dreesen...along with David Allen and Becky Hillier from Rodeo Billings. You have WOW to listen to that podcast. Wow!