“We hang [famous Black cowboys] portraits in the concourse so fans are surrounded by ancestors watching with pride,” McClellan says. “This isn’t just about history, it’s about a living, breathing culture.”
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When Ivan McClellan first picked up a camera, he didn’t realize it would lead him to reshape the landscape of professional rodeo. The founder and CEO of 8 Seconds Rodeo, a Black rodeo, spent 15 years working as a creative director and designer for brands like Nike, Adidas, and the U.S. national soccer team. But outside of office hours, he was a photo-journalist capturing portraits, documenting street life, and eventually stumbling into a world that would change his life: Black cowboy culture.
“I grew up in Kansas surrounded by ranch life without even realizing it,” McClellan said. “We would go to the big rodeo there, the American Royal. But I didn’t see a lot of folks that looked like me there. Then we would go to a little ranch by our church. We would beg my grandma to go to Benjamin Ranch and sometimes she would take us there and we would ride ponies in our dress slacks and button downs.
“There was also a man down the street from me, a Black man back there named Mr. Wills who had probably 15 cows that he raised,” he continued. “I never thought of these Black folks at Benjamin Ranch or Mr. Wills as cowboys because I thought a cowboy was what I had seen in movies and what I had seen on TV. So I was, in retrospect, surrounded by the culture.”
That realization sparked a journey. McClellan began traveling across the country photographing Black rodeos, forging deep relationships with athletes, and noticing disparities between their opportunities and those in mainstream rodeo. While white competitors often earned tens of thousands in prize money, Black cowboys were risking their lives for just a few hundred dollars.
One story in particular shifted McClellan from documenting to building — rising bull rider Ouncie Mitchell was climbing the ranks toward a world championship but struggled to afford the travel.
“He was sleeping in his car, staying with people he barely knew, just to get to competitions,” McClellan recalled. “I called him and was like, you did it. You’re in the top 50. That’s amazing. No Black man has done that since the 80s. He was like, keep watching. He went from the 40s to the 30s to the 20s.”
Then in 2022, Mitchell was tragically killed. One of the people he was staying with shot him while he was trying to retrieve his bull riding gear.
“That was when I knew this was bigger than a photography project. I had to do something to create real opportunities for these athletes.”
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In June 2023, McClellan launched the first 8 Seconds Rodeo — eight seconds being the amount of time you have to ride a bull or a bronco to get a qualifying score. He offered $60,000 in prize money, a huge sum compared to traditional Black rodeos. The event made front page news.
Now, 8 Seconds Rodeo is making its east coast debut in Philadelphia on Saturday at the Liacouras Center. Bringing a rodeo to Broad Street isn’t simple. Fifty dump trucks of dirt will be hauled in overnight, followed by bulls and broncos from a ranch in New York.
“It sounds bizarre, but North Philly actually has a long Black cowboy tradition,” McClellan said, pointing out stables like Fletcher Street and the Philadelphia Urban Riding Academy. “We’re not importing cowboy culture, it’s already here.”
The Philadelphia show will be equal parts entertainment and history lesson. Before the main event begins, there is a pre-show where fans can ride a mechanical bull, take line dancing lessons, or learn roping skills from cowboys. Inside the arena, DJ Diamond Kuts will spin and the Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church choir will perform “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”
Then in the evening, the competition begins. Events include bull riding, bareback bronco riding, barrel racing, and even mutton busting, where kids ride sheep.
The athletes, McClellan emphasizes, are not hobbyists.
“These are true athletes. Many were college football players or rodeo scholarship recipients. They train, they condition and they practice their craft with the same discipline as any professional sport.”
Philly’s own Amber Perez will be competing and “her mama is riding too,” McClellan shared.
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Beyond the entertainment, McClellan sees his rodeo as a chance to honor the often erased legacy of Black cowboys and cowgirls. From Bill Pickett who invented steer wrestling, to Stagecoach Mary who delivered mail through Montana, Black pioneers helped shape the West.
“We hang their portraits in the concourse so fans are surrounded by ancestors watching with pride,” McClellan says. “This isn’t just about history, it’s about a living, breathing culture.”
McClellan describes the cowboy ethos as one rooted in integrity, grit, and community.
“Being a cowboy is about how you carry yourself, how you treat others. It’s a set of principles. It’s a way of carrying yourself. It’s doing what you say you’re going to do. It’s helping out your neighbor. It’s living with integrity.”
Part of McClellan’s mission is to break down the idea that Black cowboy culture is something new.
“I watched all of these Western shows because I loved them when I was a kid, but not seeing anybody that looks like you reinforces over and over again that you’re not in this space, that a Black person in the West is a myth. Why is it like that?
“I think it was an intentional whitewashing to separate Black men and women from this ideal American archetype, which is sad,” McClellan adds. “It breaks my heart. It’s devastating, and it’s something that I’m so glad to see being repaired. There were plenty of Black folks in the Wide Wide West.”
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For Philadelphians who have never been to a rodeo, McClellan promises an experience unlike any other.
“It’s accessible, it’s in the city, and it’s designed to welcome new audiences into the culture. For $30, you won’t see a show like this anywhere else.”
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*Photos courtesy 8 Seconds Rodeo*
– Riders on the chutes at the 8 Seconds Rodeo
– Ivan McClellan leans on a fence
– Fans at the 8 Seconds Rodeo
– Steer wrestlers chasing down a steer at the 8 Seconds Rodeo
– Fans pose for a picture outside of the 8 Seconds Rodeo
– Tank Adams competes in the bareback bronco event at the 8 Seconds Rodeo
– Kendall Demery rounds a barrel at the 8 Seconds Rodeo
– Charrise Lacy and Carissa Jackson sing during a break at the 8 Seconds Rodeo
– The SEI Elite dance team performs at the 8 Seconds Rodeo
– Athletes pose for a photo at the meet and greet at the 8 Seconds Rodeo
https://www.phillytrib.com/lifestyle/black-cowboy-culture-comes-to-philadelphia-with-8-seconds-rodeo/article_533436dc-d45f-442e-b0c9-c96a2e7a1132.html
