Shad Mayfield, aka Money Mayfield, is living proof that Beyoncé’s ode to cowboy culture is on point. When Bey released two country music singles on Super Bowl Sunday, it raised eyebrows about her sudden interest in country and western culture. Her interest in the genre shouldn’t have been surprising because Beyoncé was raised in Texas, a state immersed in Black cowboy culture. Beyoncé’s, mother Tina Knowles, shared on her social media platform that her girls were raised going to rodeos in their wide-brimmed hats excited to watch the cowboys. The handsome 23-year-old Mayfield is a descendant of the lifestyle Beyoncé referenced in “Texas Hold ‘Em.”
Three hours up the road from Houston, Shad Mayfield prepared for another opportunity to win at tie-down roping at the 2024 San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo. Being a real-life cowboy is all Shad knows because his father Sylvester Mayfield was a rodeo cowboy qualifying for the National Finals Rodeo in 1985 and 1987.
“My dad was a professional tie-down roper. He was the first Black cowboy to make the national finals rodeo. He broke that barrier for other Black cowboys and I don’t take for granted the fact that he opened that door for me and all the other Black cowboys. San Antonio is one of my favorite rodeos because the last time I was here, I won and my father was in the audience going crazy. I know it means a lot [to] him because he wants me to be so much better than he was,” Mayfield says.
His sister Shelby is also a professional cowgirl. Mayfield says he enjoys what he does and can’t imagine himself doing anything else.
“I was 2 years old riding a horse, swinging a rope. I used to watch my Dad and wanted to do what he did. It’s in our family, in our blood,” Mayfield laughs.
Hearing Mayfield talk about the cowboy lifestyle seems like a blast from the past. Instead of focusing on parties and social media stats, Mayfield is competing for most of the year, traveling to rodeos across the country with his four competition horses.
“I have four horses and they are my team mates partners. I probably take better care of them than I take care of myself,” he laughs. “Any off time I have is spent making sure they are ready to compete. When I win, they know they [will] win and they’ll get extra treats.”
Mayfield was one of only three Black cowboys competing the San Antonio rodeo, but he made sure his presence was felt. He finished the first leg of competition in 7.7 seconds winning that division and driving the crowd wild. With the nickname “Money Mayfield” after one of his sports heroes Floyd Mayweather, it’s clear Shad’s racked up impressive earnings in rodeo. Currently, he has career earnings of well over a million dollars and plans to continue competing in the foreseeable future.
“I can see myself doing this well into my mid-30s,” Mayfield says, “It’s a blessing to do what you love for a living and I don’t want to stop anytime soon.
