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Logan Blasdell, a professional bullfighter, sat down with 701 to share his journey into the rodeo scene, starting from bull riding and transitioning to bullfighting. He underscored the importance of sponsorship for rodeo athletes, noting the unpredictable income and the role of sponsors in maintaining their livelihoods.
Logan Blasdell, now a bullfighter in the Professional Bull Riders League (PBR), had his start riding bulls and team roping as a kid.
“I tried to ride bulls and was terrible at it,” Blasdell said.
The other young bull riders and he would take turns being bullfighters for each other, and soon Blasdell realized, “I'm not very good at riding the bulls, but I'm pretty decent at fighting them.”
Overtime, bullfighting turned from a childhood hobby to a professional career, with Blasdell making waves in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association and now also in the PBR circuit — where he met 701 Business Manager James Anderson.
Last winter, mid-tour, a bull hit Blasdell’s right knee. Blasdell decided to continue on to rodeos in Logandale, Nevada and Wichita, Kansas, “and completely annihilated [my knee],” Blasdell said.
A later MRI showed he had torn his ACL and MCL off the bone. With his summer rodeo run still set, Blasdell decided to continue the tour in support of other rodeo athletes, though he was sidelined. In Oregon, the Sisters Rodeo auctioned off a few of Blasdell’s jerseys to help with the financial hit, since fighters are paid rodeo to rodeo, and only if they place high enough.
“The best in the absolute world could go a month straight in competition and place sixth in every one of them and never make a check,” Blasdell said, “That's their livelihood, for themselves, for their families and everything, so they can hit those streaks of making nothing, doing very well in competition, but never pulling that check, and so the sponsorship is helping them keep going down the road to provide for their family.”
701 sponsors the Sisters Rodeo, aligning Blasdell’s path with the unions.
“Jimbo (James Anderson) ended up being there and bought the jerseys and forwarded that money to myself and my family to kind of level out from not being able to work through the summer,” Blasdell said. “I had lunch, sat down with Jimbo, just talked to see how things were going through the summer with you guys, and that's when he asked if I'd like to be a part of your guys' team.”
Blasdell said yes and has since returned to the saddle, competing in the recent Fort Worth Stockyards and the Klamath Falls New Year’s Eve rodeos. In less than a week, Blasdell will enter Petco Park in San Diego for the MLB-sponsored San Diego Rodeo.
“One of the main things they'll see is Local 701, plastered all over this guy,” Blasdell said. “I want to try to support you guys as much as you're supporting me.”
Logan Blasdell’s Upcoming Rodeos Schedule:
Jan. 10-12 – San Diego, CA – Rodeo
Jan. 18 – Bakersfield, CA – VT PBR
Jan. 24-25 – Grand Rapids, MI – VT PBR
Feb. 7-8 – Reading, PA – VT PBR
Feb. 14-15 – Everett, WA – VT PBR
Feb. 21-22 – Reno, NV – VT PBR
Feb. 28- Mar. 1 – Bridgeport, CT – VT PBR
Mar. 6 – Ft. Worth, TX – TPD PBR
Mar. 15 – Knoxville, TN – VT PBR
Mar. 21-22 – Wheeling, WV – VT PBR
Mar. 29 – Lincoln, NE – VT PBR
Apr. 2 – Redmond, OR – X-Bulls PRCA
Apr. 3-5 – Redmond, OR – PRCA
Apr. 9-13 – Logandale, NV – PRCA
Apr. 23 – Clovis, CA – X-Bulls PRCA
Apr. 24-27 – Clovis, CA – PRCA
*May 2-3 – Corpus Cristi, TX – PBR VT FINALS (Won’t know until the middle of April)
May 14-17 – Redding, CA – PRCA
May 23-24 – Tonasket, WA – PRCA
June 11 – Sisters, OR – X-Bulls PRCA
June 13-15 – Sisters, OR – PRCA
June 26-28 – Prineville, OR – PRCA
July 1-5 – St. Paul, OR – PRCA
July 10-13 – Cheney, WA – PRCA
Aug. 7-10 – Omak, WA – PRCA
Aug. 12-16 – Canby, OR – PRCA
Aug. 20-24 – Coeur d’Alene, ID – PRCA
Aug. 21 – Coeur d’Alene, ID – X-Bulls PRCA
Aug. 31- Sept.1 – Lakeview, OR – PRCA
Sept. 4-7 – Puyallup, WA – PRCA (Cinch Playoffs)
*Oct. 16-18 – Redmond, OR – PRCA Columbia River Circuit Finals (Won’t know until August)*
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