Pig wrestling
Pig wrestling is a game sometimes played at agricultural shows such as state and county fairs, in which contestants, try to hold onto a pig. In the most common version, a team of four members chases a domestic pig around a fenced-off mud pit and attempts to place it in a barrel, in a race against the clock. In some events the pigs are greased with lard, vegetable or mineral oil in order to make catching the pig even more difficult.
Rules
Rules vary depending on the venue. Some contests use larger pigs, while others use those that are smaller. Some include a single pig, while others use more than one. The pigs are coated with shortening, vegetable oil, lard, or another lubricant. Contestants chase the pigs around a field or other determined area. Depending on the contest, contestants either try to get one or both hands on the pig, tackle and hold the pig down, or drag the pig to a set point. There may be several rounds per contest. The prize for winning is often the pig itself.Children too young to compete in pig wrestling may compete in a greased pig chase, the object of which is to hang onto a greased pig for a certain amount of time.
The size of the pigs or piglets is commonly matched to the size of the children, teens or adults in the contest.
Animal welfare
Concerns have been raised by animal rights organizations that using pigs in this form of entertainment is inhumane, since the pigs have no choice in the matter of whether they want to wrestle or not. The wrestling may impose undue emotional stress on the pigs, as evidenced by fearful squealing, and causes physical torsional stress on the pigs' joints. Some fairs have thus eliminated pig wrestling from their events. In Minnesota, pig wrestling is a misdemeanor.In popular culture
In media
The music video for the Bubba Sparxxx song "Ugly" depicts a pig wrestling event.The television show Family Guy parodies this concept with the Greased-up Deaf Guy; a recurring character that first appears in "The Thin White Line" as the quarry of a company picnic event.
In a 2014 episode of the Discovery Channel series MythBusters, the Build Team investigated the difficulty of catching a greased pig, both with and without technological assistance.
In a 2019 episode of the Comedy Central series South Park, Eric Cartman refuses to get immunized and an attempt is made to immunize him by catching him in a rodeo setting.