Dancing into the mainstream

Ty Murray's recent success on the hit ABC series "Dancing with the Stars" will go down as one of the most remarkable efforts ever to raise the profile of pro bull riding.

Murray, who has a record seven world all-around titles, said over and over that the main reason he agreed to go on the show was the help raise the awareness of his sport.

And after he and his partner Chelsie Hightower competed for 10 weeks and finished in fourth place earlier this month, Murray more than accomplished his mission.

There are standout story lines from recent decades that raised the profile of bull riding in the long term, such as the shocking death of Lane Frost at the renowned Cheyenne, Wyo., rodeo in 1989, and then the Hollywood movie "8 Seconds" that told the story of Frost's illustrious bull riding career. There was the legend of Bodacious, who arguably was the most dangerous World Champion Bull of all time when he bucked and battered cowboys in the mid-1990s.

But there are no short-term story lines in recent years that can compare with Murray's success on "Dancing with the Stars." In the period of 2 ½ months that Murray danced for millions of TV viewers, the Stephenville, Texas, cowboy became a media darling.

Murray spent hour upon hour doing interviews with newspapers and radio stations from around the country. He made appearances on "Entertainment Tonight," "Access Hollywood" and "Extra" along with having his experience chronicled in "People," "In Touch," "TV Guide" and numerous others publications.

Murray also appeared on "Jimmy Kimmel Live," "Good Morning America" and "Live with Regis and Kelly."

And throughout the numerous media appearances, Murray faithfully talked about the Professional Bull Riders and his life as a cowboy.

"Ty showcased the western lifestyle and the best of bull riding very well," said PBR Chief Executive Officer Randy Bernard. "And is the PBR better off because of it? You bet it is."

Bernard said one of the main reasons Murray succeeded was because he came across as very "charismatic and genuine."

Murray's success made a big impression on Larry Mahan, the six-time world all-around champion of the 1960s and 1970s who commands respect for transcending his sport.

"It's the biggest thing that's brought more exposure to rodeo and bull riding that's maybe has ever come along," Mahan said. "In this day and age, the power of that program ('Dancing with the Stars') is unbelievable. There were people who had no idea of what the game was about, or who Ty Murray was, but Ty raised the profile in all areas."

Murray actually appeared on telecasts throughout all 11 weeks of the series. Although he was eliminated during the May 12 semifinal round, fans had the chance to watch him once more. He also danced May 19 during the season finale before Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson was crowned champion.

Murray, 39, a 1990s-era bucking stock riding star who played a huge role in founding the PBR, drew fan support for numerous reasons.

He's the epitome of what "Dancing with the Stars" is about: transplanting celebrities from their comfort zone and demanding they thrive in a vastly different environment.

Throughout the series, Murray earned respect from judges, pro dancers and fans for his sheer determination to learn sophisticated dance moves for the Los Angeles-based show.

"All I knew to do was to not let them outwork me," Murray said. "Chelsie and I danced enough dance steps, that if you put them in all in a straight line, we'd now be in Florida."

Murray exhibited the same type of strong work ethic as a dancer that he had as a bull rider who won the 1999 PBR World Finals average. The bronc and bull riding icon got off to a sluggish start in the opening week of "Dancing with the Stars" but Murray dug in his heels and made dramatic improvements.

And it commanded the respect of fans who continually voted for Murray and helped him stay on show much longer than expected.

Throughout the series, the judges' scores accounted for half of a couple's score each week. The other half was made up of fan voting, and Murray drew enough support from an army of fans to continually advance.

"The neat thing about this show is each couple has a team behind them throughout America, and no one knows really how big their team is," Murray said. "But I think we got a tremendous amount of support from the cowboy nation."

So, what will Murray's success do for bull riding show organizers and fans?

That's yet to be seen. But, as a writer of western events who continually sells columns to newspapers for the sports pages, I can say that the type of exposure Murray gained for western riding sports and the cowboy lifestyle should only help.

When bull riding and rodeo have received media exposure, it's often not been the highest priority among editors. And that's understandable because western riding events in the past have failed to draw the same type of large fan following as mainstream sports such as pro football and basketball.

But hopefully, Murray's success on a hit TV show will help change how editors feel about publishing and broadcasting western riding stories. Again, a major part of Murray's success was from fan voting and one example of Murray's receiving phenomenal support was May 5, when he and Hightower came close to being booted off after posting a score of 46, the lowest mark among the five competing couples.

But after the votes came in, Murray drew enough support to land in the final four of the popular series that began with 13 couples.

As the leaders of the PBR diligently work to raise the profile of the sport, Murray's success was a tremendous step forward.

"It showed that the PBR is becoming more of a credible sport," Bernard said. "For (Dancing with the Stars) to include Ty means we're reaching a pop culture that wasn't giving professional bull riding any type of attention two or three years ago."

With all that in mind, here's some questions for you, the fan:

1. Now that the most recent edition of "Dancing with the Stars" series has concluded and Ty Murray finished in the final four, what type of impact will Murray's success have in raising the profile of bull riding? 2. Why is it important for bull riding and rodeo stars to become involved with hit shows such as "Dancing with the Stars?" 3. Why was Murray a big hit on "Dancing with the Stars?" 4. Knowing that Murray was a success on the hit ABC series, where will he go from here? 5. How can the PBR capitalize on Murray's success on "Dancing with the Stars?"