10 Facts About Bullfighting

I’m not a fan.

Photo by Paul Kenny McGrath on Unsplash

There are vastly different views of bullfighting. While Ernest Hemingway made it seem heroic and glamourous, many see it as barbaric and cruel. Personally, a bunch of guys ganging up on a bull to do him in doesn’t impress me.

I don’t know a whole lot about the sport, but for some reason something triggered me into doing some research on the subject.

1: A specific breed of bull is used for bullfights. They are Toro Bravo bulls and are bred or their aggressiveness.

They are so aggressive that if they gore a bullfighter, they will show no remorse.

2: There are 15 bullfighting schools in Spain. Hopeful matadors as young as 14 train on fake bulls and then bull calves.

Wouldn’t they be better off going to a vocational school?

3: Some bulls survive the event. If they are deemed to have shown exceptional bravery they can be pardoned. It’s known as indultado. The crowd can wave white handkerchiefs to try to persuade the president of the bullring to spare the bull.

If the bull does survive it is allowed to return home to the ranch where he was raised. I believe the United States is looking to revive its retirement system to something similar to this.

4: Francisco Romero is credited (or blamed) with the form of bullfighting seen today. He introduced the use of linen and death by sword to the spectacle.

It sounds like this guy was a waiter before taking up bullfighting.

5: There are three phases to a bullfight. In the first the bull is stabbed with lances. In the second, harp sticks are being stuck into the shoulders of the bull. And in the third, the matador comes in with a cape and sword and kill the bull.

And some people think the NFL and NBA are rigged.

6: Many Spaniards don’t consider bullfighting a sport, but rather a cultural thing or tradition.

The term “sport” seems ambiguous. Is hot dog eating a sport? I think not. More like gluttony on steroids.

7: Some former matadors say bulls are worked over before the bullfight. They say the bulls are given tranquilizers and laxatives, as well as beatings to the kidneys.

It seems like these matadors are one step away from pounding a steak.

8: Bullfighting in Mexico does have regulatory boards to ensure integrity and fairness in the event.

Really? I think the bulls need a stronger union.

9: The first recorded bullfight in the United States took place in Pensacola, Florida in 1521.

And to this day the event is celebrated in Pensacola by an event called “The Shuffling of the Bulls.” And I’m being told that’s completely bogus.

10: Pablo Picasso often depicted bullfighting in his work.

So that’s what those were.

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