Whether cheerleading is a sport has been an ongoing question and debate for decades. Cheerleading was founded in the late 1800’s to excite crowds at Ivy League football games. Competitive cheerleading became a thing in the 1960’s. The bottom line: Cheerleading is a sport that involves multiple components of physical activity and competition.
Just like other sports, such as football, track, basketball, etc. cheerleaders have to condition, train, practice and perform. Cheerleaders need to have sportsmanship, technique and skill in order to do what they do.
Cheerleading started as a hobby to support other sports but has become much more than just a hobby. It has now become its own sport where athletes show pride and strength in what they do.
The definition of a sport according to Google Dictionary is “an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment.” Cheerleading involves jumps, stunts, dance, cheer and tumbling. All of these skills are very physical and some can become extremely dangerous. These components of cheer form a routine to perform at a competition to get ranked among other teams.
Many people believe you have to “play” something to be known as a sport. You “do” cheerleading which is why some people don’t consider it a sport. Another reason is because cheerleaders don’t physically come into contact with their opponents like you would in football or soccer. Some teams don’t compete, and they only cheer on the side lines for other sports teams.
Cheerleading does not get covered in the news as a sport. Josh Bean, writing for Tuscaloosanews.com said, “Others note that cheerleading fights a media and popular culture bias that continues to view cheerleaders more for their bodies than their athleticism. For instance, most mainstream newspapers, television and radio stations don’t cover cheerleading as a sport.” Cheerleading has had a stereotype of petite girls in revealing clothing that stand on a side line of a football game with pom poms in their hands, but cheerleading is much more than that.
Alyssa Roenigk, ESPN senior writer said, “Sports teams exist to compete, not to perform and entertain or support another group that competes. In the cheer-as-sport conversation, this is the most important element to understand. One can be an athlete and not participate in a sport. And one can participate in a sport and not be very athletic.”
If you have to “play” something for it to be a sport then why is wrestling, swimming, track, and innumerable other athletic events . known as sports? You “do” these sports just like you would “do” cheerleading. The definition of a sport is “an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment.” Although cheerleaders do not come into physical contact with their opponents they still compete against others for entertainment just like the definition explains.
