As a result of Matchbox Twenty and Carrie Underwood canceling their performances at the Cheyenne Frontier Days (CFD) Rodeo, the booking agency that works with the rodeo has filed a lawsuit against--—not the performers—-SHARK.

Yes, you read that correctly. Rodeo folks love to wrap themselves in the American flag and sing the Star Spangled Banner before every rodeo, but apparently they think our country’s freedoms apply only to them.

Read some of the national and international media coverage of this lawsuit at Our History via the Media

Slapping the face of the First Amendment, Romeo Entertainment is suing SHARK for educating the entertainers about the animal cruelty record at CFD. Not only that, but the lawsuit seeks to bar SHARK from contacting any other current or potential performers for the rodeo.

The only people to blame for canceled acts at the CFD Rodeo are the rodeo people themselves. When rodeos stop abusing, injuring, and killing animals, they will stop losing performers. Simple as that. But we’re not surprised that these abusers don’t know how to "Cowboy Up" and take responsibility for their actions.

This lawsuit is an appalling attempt to stifle our freedom of speech, because the rodeo industry knows that the truth can only hurt them. To deflect from their own ludicrous claims, one of the attorneys for Romeo Entertainment said at a press conference that SHARK’s tactics are "outrageous."

What is outrageous is slamming baby animals down hard enough to break their backs.

What is outrageous is deceptively shocking horses to make them buck uncontrollably.

What is outrageous is injuring and killing untold numbers of animals and calling it “family entertainment”.

What is outrageous is the attempt to take away the very same rights from compassionate citizens that American soldiers are fighting and dying for.

This is a lawsuit that must be won for the animals and their advocates everywhere. It goes to the very heart of animal protectors being able to speak for the voiceless.

We hope animal supporters everywhere will see how crucial this is. We have had unprecedented victories in the past year, but this has exhausted our budget. The summer rodeo season is upon us and we need to have our cameras at the rodeos. On top of that, SHARK is committed to meeting the Rodeo Mafia on the legal front as well as in the arena.

Things are moving very quickly and we will do our best to continue keeping you updated. As always, the best way to stay informed is to subscribe to our e-newsletter.