Bullfighting
Bullfighting is a traditional spectacle primarily associated with Spain, where a matador engages in a ritualized contest with a bull, typically culminating in the animal's death. This sport, known as the Spanish-style corrida, features specific stages involving the matador’s skillful manipulation of a cape and the use of lances by picadors to weaken the bull before the final killing. Although deeply rooted in historical practices dating back to the Roman Empire and evolving significantly over the centuries, bullfighting is highly controversial. Critics, including animal rights advocates, argue that it constitutes animal cruelty, leading to bans in various regions, including parts of Spain and several other countries by 2024. Conversely, proponents assert that the bulls are well cared for and that the sport has cultural significance. While traditional corridas remain popular in some areas, attendance has dwindled, and alternative forms, such as bloodless bullfights, have emerged, emphasizing different interactions without animal deaths. The future of bullfighting continues to be debated, reflecting a complex intersection of cultural heritage, animal rights, and societal values.
On this Page
Subject Terms
Bullfighting
Bullfighting is a sport in which a trained matador kills a bull during a ritual. The fight progresses through a series of stages and always ends with the execution of the bull. Matadors are awarded more points for killing the bull in a quick, clean fashion. The sport is controversial and has become less popular over time. Animal rights groups oppose bullfighting, which has been banned in parts of Spain.
Background
Bullfighting can be traced back to the Roman Empire when Romans held gladiatorial games in which they pitted gladiators against vicious beasts. Both slaves and trained soldiers fought lions, tigers, and other exotic animals for the amusement of thousands of spectators.
Spain's bullfighting legacy began in 711 CE, when a bullfight was staged to celebrate the coronation of King Alfonso VIII. However, bullfighting in the 700s was much different from modern bullfighting. Armed and armored nobles rode specially trained horses around the enraged animals, brutally slaughtering them for the amusement of the crowd. Over time, bullfighting fell out of favor with the Spanish nobility, who considered the game to be socially beneath them. However, bullfighting continued to be practiced by the lower classes. As the lower classes were not typically able to afford horses, the art of baiting and dodging the bull from foot was created. By the late eighteenth century, bullfighting was recognizable in its modern form. The sport has changed little from that time.
Overview
Bullfights are considered a Spanish tradition. Though controversial, they are still practiced from spring through autumn throughout much of Spain. Fights are conducted by a daring bullfighter called a matador. Throughout the fight, the matador must adhere to a strict set of rules. A skilled matador shows neither fear nor pain, even when injured. This is all meant to enhance the show for the audience.
Bullfights unfold through a series of traditional steps. Many bullfights are usually performed in a single day, with several matadors each conducting multiple fights. They begin with the opening parade. During this segment, the bullfighters march around the arena. The crowd cheers for their favorite fighters, and announcers do their best to further excite the spectators. The matadors then all leave the arena, with the exception of the matador who will be the first to fight.
Once the bull is released into the ring, the fight enters the cape stage. The matador waves a large, brightly colored cape in circles. He uses it to taunt the bull into attacking, displaying its speed and strength. The matador remains still until the bull is just inches away, and then gracefully moves out of the way of its horns. The point is to come as close as possible to being gored without being touched. This dangerous game raises dramatic tension, engaging the audience in the fight.
The next part of a bullfight is called the picador stage. During this stage, horsemen armed with lances ride out into the arena. They bait the bull into charging, and then ride around it while piercing the animal with their weapons. The wounds inflicted by the lances are not lethal to the animal. Instead, they are intended to both enrage and weaken the bull. Toward the end of the picador stage, several colorfully dressed men rush into the arena. They throw long, metal darts toward the bull's shoulders, back, and neck. The darts are often attached to brightly colored feathers, so the audience can see them. These wounds force the bull to lower its head, exposing its vulnerable shoulders and back to the matador.
The last stage of a bullfight is called the killing stage. The matador re-emerges into the arena, wielding a long, thin sword and a much smaller cape. At this point in the show, the bull is tired, injured, and thoroughly enraged. The matador uses the smaller cape to draw the desperate bull closer, encouraging it to charge and increasing his own personal danger. The bull often attempts to attack the matador.
Once the matador has successfully demonstrated his mastery over the animal, he attempts to slay it. The matador baits the bull into one final charge. As the matador sidesteps the attack, he drives his sword between the animal's shoulders. If done correctly, this quickly incapacitates the bull. If done incorrectly, the bull's death is slow and painful. The matador is awarded more points for a clean kill than a sloppy kill. If the bull's death is particularly slow, the fight is considered shameful for the matador.
Despite its rich history, bullfighting's popularity has declined over the centuries. Arenas that had been packed with crowds for more than a century now struggle to fill just a third of their capacity. Many animal rights activists consider bullfighting a form of animal abuse. They argue that the sport is unnecessarily cruel to the animals. They protest bullfighting's use of the term "fight," as the bull is almost never allowed to survive its encounter. Instead, they contend that the display is a ritualistic killing performed for the amusement of the crowd.
Proponents of bullfighting argue that the animal is pampered before its death in the arena. It is allowed to happily graze and breed, furthering bloodlines of large, strong, hyper-aggressive bulls. Additionally, proponents of bullfighting argue that fighting bulls are allowed to live several years longer than bulls sent to slaughter.
Catalonia, a semi-autonomous region in northeastern Spain, enacted a total ban on bullfighting in 2010. The Catalonian government contended that the practice is overly cruel to the animals and holds little to no cultural value to its people. However, Spain's constitutional court overturned the Catalonian ban in 2016.
Bibliography
"Bullfighting History." Spanish Fiestas, 2017, http://www.spanish-fiestas.com/culture/bullfighting-history. Accessed 21 Feb. 2017.
Burgen, Stephen. "Spanish Court Overturns Catalonia's Bullfighting Ban." The Guardian, 2016, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/oct/20/spanish-court-overturns-catalonia-bullfighting-ban. Accessed 21 Feb. 2017.
Jones, Jonathan. "Is the Art of Bullfighting Dead?" The Guardian, 2010, https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/jonathanjonesblog/2010/jul/29/bullfighting-art-picasso. Accessed 21 Feb. 2017.
Kimmelman, Michael. "Bullfighting Is Dead! Long Live the Bullfight!" The New York Times, 2008, http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/01/sports/playmagazine/601bullfight.html. Accessed 21 Feb. 2017.
Murado, Miguel-Anxo. "Spain's Bullfighting Fight." The New York Times, 2016, https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/30/opinion/sunday/spains-bullfighting-fight.html?‗r=0. Accessed 21 Feb. 2017.
"The Bull." Aficionados International, 2011, http://www.aficionados-international.com/general-information/the-spanish-fighting-bull. Accessed 21 Feb. 2017.
Thyberg, David. "Information on Bullfighting in Spain." USA Today, 2017, http://traveltips.usatoday.com/information-bullfighting-spain-3422.html. Accessed 21 Feb. 2017.
"Why Spanish Bulls Are Now Deadlier." The Economist, 2017, http://www.economist.com/news/europe/21661820-austerity-and-thrill-seeking-are-undermining-ancient-tradition-why-spanish-bulls-are-now. Accessed 21 Feb. 2017.