Monday, May 23, 2011

¡Olé!

Disclaimer: some may find a few of the following descriptions a bit gruesome


In case you could not tell by the title and the pictures, last night we went to a bullfight.  In Spain, there are two types of bullfights: Corrida de Toros y Novillada con Picadores.  I'm not completely educated on the issue, but to my understanding (in baseball lingo) the former is equivalent to an MLB All-Star game with expert matadors vs. the most massive toros (Nolan Ryan vs. Barry Bonds*)(*although the toros do not need PEDs to be huge); the later I would compare to a AAA minor league game.  The show yesterday was a Novillada de Picadores, but to be completely honest, I do not think I would have been able to tell the difference between the two.  I thought two of the three matadors were magnificent although people that knew bullfighting all said they were all rubbish.  I'll tell you why I say two of the three later.
In every bullfight, there are three matadors that each face two bulls.  In each fight, there are three stages that I will try to describe as best I can.  In the first, the toro is released into the stadium.  Several minor matadors (the main matador's 'team' I guess...for a lack of better words) wave pink and yellow capes so that the bull runs around a bit and tires it out.  In the second stage, two other 'teammates' on horseback ride out into the battlefield and stab the toro between its shoulders to injure the muscles and weaken it (this happens twice).  This part is particularly interesting because when the bull sees the horsemen, he charges at the horse and attacks it.  The horses are heavily armored and blindfolded so that they can withstand the blow and are not spooked by the charging bull, but it is still incredible that they maintain their balance and composure.  Once the men on horseback leave the stadium, some other helpers then charge the toro and try to plant two colorful daggers between the shoulder-blades to further weaken the beast (this happens three times for a total of 6 daggers).  Once this is done, the third and final stage is when the main matador faces the bull head on.  The fight ultimately ends when the matador sinks a spear through the exhausted bull's spine and kills it.
To call the scene a 'fight' discredits the true art of the sport; however to call it a 'dance' does not accurately portray how macabre it is.  I completely understand why it might get outlawed, but I sincerely hope it never does.  The spectators are not bloodthirsty mongrels seeking gore and the matador is not a malicious person that taunts and humiliates his or her foe; everyone's respect for the toro is immense.  After the bull is killed, the meat is sent to orphanages so it does not go to waste.  I cannot imagine that the bull that made my hamburger spent his final minutes any more or less desirably than the way in which these bulls did.  If anything, these guys get a chance to take a shot at his opponent and their meat is going to people who appreciate it more than I do.  It is a unique part of Spanish culture and it will be sad if it is gone.  And with that, I will step off my soap box.
In the six fights that we saw, I think we got a little bit of everything except for a true goring.  First off, these bulls that were "reserved for amateurs" were enormous; I am terrified to imagine what the experts face.  Of the 3 main matadors, one was a woman trained in Mexico (thus a different technique), one was 19 years old, and the other had flashy moves.  We saw one of the 'teammates' forced to the ground and attacked by a bull (he escaped uninjured); also, later on in the evening, the 19 year old was flipped into the air by his bull only to stand right back up and resume fighting it (he was also uninjured, obviously).  At one point the 'flashy' matador knelt down in front of a charging bull but waved his cape around his body so that the beast ran around him (my friend Brittyn has a picture of it that I will post as soon as I can so you can see more clearly); then two fights later the female matador could not manage to spear the bull and kill it - this actually happened in both of her fights.  If there were ever justification to illegalize bullfighting in my opinion, it would be because of matadors like the female one I just described.  It was painful to watch her unsuccessfully try to kill the bull as many times as she did; she even got multiple chances at point blank range when the animal was too exhausted to pick his own head up and she was still unable to make the fatal stroke.  It was not hard to watch when the other matadors were able sink the spears in almost effortlessly, but watching the bull receive blow after blow without dying was another story.  Spectators deservedly jeered the matador as she exited the stadium.  The older man next to me said he had never seen someone have that much difficulty killing the bull - and judging by his age, I would imagine he's seen as many bullfights as Yogi Berra has seen baseball games - so I still stand by my opinion that they should not be outlawed.  When it is done correctly, it is a beautiful sport and I'm glad I was able to witness it before it is a thing of the past.
Toreador, on guard! Toreador, Toreador! And think, yes, think as you fight, That a dark eye is watching you - Georges Bizet


The guys at the bullfight: 
Jamal, Jackson, Me
Jorge, Colin

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