America welcomes fans back to stadiums with first indoor rodeo

America's return to fan-filled stadiums was the jubilant affair bull riding fans had long awaited.

Boisterous crowds cheered as each star rider leaped out of the gates atop a bucking bull for the rodeo, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, the first US sport to allow fans indoors.

Amid the gleeful shrieks of the spectators, it was easy to forget the country is still in the grips of a pandemic.

South Dakota, which is hosting the three-day Professional Bull Riding (PBR) championship, hoped the event would be an important milestone in the state's attempt to return to normality.

While most US cities still have orders banning large gatherings to halt the spread of Covid-19, the state is one of the few places where indoor sporting venues are able to operate largely unfettered.

It meant that the bull riders, who have spent the last few months performing before empty stadiums, could enjoy a return to live audiences with the small addition of a face mask to their cowboy attire.

Those present in the crowds however appeared largely unconcerned about the virus, with most eschewing face coverings as they cheered on riders as they attempted to stay on to their bucking bulls for eight seconds. One couple, Roxy and Ron Howe, held up a sign reading: "PBR bucks the virus".

Katie Smith and her sister Lexi said they had driven from Minnesota to the event in Sioux Falls, purely for something to do. "My state has nothing going on right now. We haven't been anywhere in a long time so we just wanted somewhere to get out to," Ms Smith said.

Another fan, Doug, said he was relaxed about attending a large gathering, arguing that South Dakota had seen far few coronavirus cases than most of the US.

The event's host, Flint Rasmussen, lamented the months he had had to forgo fan-filled arenas, as he relished his return to the stage and the chance to dance before an audience.

The cheering crowds appeared at odds with recent comments by Dr Anthony Fauci, a lead member of the White House coronavirus task force, who candidly stated that the US was trailing behind other countries when it came to tackling the virus.

"As a country, when you compare us to other countries, I don't think you can say we're doing great," he told the website FiveThirtyEight.

Dr Fauci also criticised states which had "skipped over" guidelines and "opened up too quickly".

South Dakota's governor, Kristi Noem, resolutely refused to issue a statewide stay-at-home order throughout the pandemic and praised the return of bull riding in the state on Friday. "Bringing back sports is a big part of getting 'back to normal'," she said.

However, while the state has not been as badly affected as other parts of the country, it appears many sports fans are unwilling to attend such large gatherings.

All in all, the eagerly anticipated return to live sports was a rather subdued affair, with only around 1,000 fans filling the 9,000-seat arena in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Sean Gleason, the PBR's chief executive, admitted that he had not seen so many open seats for an event in more than 20 years, calling it "one of the most difficult times of our lives".

But he said the crowd's enthusiasm surpassed that of any previous event as he celebrated bringing "the first indoor event here in North America" to Sioux Falls.

The PBR said it had made every attempt to ensure the safety of both its athletes and fans, only selling half of tickets in the arena and separating spectators into seating “pods”.