by Richard Sine

About the author: Richard Sine is a former staff writer for the weekly San Jose, California-area Metro newspaper.

Early Friday morning the big trucks roll into the enormous aluminum takeout box that is the San Jose (Calif.) Arena, carrying 1,770,000 pounds of dirt which will transform the place from fantasy frozen pond to fantasy dusty corral. More workers tape down plastic tarp to cover every inch of the carpeted hallways where cowboys will mill about and warm up. In the afternoon the enormous steel trailers pull up to the back, with the bulls’ huge round eyes glinting through the narrow slots.

Met by Protesters

As the first group of rodeo fans arrive, the animal rights protesters are there to meet them. They are handing out fliers and carrying signs that...