Cheerleading is a Sport | Teen Ink

Cheerleading is a Sport MAG

By Anonymous

     The New York Times states that cheerleading is the fastest growing girls’ sport, yet more than half of Americans do not believe it is a sport. In addition, they fail to distinguish between sideline cheerleaders and competitive ones. Sideline cheerleaders’ main goal is to entertain the crowd and lead them with team cheers, which should not be considered a sport. On the other hand, competitive cheerleading is a sport.

A sport, according to the Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Advisors, is a “physical activity [competition] against/with an opponent, governed by rules and conditions under which a winner is declared, and primary purpose of the competition is a comparison of the relative skills of the participants.” Because cheerleading follows these guidelines, it is a sport.

Competitive cheerleading includes lots of physical activity. Like gymnasts, cheerleaders must learn to tumble. They perform standing back flips, round flip flops, and full layout twists. Cheerleaders also perform lifts and tosses. This is where the “fliers” are thrown in the air, held by “bases” in different positions that require strength and cooperation with other teammates.

Just as basketball and football have guidelines for competitive play, so does competitive cheerleading. The whole routine has to be completed in less than three minutes and 15 seconds and the cheerleaders are required to stay within a certain area.

Competitive cheerleaders’ goal is to be the best. Just like gymnasts, they are awarded points for difficulty, technique, creativity and sharpness. The more difficult a mount or a stunt, the sharper and more in-sync the motions, the better the score. Cheerleading is a team sport so without cooperation and synchronization, first place is out of reach.

According to the National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research, cheerleading is the number-one cause of serious sports injuries to women. Emergency room visits for cheerleading are five times the number than for any other sport, partially because they do not wear protective gear. While many athletes are equipped with hip pads, knee pads, shin guards or helmets, smiling cheerleaders are tossed into the air and spiral down into the arms of trusted teammates. The fliers must remain tight at all times so that their bases can catch them safely. Also, because cheerleading is not yet recognized as a sport by many schools, neither proper matting nor high enough ceilings are provided to ensure safety. Instead, the girls use whatever space is available. More recognition of competitive cheerleading as a sport would decrease the number of injuries.

So why do many Americans not think cheerleading is a sport? It cannot be because cheerleaders do not use balls or manipulate objects (if you do not count megaphones, pompoms and signs as objects). Wrestling, swimming, diving, track, cross-country, gymnastics, ice-skating and boxing are recognized sports that do not use balls. Some people argue that cheerleaders are just “flirts in skirts” with their only job to entertain the crowd, but cheerleaders today compete against other squads and work just as hard as other athletes.

Competitive cheerleading is a sport. It is a physical activity that is governed by rules under which a winner can be declared and its primary purpose is to compare the skills of participants. Hopefully, cheerleading will become as well-known a sport as football and basketball, and even appear in the Olympics since cheerleaders are just as athletic and physically fit as those involved in the more accepted sports.



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This article has 497 comments.


theone said...
on Feb. 19 2016 at 8:08 am
I agree with you, competitive cheer leading should be considered a sport. You do everything that is required to call something a sport.

on Feb. 18 2016 at 11:42 pm
I agree. I find school cheerleading a competitive cheerleading to be very different. I used to e in competitive cheerleading and it takes a lot of work. Makes people actually think if cheerleading is a sport. Great poem.

JWALK said...
on Feb. 18 2016 at 1:47 pm
I completely agree. When I try to explain to my school's cheerleaders they do not agree. Cheering on the side lines of other athletic events takes zero athleticism. Competitive cheerleading seriously blows my mind. The athleticism involved is intensive and it takes hard work to actually be able to perform the stunts they've learned.

Mia7789 said...
on Feb. 18 2016 at 10:56 am
Awesome! Very informative, and I definitely agree wit the subject matter.

on Feb. 7 2016 at 6:14 pm
cheerleading should not be a sport all they do is cheer and are annoying s

on Feb. 5 2016 at 9:49 pm
juliacoccaro SILVER, Spanish Fort, Alabama
5 articles 0 photos 18 comments

Favorite Quote:
"I'd sell you to Satan for one corn chip."

I agree with this article wholeheartedly. Competitive cheerleading takes a TON of work and time. I've been to several competitive cheerleading competitions, including Worlds in Disneyworld. (I'm not a cheerleader myself, I just like to watch.) But on the sidelines, I can't see how that's a sport at all. An activity, sure, but waving pom-poms and being able to yell loud doesn't quite qualify as athletic ability.

icheer21 said...
on Jan. 28 2016 at 12:55 pm
@Jotai im also a competitive cheerleader. @jaydahhowell is right! we get banners, trophys and medals. but its not all about winning! cheer is a sport and i know this because i have been a cheerleader for 2 and a half years now. there is literally blood sweat and tears going into this sport,i think it is sad that you can not see all the dedication and work us athletes put into cheer.

on Jan. 25 2016 at 8:34 pm
@cheer_is_life, Lafayette, Indiana
0 articles 0 photos 1 comment
@kelce thank you. people dont appreciate what we do.

CianaB GOLD said...
on Jan. 15 2016 at 3:51 pm
CianaB GOLD, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania
12 articles 0 photos 34 comments
I believe cheerleading is a sport. In my opinion, an sport is anything that requires athletic ability. 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." Based on the definition, dance, marching band, and cheerleading are all sports. And no matter how much you argue, cheerleading and dance(ballet in particular) both require more athletic ability then golf.

mgreenp said...
on Jan. 7 2016 at 1:13 am
you are confusing a prep squad with a competitive squad. and even prep squads, depending on their level will do hard stunts. and obviously competitive cheerleaders do crazy things. just remember you throw a ball, we throw people honey

mgreenp said...
on Jan. 7 2016 at 1:08 am
heres the thing, cheer is a sport made of other sports...such as gymnastics (and this is in the olympics just fyi) with other twists on it that add difficulty such as the stunting we have to do etc. ...just something to think about. also look up the definition of a sport, it doesn't have any of these "rules" those are made up my friend

jaydahhowell said...
on Nov. 18 2015 at 9:18 am
jaydahhowell,
0 articles 0 photos 1 comment
@Jotai I'm a competitive cheerleader and first of all we do get trophies. and also we get banners and medals. And its not always about getting a trophy it's about hitting a perfect routine and knowing you couldn't of done anything better. so if your gonna base a sport off of winning a trophy then you need to consider cheerleading a sport

on Nov. 5 2015 at 9:53 am
carly_crochet BRONZE, Bayou Pigeon, Louisiana
1 article 0 photos 5 comments
I am a cheerleader, and I enjoy cheerleading. I agree that cheer is a sport because it is hard working alike other sports such as football and basketball. I also agree that most people do think it is a sport because our "only job to entertain the crowd," but we are more than just "flirts in skirts."

Jotai BRONZE said...
on Nov. 4 2015 at 10:58 am
Jotai BRONZE, Conneaut Lake, Pennsylvania
1 article 0 photos 8 comments

Favorite Quote:
Be like a stamp, stick to one thing until you get there.

I'm Not taking any sides but in my own opinion, Cheerleading is not a sport. Yeah sure,you tumble and you Compete but what's the point? You don't get trophy for it. In my eyes, a sport is an activity in which you can get a trophy. I'm not cutting Cheerleading down, it does take physical skill, but it usually doesn't involve trophies or winning.

Jotai BRONZE said...
on Nov. 4 2015 at 10:53 am
Jotai BRONZE, Conneaut Lake, Pennsylvania
1 article 0 photos 8 comments

Favorite Quote:
Be like a stamp, stick to one thing until you get there.

What about Cross-Country?

on Nov. 3 2015 at 11:26 am
Jadynk25 SILVER, New City, New York
5 articles 1 photo 1 comment
honestly so impressed by your sheer knowledge and ability to fight this cause with fact and not opinion

Tyrell15 said...
on Oct. 27 2015 at 11:43 am
I'm a cheer and I feel cheer is a sport because we do the same as football players and other competitive sports..we compete..we run and tumble we are very active it's funny how so many people talk down on cheer....I wanna see most people got out there and cheer and see if you survive because I'm pretty sure you won't....it's not an easy sport there much more to it...competitive cheer is a lot of work we condition we just don't yell we are trained as real athletes so.......

on Oct. 14 2015 at 4:39 pm
ScarletCity PLATINUM, High Ridge, Missouri
40 articles 4 photos 68 comments

Favorite Quote:
Anything that can be done, can be undone. ~Scarlet City
http://eepurl.com/dcyZMn

If cheer is a sport, than Marching Band should be considered a sport. Not to mention that Marching band requires more mental preparation than cheer. Yet, marching band is still not considered a sport. How does that work?

on Oct. 14 2015 at 4:32 pm
ScarletCity PLATINUM, High Ridge, Missouri
40 articles 4 photos 68 comments

Favorite Quote:
Anything that can be done, can be undone. ~Scarlet City
http://eepurl.com/dcyZMn

My personal opinion is that Cheer is not a sport. What I consider a sport is something that has a ball (Basketball, football, soccer, etc.), something that is in the Olympics (Diving, figure skating, chariot racing, etc.), or that has physical defense (Martial arts, football, soccer, etc.). Although, I do respect the cheerleaders out there, I do not consider it a sport because it does not fall anywhere within these 'Rules.' This also means that dance and marching band are not sports, but golf is.

cheerislife said...
on Jun. 5 2015 at 3:39 pm
cheer is too a sport it involves lifting someone it the air, tumbling, and strength can you do a full i didn't think so.