Steer wrestling at a past San Diego Rodeo. (File photo by Chris Stone/Times of San Diego)
Call it an antiquated tradition. Call it speciesism. Call it cognitive dissonance. Call it wrong.
The reality is this: in 2026, hosting a rodeo — knowing what we now know about animal sentience — means knowingly inflicting pain, fear, and suffering on animals for the sole purpose of human entertainment.
That is not sport. It is abuse.
Animals are not props. They are sentient beings capable of fear, stress, trauma and pain. This is no longer a matter of opinion. It is settled science. And yet rodeos persist by deliberately ignoring what we know, relying on outdated narratives of “heritage” and “tradition” to justify cruelty all for financial gain.
It is especially disturbing that Petco Park — a stadium owned by the San Diego Padres and branded as family-friendly and animal-positive — has chosen, for the third year in a row, to host a three-day rodeo event. The contradiction could not be more stark: a venue named after a pet-care company welcoming an event that profits from animal suffering.
Rodeos are not harmless entertainment. They depend on force, fear, restraint and pain — roping, bucking, spurring and confinement — imposed on animals who cannot consent and cannot escape. These animals are stressed, injured, and discarded when they are no longer profitable. All of this is done not for survival, not for necessity, but for spectacle.
San Diego can — and should — do better.
This will likely be the last year the rodeo comes to Petco Park, and that is not accidental. Corporate sponsors are waking up. Brands are increasingly unwilling to attach their names to events that conflict with modern values and public understanding of animal welfare. What was once quietly tolerated is now becoming a reputational liability.
At the rodeo at Petco Park in January 2025, a pregnant horse collapsed and died shortly after competing in a saddle bronc event. During the necropsy it was determined she was in her third trimester of pregnancy and died from a ruptured uterine artery, and her foal also died.
The mayor of San Diego, Todd Gloria, and the San Diego City Council have the authority to act. They have the ability to say that our city will not host events that depend on animal suffering. They have the opportunity to align San Diego with compassion, science and progress rather than clinging to cruelty disguised as tradition.
Other industries built on animal exploitation — circuses with animals, greyhound racing, elephant rides — have declined or disappeared because society finally admitted the truth: entertainment is not a justification for abuse. Rodeos are no different.
The question is no longer whether rodeos are cruel. The question is why, in 2026, we are still allowing them.
What will it take to cancel events and shut down business practices that harm animals? Public accountability. Corporate courage. Political leadership.
San Diego prides itself on being forward-thinking, humane and ethical. Allowing rodeos at Petco Park contradicts those values. It’s time for our city to choose compassion over complacency — and to end this practice once and for all.
Ellen Ericksen is a San Diego animal rights activist who has led numerous local protests.
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