STEPHENVILLE, Texas (September 13, 2010) - Until Friday night in Greenville, S.C., no bull rider had ever challenged a qualified ride by a competitor.
In the first of the Final Five Showdowns, Renato Nunes pushed the challenge button to have Ryan McConnel’s ride reviewed. The call was reversed, and McConnel was ruled to have slapped his bull after the first jump out of the gate.
Nunes later he said his decision wasn’t about McConnel, but rather about several inconsistent calls from the four judges.
“The thing that puzzled me the most is the way everybody made an integrity issue out of it,” said Ty Murray, who was surprised that no rider had used the replay rule until now. “You heard things about the ‘Code of the West’ and how that’s not the ‘cowboy thing’ to do and all that. I don’t understand any of that.
“To me, if you’re talking about integrity, you’re talking about getting a score when you shouldn’t have.”
In his weekly Podcast, Murray pointed out that one rider’s right to challenge the call on another is a “checks-and-balances system” to assure the right call is made.
“The whole idea of a replay challenge is the same idea they have in tennis or football or any other sport,” Murray said. “It’s to get the call right. I think that’s paramount.”
He later explained, “It’s no different than when I watch Monday Night Football: The ref is sometimes going to get it wrong. That’s just the way it is. It’s hard to be perfect in every way being a judge.”
Murray, a nine-time World Champion, doesn’t understand how Nunes seemed to be the only person involved who had his integrity questioned.
Whether Nunes was making a point or simply didn’t want another rider to earn points he didn’t rightfully earn, Murray said it was about correcting a wrong call or, in this case, a non-call.
“He wasn’t cheating, conniving or getting anything for free,” said Murray of Nunes’ decision. “Ryan clearly slapped the bull. Everybody in the stadium saw it and everybody on TV saw it. I think there were only four people that didn’t see it or said they didn’t see, and that was the four judges.”
Murray said he isn’t sure why riders aren’t thrilled with a system that better assures the right calls are being made, particularly with millions of dollars at stake throughout the season.
He explained that while bad calls are part of any competition, the PBR was formed as way to eliminate as many of the “luck factors” as possible. In years past, top riders often relied on luck in getting into an event, getting a good draw, or even getting favorable weather. Rodeo events were outdoors, and while some riders could compete under clear skies, others might have to ride in the rain, which would turn the dirt into mud.
Said Murray: “Do you want a guy to win a World Championship because he got by, luckily? That could be the case.”
