The Wrangler National Finals Rodeo ends Saturday at Globe Life Field in Arlington. Up to 14,000 fans have been allowed to attend each day.
The rodeo moved out of Las Vegas because of limits on crowd sizes set by the state of Nevada. The National Finals Rodeo had taken place there since 1985.
"I'm excited about the vaccine, but I'm excited about rodeo," says Bob Tallman, the announcer of the National Finals Rodeo and a member of the ProRodeo Hall of Fame. "Please understand how appreciative all of us in our world are to North Texas and all of its people."
Tallman lives in Parker County and says he is glad to see North Texas benefit, too. He says he has talked to fans staying as far away as Weatherford and Denton because hotels closer to Arlington have been booked.
"The City of Fort Worth has been inhabited," he says. "We are creating an economic impact on North Texas ahead of Christmas, after Thanksgiving, replacing some of the Black Friday we didn't get to have. We'll be starting off the new year in January with such a positive economic thrust."
The Fort Worth Sports Commission estimates 26,000 hotel rooms were booked for the rodeo. Tallman says the economic impact of the National Finals Rodeo could help make up for the lost tourism dollars due to the cancellation of the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo in January.
"I didn't go to Reno last year and following up, I didn't go to Calgary because of the border being closed," he says. "Everybody's getting ready for 2021. I live on Zoom these days, it seems like. You do, too. We just can't get enough positive air-time anywhere to talk about the good things we have in front of us each day."
Tallman says organizers of rodeos large and small have worked to ensure events could be held safely.
"At the Taylor County Fairgrounds, with a new $50 million facility, it didn't hurt anything. No spike," he says. "We set an all-time new attendance record in Weatherford with the Sheriff's Posse. No outbreak."
The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo has been delayed from March to May.
