Cody Johnson: Country music star, rodeo pro, and all-around athlete.
I don’t know if it’s really a trope these days, but the tie between country music and rodeo has been strong for some time.
Perhaps no artist captured the overlap as well as Chris Ledoux, but in modern times, there’s one person and one person only that comes to mind when thinking of artists who rope and ride: Cody Johnson.
Before fully committing to life as a country music artist, Cojo was a full on professional bull rider, but a slew of serious injuries cut that career short, though he does still show up for roping events on occasion.
Well, last night the defending World Series champion Texas Rangers invited Cojo out to the ballpark to take some batting practice and throw out the ceremonial first pitch, and despite being pretty constricted in his starched jeans and tight pearl snap, he managed to look pretty dang good at both, which is something not all can say…
Remember the disaster that was Travis Kelce, Victor Wembanyama, and Stephen A Smith’s first pitches?
Fortunately for us, Cody Johnson proudly upheld the abilities of country music and fired a dart for his first pitch, from the rubber no less.
And here’s an angle from the crowd proving that it went right down the middle.
Before that, the Rangers even let Cojo take a few hacks during batting practice, and while his tight fitting clothes didn’t allow for a ton of mobility, he still looked alright and seemed to make some solid contact.
Not going to lie, it was a relief to see Cody handle himself on the diamond like this. It’s always a bit rough to see someone you admire struggle with something, even if it has nothing to do with their jobs, and Cojo held his own, which is a big win for country music.
Tip of the cap to the Rangers and Cody Johnson.
