Brooke Ann Coats Bull-Riding Death

This is a very sad story...my condolences to the family. But, this tragedy also poses several questions, in my mind, at least:

1. Where should the line be drawn as far as children and dangerous sports?

2. What about the animals used in these sports??? Animal cruelty?

3. Should the family be able to sue if they knew the danger and allowed their child to participate anyway?

Read the comments below story as well...

http://thestir.cafemom.com/teen/116569/brooke_ann_coats_bull_riding

What an oddly disingenuous blog! The author is emphatic that she would never stop her children from participating in skydiving or other extremely dangerous sports; her only real issue with rodeo is the cruelty to the animals.

That's fine, but then why use the death of a 16-year-old human being to make your point?

(That being said, the comment comparing the writer to that church in Kansas that pickets funerals (I don't think we're supposed to mention the name of it or its founder) is more than a tad over the top!)

I grew up in "cattle country" (despite stereotypes it was the third largest industry in South Florida after tourism and citrus) and my Coloradan grandparents took me to rodeos regularly.

I used to enjoy them and I can see how at one time, the events helped cowboys to hone skills that kept them alive. (Though it's hard to see why any cowboy needed to ride a bucking bull.)

But at this point, most of the events strike me as torturing animals for no good reason. I won't support the sport by buying a ticket.