PUEBLO, Colo. - At a recent Touring Pro Division event in Eugene, Ore., riders weren't required to sign autographs afterward, but promoters asked if they would come up to the concourse and sign anyway.

For Brendon Clark, signing is simply part of being a professional bull rider, which is why he responded the way he did when an unfamiliar voice from the back of the locker room asked if it was mandatory.

"Somebody in the back of the locker room who was a nobody and has never done anything in this sport said, 'Oh, do we have to?'" Clark recalled. "I just spoke up and said, 'Yeah, it's mandatory because next year if we've got to come back here to Eugene and ride in a tin shed because we weren't accessible enough, then it's going to be really bad.'

"Everyone has worked hard. The promoters have worked hard and everyone there working to put the event on worked hard to make it what it was, and this is a brand-new building in Eugene, Oregon."

Clark, a 10-year veteran of the BFTS, knows firsthand the benefit of taking 10 to 15 minutes to give back to the fans.

Sure, he was tired. He had already driven nearly 8,000 miles in the previous three weeks, and was going to drive that night to Sacramento, Calif., for a sponsor-related signing the next day at an event he wasn't even competing in.

"The excuse of 'I don't want to go up there and sign for five or 10 minutes' didn't even cut it with me," Clark said. "That's not even the issue. Next week I want to be able to go to another good event. Next year I want to be able to come back here and not have to ride somewhere in the wintertime where it's freezing cold.

"That's part of the sport, and I was in a position to speak up for that."

While a name like Clark's helps attract crowds to Touring Pro events, he and other veterans are able to set an example for young riders even before they make their BFTS debuts.

"In the locker room, sometimes you have to stand up and say what's right or what's wrong," Clark said, "and some of the younger guys will be influenced by that."

'In the locker room, sometimes you have to stand up and say what's right or what's wrong, and some of the younger guys will be influenced by that.'

The leadership isn't only present at TPD events, but is also a big part of the locker room at each BFTS event.

It comes in many forms.

There are vocal leaders (Clark and Guilherme Marchi among them) and those who lead by example (Chris Shivers). There are also leaders in the arena (J.B. Mauney) and out of it (Kody Lostroh and Austin Meier).

Marchi not only stands up for fellow Brazilians, but is willing to help anybody he can. He and Robson Palermo look out for the young Brazilians, especially those who still struggle with the language and culture.

Palermo is exceptional with sponsors and fans, which sets an example for the rest of the riders in the draw of any event he's competing in in the United States or in Brazil.

Clark said, "I think Cord McCoy is a good leader in a way that he shows a lot of the young guys that being happy and doing extra stuff is good for the sport. He's a good guy and nothing's an issue for him. For him to spend time when he's probably tired is not a big issue. He leads in a different way."

Although Mauney was reluctant to describe himself as a leader, he acknowledged that after seven years on tour, there are young riders who look at his determination to win as an example.

In Sacramento, Ty Pozzobon admitted that it felt good to know that in the first month of season he had caught the attention of Mauney, who is currently ranked No. 1 in the world.

Justin McBride was a locker room leader for years. When he retired in 2008, his absence was felt.

"When I first showed up, (Justin) McBride and them were still riding, and they treated me the same way," said Mauney. "They would tell me when I did bad and make sure I knew it, and told me I did good when I rode good.

"That was always awesome, because those were the guys I had always watched on TV before I got here. It was great to have them pat me on the back."

With regard to Mauney as a leader, Clark added, "He wants it every single time, and he's not afraid to get on as many of them as it takes, and that's a good role model. For a kid to grow up and wants to ride like somebody, well, that's someone who…wants to win. He shows up to win and that's a good thing."

Clark said when it comes to the bull riding event, Mauney does things the right way.

Younger riders see Mauney ride through injuries and always take re-ride options, and according to Clark, that's good for the sport in the arena, in the bucking chute and behind the chutes.

Another of the influential veterans is Austin Meier.

"I don't think about it," he said of his role. "I just go out and do my job, and if I'm an example to others that's wonderful."

In the past few years he's had an undeniable impact on Ryan Dirteater and Skeeter Kingsolver.

'The people who come out and watch us - the fans - are the ones who make it what it is. It wouldn't make it too much fun if none of them came out to watch us.'

That particular trio of riders parallels the close-knit group of Lostroh, Dustin Elliott, Josh Koschel, Cord McCoy and Jordan Hupp, who have all traveled and roomed together in various groupings from one week to the next.

"Those of us who have been around this sport for as long as we have, it is part of our responsibility to, for one, show that we are professional athletes," Meier said. "There's a professionalism in that - the way you carry yourself, showing up on time for meetings.

"You see more in actions than you do in words."

Kingsolver has also credited Dusty LaBeth with showing him the right way to be looked at as a consummate professional.

Kingsolver grew up not far away from LaBeth, and has always watched how he handled success as well as adversity. LaBeth also taught the Kansas native how to be efficient and timely when it comes to traveling to events, especially when they're going from one TPD to another.

Meier likened it to a high school baseball player being prepared for the Major Leagues.

"In a lot of ways you get out what you put in," he said.

"I would want to lead by example," said Dustin Elliott, "maybe a silent leader, but lead by example. Kids can watch me doing the right things."

Elliott also added that he doesn't see the same swagger in today's BFTS locker room as there once was with riders like Ty Murray, Jim Sharp and Cody Lambert.

A watershed moment came at the end of 2008, when both Adriano Moraes and McBride retired from the PBR.

"I don't know if there's that guy right now," said Elliott, "so I don't think that we have the swagger like they had."

"They were the whole package in all aspects of the sport," said Clark, who name-checked Ross Coleman and Tater Porter as leaders lost in recent years. However, he added that today's locker rooms still have leaders.

"I feel like they were an example for us," said Clark, who noted that even the founders knew the importance of making time for fans. "The guys who started this thing always did that type of thing.

"There are times when you don't want to do stuff, but you have to get out there and do it. That's the reality of what it is. The people who come out and watch us - the fans - are the ones who make it what it is. It wouldn't make it too much fun if none of them came out to watch us."

WATCH THE WINSTAR WORLD CASINO INVITATIONAL IN OKLAHOMA CITY Friday at 9 p.m. ET on the PBR Live Event Center; Saturday at 9 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network (formerly VERSUS); and Sunday at 6 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network.