by James Brown, Montana State Auditor & Rep. Greg Overstreet, Stevensville
Last week, cowboys and cowgirls from across the Treasure State gathered in Billings for the Montana Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame dinner. At that annual event, attendees celebrated a bit of recent history – the 2025 Montana Legislature’s designation of rodeo as Montana’s official state sport. And rightfully so.
For generations, rodeo has been more than entertainment or the community event of the year. It has been a cultural tradition and way of life. The sport developed from native traditions of horsemanship, animal stewardship, goal setting, and fair competition. From the famed Livingston Roundup to the Miles City Bucking Horse Sale to the Indian Relay Races, rodeo showcases the Montana way of life and preserves family traditions and western values.
Some critics may say designating rodeo as the state sport, alongside Montana’s other treasures like the Grizzly Bear, the Western Meadowlark, and the Bitterroot flower, is mere symbolism. But symbols matter. By choosing rodeo, Montanans sent a loud message that rural voices, agricultural traditions, and small-town values still hold meaning in a rapidly changing world. It tells this generation of 4H kids that the work they put in at the barn, the pride they take in livestock, and the skills they learn on horseback aren’t relics — they are relevant to Montana’s ranching and farming communities.
In recent years, we have watched rodeo and livestock production come under attack elsewhere, such as Los Angeles and San Francisco where rodeo has been banned. To protect Montana against such efforts, we brought forward this legislation. We were gratified to see it receive strong bipartisan support and overwhelming backing from citizens, rodeo associations, chambers of commerce, and agricultural organizations.
When Governor Gianforte signed this bill in April, he not only protected rodeo legally, he honored some of Montana’s greatest athletes, including Bill Linderman, Dan Mortensen, Benny Reynolds, the riding Greenough girls, and many others whose grit and skill define the sport.
We are privileged to have helped give rodeo its rightful place in history — not just as a sport, but as a symbol of what makes Montana so special. We encourage Montanans to support youth rodeo, invest in arenas, and defend the sport against those who would prohibit it.