My family used to watch the bullfights every Sunday on the Spanish stations here in Los Angeles. The art and pageantry of the ritual itself is tremendous and should not be missed. Not all bullfights are great, and not all bullfighters are of the same caliber. There are toreros and there are Matadores. Only the best and most skilled are given the title Matador de toros. These men are heroes in Spain much like pro-athletes here in the US. If you get an opportunity to see a fight with a great Matador you will be greatly impressed. Yes, I always felt sorry for the bull and wondered why it was necessary for the bull to suffer. But with a skillful Matador the bull's demise is quick. (Boy, do I have a great joke regarding a bullfight. It a bit colorful but not crude, not sure how it would be received though, oh well )

OsoMajor you are right.
Ernest Hemingway ,Orson Welles, Ava Gardner and a lot of american people loved bullfights, why?:
They had very luck and saw in their first time a
very good work ("una faena de dos orejas") and that it can with all.
I have a tv tape recorder with an historical Madrid bullfight (the 3 "bullfighter cut two
ears every one) if you see you will love ,sure.
An american woman was following to a bullfighter: "Diego Puerta" (1960 ) during 30 bullfights.

The last time I took a group of students to Spain, half of them wanted to see a bullfight. It was a Sunday afternoon in the summer...the only time students are free to travel...and the corrida was mediocre. Some of the students were grossed out; some of the students were enthralled by the pageantry of it. Those who decided not to go were quite content not having seen it. I would never force or coerce anyone into going, though I do think that anyone seriously studying Spanish needs the experience (and, as previously mentioned) a good education as to what a corrida is all about. I don't think that watching a bullfight anywhere but in a bullring gives you a sense of what it is "like" at all. There is a majesty to the paso doble and a beauty to the desfile of the men in their suits of light that cannot possibly be replicated on video. The crowd carries you away with their enthusiasm,too. I faint at the sight of blood, but I'm ok with a bullfight. I don't consider myself an aficionada by any means, but I respect the art of it and enjoy the pageantry. And if you are ever lucky enough to see a bullfighter perform magic with a bull and mesmerize both the animal and you with his graceful and daring cape work, you will never put it in the area of "sport" again.

If you feel any interest in going then i suggest you go.
I went to one in Barcelona in 2000. I did not want to go at all as i too had the opinion about the cruelty issue. However i was convinced by my friends to go mainly so i could at least experience it to back up my opinion. By the end of the bullfight though my opinion had comletely changed. I was mesmerised by it although some of my friends who urged me to go actually changed their opinions to my initial thoughts.
I found with myself that watching the bullfight brought on emotions that i had not really experienced before in life. i sat there with my heart pounding and i was amazed with the bulls. It seemed like this was what was meant to be and that the bull would have it no other way. to go down fighting until the very end, courageously, valiantly charging on and on until he could no more. in no way did i see any cruelty inflicted onto the bull. the charge on the horses is the only incident that seems to really shock people and it is a rather shocking thing to see, but one can only imagine how much worse it was in the old days when the horses were unprotected. this part of the bullfight is to show the power of the bull, so the spectator realises what a raging strong beast is in the ring with men. i saw a bull catch a matador and toss him into the air and then ravage him on the ground. his name was Miguel Abellan and i thought as they carried him from the ring motionless that he may well not live. 3 days later he was performing in mont de marsan in france. another matador, Jose Tomas, was given 5 cut ears from the dead bulls and he was championed by the crowd.
ever since i have been intrigued by bullfighting. Afterwards i read Hemingway's 'Death in the Afternoon' and now with all the research i have done on bullfighting i can't wait to see my next one. For me it was an experience i will remember for the rest of my life.

I agree with Espe3: You have to understand something about the bullfight to appreciate it. You also have to undertand somnething about traditional Spanish attitudes towards honor and courage and nobility. And you have to realize that bullfighting is not a sport, but an art form...that happens to be expressed as the tragedy of the bull.

I will be at the corridas this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I'm still hoping someday to see a GREAT bullfight. -OhMike