Kevin Pitts knows his responsibilities as a professional protection bullfighter.Age: 24
Born: Dec. 25, 1985
Hometown: Burleson, Texas
Kevin Pitts knows his responsibilities as a professional protection bullfighter.
“When you’re fighting bulls freestyle, you’re just entertaining,” said Pitts of Burleson, Texas. “When you’re protecting, you’ve got somebody’s life in your hands. You’re responsible for something else other than yourself.”
Pretty good for a 22-year-old just three years into his career – well, three years into fighting bulls at all, really. Pitts is the top rookie in the TwoBulls Tour, a lower-tiered level of protection bullfighting competition and already making a mark in the sport that also comes from saving the lives of others.
Pitts grew up playing football, baseball and basketball. He wasn’t ranch-raised, but athletes of his caliber seem to learn what it takes to get the job done. He’s been so impressive on the TwoBulls Tour that he has been invited into the Daisy Protection Bullfight Tour, which is the Major League level in this sport.
“Yeah, I got my start in bullfighting because of freestyle, but I actually hate freestyle,” he said. “It scares me to death. I’m pretty decent at it, so I do it, but I love protection bullfighting.”
It’s that love that keeps driving Pitts to improve every step – and step-through – of the way, whether it’s working protection during a rodeo or during a Professional Bullfighters protection competition.
“When you’re doing protection, you’re working to help the bull riders, working to protect them,” Pitts said. “I love the protection competition, mainly because I’m just so competitive. Every one of them that I go to is a ball.
“If I were to compare it, I guess it’s a lot like football. When you’re fighting bulls, you’re reading what they’re doing, just like a quarterback reads the defense. You react to what you read, and you hope you made the right decision.”