Local News: Catalonia Bans Bullfighting

When I think of Spain, one of the first things that comes to mind is bullfighting.  This, however, will not be the case for Catalonia anymore.  In July of 2010, Catalonia's parliament voted to ban bullfighting on account of animal cruelty.  This vote made Catalonia the first region of Spain to ban this traditional sport.

I have to say, though it is cruel to the bulls, I was excited to see a bullfight in Barcelona.  Upon arriving in Barcelona, the hotel CEA put us in for a couple days before moving into our apartment was right next to the Barcelona bullfighting stadium, El Monumental.  I telling one of my friends we should try and see a bullfight as soon as possible, just to gain a sense of Spanish tradition and to experience something that neither of us have before.  After asking around if others would want to come with us, we found out that the sport had been banned.  When I went to Rome to meet my family for a weekend, my other friends went to Madrid and saw a bullfight there.  After asking them how it was, none of them seemed excited about it and simply replied, "I mean, you literally watch a bull get killed seven times in a row.  It got pretty disturbing and old after a while."  After hearing that, I was glad I didn't have the chance to see a bullfight in Barcelona.  Though it is a huge Spanish tradition, it seems pretty cruel and even a bit boring after hearing my friends describe it.  I wonder if banning the sport will have any sort of negative tourist or economical effect on Barcelona.  If there is any, I doubt it would be very relevant, if relevant at all.