These independent contractors are an indispensable part of ensuring that rodeo crowds are entertained, especially during the inevitable dead time between events. Despite the fact that these hardy souls run the risk of debilitating injury every time they step into the arena, at least one clown finds there's something more frightening than being on the wrong end of an enraged, 2,000-pound bull. I still don't know if I've figured that part out yet. I just go out there and act as goofy as I can. Most people associate clowns with the circus.
Details are vague about the origin of the rodeo clown.
Some say cowboys were chosen at random to entertain spectators during the lulls, while others claim that the clown profession evolved from the sometimes-comical effects of grown men trying escape a persistent bull. What is for certain is that early in the 20th century, the role of the clown began to solidify as one who provided laughs for the crowd and a lifeline for the bull rider. Milt Hinkle, a legendary rodeo clown performer, claimed in a 1966 article in Frontier Times magazine that he was the first clown to double as a bull fighter in 1915. The look of some rodeo clowns was quite different in those days. Such costumes were popular among clowns during rodeo's infancy.