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.


Phoenix said...
on Apr. 26 2014 at 9:45 pm
In all due respect, Otter, I beg to differ. I'm currently writing a paper on this topic, so while I don't claim to be an expert, I have done my research. A 'sport' is not defined on the basis of whether winners can be determined objectively. The definition provided by the Women's Sports Foundation, which is a generally accepted definition, and one of the most specific, classifies a sport as: * A physical activity which involves propelling a mass through space or overcoming the resistance of a mass.
* "Contesting" or competing against/with an opponent.
* Governed by the rules which explicitly define the time, space and purpose of the contest and the conditions under which a winner is declared.
* Acknowledged primary purpose of the competition is a comparison of the relative skills of the participants. The final point notes that competition is not merely an objective determinism; it is a "comparison of the relative skills of the participants." Meaning there is technically no requisite for there to be a decided numerical score, like in football. And even in football, or any sport, there are inevitable contests where a player might be unfairly carded, or the goal was invalid, etc. That's inevitable. It is difficult to make any sport purely objective, although the sports you named are more objective. However, based on the definition provided the WSF, sports are not defined on whether they can be decided objectively. While many sports are assigned numerical scores (as is cheerleading, skating, gymnastics, dance, etc.), objectivism is something very difficult to obtain. You write eloquently and do make a good point, though I would urge you do conduct more detailed research on the topic before decided upon your definition of a sport. If you received this definition of a sport from a reputable source, I apologise in advance, and would love to see the source to add complexity to my argument. Thanks.

on Apr. 10 2014 at 11:05 am
I do think cheerleading is sport it gives perfect exercise to the body and is fun

jellybean said...
on Apr. 8 2014 at 2:32 pm
i believe that cheerleading is a sport since i was a cheerleader for 9 years (competitive and football/basketball).so i would like to know why you dont think its a sport

on Apr. 2 2014 at 12:09 pm
kayleyschuitema4, Grandville, Michigan
0 articles 0 photos 1 comment
I completely agree that competitive cheer is a sport. This article clearly explains how hard and active this SPORT really is

otter said...
on Mar. 18 2014 at 11:38 pm
This begs the question as to what is a sport. I've gotten into debates about this before many of you teens were born. To be a sport, you need: (1) competition- there is a clear winner(s) and clear non-winners (or losers if you will). (2) Said activity must require physical skills. (3) Lastly, and often forgotten- this competition must have a clear, objective way of deciding that winner.   So let's use this criteria to determine whether the activities below are sports: - playing monopoly (1) Yes, is a competition, (2) does NOT require atheletic ability (3) Yes, there are clearly defined rules. So not all three, not a sport. - track and field (1) Yes, clearly a winner (2) speed is the ultimate in physical challenges (3) Yes, obviously the person who crossed the line or jumped the highest won. So yes track is a sport. - football (1) yes (2) yes (3) yes - gymnastics or figure skating (1) yes (2) yes (3) No! Many figure skaters have gotten their scores docked because the judge does not like their music or thinks their outfit is "skimpy" So not  a sport. So, cheerleading is a competition. It does require athletic ability (far more than, say, golf or auto racing (another dubius sport). But it can't be judged objectively. So cheerleading may be a great competition. It may require lots of physical skills. But it is not a sport. Which isn't to say it doesn't require talent' let's call it what it is-  a competition, but definitely NOT a sport.

on Mar. 14 2014 at 1:47 pm
xonikkitayor BRONZE, Lords Valley, Pennsylvania
1 article 0 photos 3 comments
Yes, i completely agree that cheerleading is a sport. I use to play cheerleading a couple years ago and it does require a lot of physical activity. I think any activity that requires physical activity is considered a sport.

on Feb. 13 2014 at 9:21 pm
Sorry Minni but you are completely wrong with that statement. I for one was a cheerleader, we had conditiong camps all througnout summer, ran before every practice, performed cardio workouts at the end of practice, and just in general cheerleading is a workout in itself. Flipping in the air uses a lot of muscle just as lifting people. 

on Feb. 13 2014 at 9:18 pm
Yes i completely agree with the fact that sideline cheerleading and competitive cheerleading differ in many areas. Side line cheer is not a sport where competitive cheer is. Cheerleaders work just as hard as any athlete and just like Renee said, it is another sport that doesn't use a ball. Instead of a ball, they use teamwork, strength, and determination. I beleive a lot of people look down on cheerleading and dont actually see how hard it is. It is a sport with a mixture of dance, gymnastics, and weight lifting all put into one. Three minutes and fifteen seconds of perfmoring nonstop sounds a lot easier than it actually is. All I have to say is, if anyone is going to disagree with the difficulty competitive cheerleading invovles, then they havent done it and should rethink that opinion. 

on Feb. 11 2014 at 8:10 pm
Keenan22 BRONZE, Defiance, Ohio
2 articles 0 photos 2 comments
Yes I would agree with this article because if you actually go against another team, then yes cheerleading is considered a sport in my eyes.  I can relate to this because my best friend is in competitive cheerleading, which is a sport.  I do understand why cheerleaders get so worked up over this but when you are only cheering for football or basketball, no it is nowhere even close to be considered as being a sport.  You are not competing against another team the football or basketball team is.  I do see this dilemma at my school all the time.  All the cheerleaders think that during football and basketball season when they sheer it is a sport when in all reality it is not a sport you are not even competing against another school in cheering so therefore it is not a sport unless it is competitive.

cheer101 said...
on Jan. 28 2014 at 2:29 pm
Seriously try being on an all star cheerleading team! You won't even last! Throwing double fulls, layouts, tucks, and several back hand springs seriously gives you so much exercise! plus your taking gymnastics 3-4 times a week! Which plays a huge part in cheerleading. Not to mention when your picking up a girl for stunting, and in my routine i'm holding up a girl for 6, 8  counts straight! seriously you try to hold someone that long while their pulling skills in the air right on top of you! GET YOUR FACTS STRAIGHT BEFORE YOU COMMENT! K? THANKS!

on Jan. 23 2014 at 11:49 am
hayliebean GOLD, Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin
14 articles 0 photos 15 comments

Favorite Quote:
\"a friend will help you feel better when u and he break up but a best friend will call him whispering \'seven days...\'\"
-anonymous? i think

I agree with you!  I was in sideline cheerleading and I was in the best shape I had ever been in.  I was a base and was lifting girls 25lbs heavier than even I was. 

on Jan. 23 2014 at 11:46 am
hayliebean GOLD, Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin
14 articles 0 photos 15 comments

Favorite Quote:
\"a friend will help you feel better when u and he break up but a best friend will call him whispering \'seven days...\'\"
-anonymous? i think

When I was in cheer, I was in the best shape I had ever been in, and I was only a sideline cheerleader.  If you do not think cheerleading is a sport, then you should do some more reasearch!  I got so much exercise from cheerleading!  I was toned and lean and I looked great because of it!  During practices, if we were misbehaving, we did laps, or push ups.  I was 120 lbs, and I lifted a girl onto my shoulders who was 175 lbs.  Cheerleading being a sport is not an opinion, by factual definition, cheerleading is a sport.

trini342 said...
on Jan. 20 2014 at 12:34 pm
A lot of people are saying that competitive cheerleading isn't a sport because it has a panel of judges that decide the winner and score each routine. If that's the case then you would have to consider gymnastics, diving, and figure skating as well. Their scores are based on a panel of judges, but they are considered sports. What makes competitive cheerleading any different? I don't even cheerlead, I play lacrosse, and I can clearly see that competitive cheerleading is a sport.

ilove you said...
on Jan. 15 2014 at 11:15 pm
no excercise? seriously . thats hilarious. why do you thin all the all star cheerlewders have absand are fit? huh? fromsittingon the couch like you all day , and eating .

Kaho said...
on Jan. 13 2014 at 9:00 am
Cheerleaders are athleates because they are just working hard. They are practicing hardly. They are working hard and they are moving their bodies. I think cheerleaders are athleates.  

lexiibeale said...
on Jan. 12 2014 at 10:14 am
lexiibeale, Germantown, Maryland
0 articles 0 photos 50 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Colour my life with the chaos of trouble"

I've been a cheerleader for four yeara and you absolutely do get a workout from cheer! It is not easy lifting a one hundred pound girl in the air! It is not easy to flip your body in the air. It is not easy to have sharp motions and coomplete a three minute rutuine. You've got to be in shape to do all those things.

on Jan. 7 2014 at 3:16 pm
You really have to condsider the hours of practice that leads to sideline cheerleading. Even sideline cheerleaders practice daily and stunt, tumble, jump and chant. Stunting and tumble alone are enough for sideline cheering to be considered a sport because of the sweat and injuries that come out of it. 

on Jan. 7 2014 at 3:14 pm
Yes you do. Cheerleading practices are one of the worse practices. Theres hours of conditioning, stunting, tumbling, and then finally cheering. 

RobinLynn said...
on Jan. 6 2014 at 12:08 pm
For thoses that so you can't get any excersize from cheerleading,  tumbling and stunting are both endurance and strength activities. Tumbling itself is pure cardio and strength. Doing a simple backhandspring is a full body activity. Legs- squat, jump- cardio, -arms/shoulders- the block from the handstand, abs- the snap down. Do this over and over again until it is perfected... you have just done a full body workout and that is the very BASIC tumbling skill in cheerleading. I have yet to even mention and running tumbling or jumps attatched. 

minnie1234 said...
on Dec. 19 2013 at 8:28 pm
i think it si not a sport because it dosent give u excrise