Evolution Of Cheerleading Into Modern Day Cheer Essay

Cheerleading started as a male endeavor in 1898, when a University of Minnesota football fan led the crowd in verse in support of their team. It was not until World War II, when men shipped out to war, that women took over. Then cheerleaders came to represent the American ideal of femininity: wholesome apple pie with washboard stomachs, perfect teeth, and flawless complexions. Stereotypes cast them as blond, petite, and impossibly perky. “From its humble beginning cheerleading has blossomed into a competitive athletic activity with a serious image problem” (Forman 52). But today’s post-feminist youth have put a new, diverse face on cheerleading. Cheerleading in America is no longer a matter of waving pom-poms, a cute smile and being overly

The media has created a stereotype for cheerleaders. The way that cheerleaders have been portrayed in the media has made cheerleading one of the most disrespected and underrated sports in the industry. The media has made cheerleaders out to be the unintelligent, mean girls, that no one likes. It has portrayed cheerleading itself to not even look the slightest bit like a sport. Most movies make it look like cheerleading is just jumping around and yelling at other sporting events. A good description of this stereotype is explained in an article from TVTropes as “From evil to slutty to dumb, any cheerleader in North American media can be expected to be portrayed as shallow and superficial, because popularity is her first and only concern.”. As a cheerleader, this is extremely frustrating. The growing cheerleading industry has been working hard to show the world what cheerleading really is about. Bring It On: In It to Win It is an interesting movie that actually portrays some of the real aspects of cheerleading.

When entering college many students have fantasies of joining Greek organizations and other groups that are meant to encourage unity among people that share a common interest. One being that in the world of colligate cheerleading, holds a “mock” sorority, named Cheer Phi. Cheer Phi makes naïve cheerleaders believe it represents the true essence of sisterhood, team work and leadership every quality a great cheerleading squad holds. However, in reality despite a spectator’s point of view so far my opinion opposes those values indefinitely.

Cheerleading is a sport that many people don’t support in a way that they support the popular sports in most schools, like football and basketball. Cheering can open many doors and create an ample amount of job opportunities. By cheering you can also receive full ride athletic scholarships from many schools. A cute skirt and pompoms is not the only thing you have to work for when it comes to cheering. Just as any other sport you have to have a certain grade point average to try out for your cheerleading team and also you are held accountable for maintaining your grade point average with also being held accountable for remembering cheers, games day dates and events that you will have to attend with your team. Cheer teaches you many things other than being able to tumble and shout! As a cheerleader, you learn to encourage anyone that needs that boost of encouragement, we learn how to work together with other people. Your cheer team members will become your family!

When most people think of cheerleading, they think of the spirit squads that attempt to pump up the local crowd at high school basketball and football games. People are not aware of what these athletes are doing when they are not in front of these crowds. Strangers to cheerleaders who do not follow the sport extensively do not know the exact involvement of the athletes in this sport, at all ages. Cheerleading requires athleticism like all other sports as you must be in shape and at a great fitness level to be involved in most circumstances. Cheerleaders have to know what they’re doing at all times; while knowing what everyone else on the team is doing as well, which involves a high level of mental preparation. Cheerleading, high school or

According to Joe Hatton, the author of the article, “Sports Beat - The sport of cheerleading: It’s more than just pompoms and smiles,” cheerleading is a sport because it requires strength, balance, and coordination. The major claim of the article is “cheerleading is a sport - plain and simple - and cheerleaders are true athletes” (Hatton C-04). The article offers the following arguments in support of the claim. Hatton claims because cheerleaders are athletes, cheerleading is a sport. Hatton also says cheerleading is a sport because of the competitive aspects. We believe cheerleading is not a sport, because not all cheerleaders compete. Most cheerleaders rarely, if ever, show athleticism. Cheerleading

In this paper I am going to be talking about the difference between Sideline Cheerleading and Competitive Cheerleading. Although it may not seem like there is a big difference between the two, there is a pretty big difference between the two different types of Cheer categories. In this paper you will learn a little bit of history about both types of cheer categories and the differences between the two. Cheerleading can help you let out your anger or anything like that because you have to use your voice but in a controlling matter.

The sport of cheerleading has been around for a long time; since 1884 in fact! In the beginning, cheer was a sport dominated by college men. Since, women have taken over, and in 1967 the first ranked college cheer competition was held. Both school and competitive cheerleading offer many rewarding opportunities. Though they are a part of the same sport, the two types of squads are actually quite diverse. School cheer is undeniably a worthwhile and respectable sport, but competitive teams often provide a more challenging approach, and are more suited to experienced cheerleaders.

When it comes to cheerleading, most of us will readily agree that it is not a real sport. Where this agreement usually ends, however, is on the question of why not. Whereas some are convinced that cheerleading doesn’t meet necessary qualifications to officially be a sport, others maintain that it does have qualities deeming it to be a sport. This is because the competition level in high school and college exceeds the expectation of those other sports that put in the time, hard work and effort to win a championship or tournament. Many don’t consider the cheerleaders that get tossed in the air, have extensive acrobatic skills, and the strength to carry their teammates on their shoulders or even in their hands in the competitions. They don’t get the credit they deserve or are recognized appropriately enough for the sport they compete in, earning them the respect of being the athletes they are in the sport they’re apart of, therefore I’m in favor of cheerleading being considered a sport.

The physical activity must have five elements, some include overcoming the resistance of a mass, competition against an opponent, and the rules must define time, space, the purpose of the activity, and the conditions under which a winner is declared. In addition to, acknowledgement that the competition is an evaluation of the skills of the participants and the key purpose of the activity is for competition. Competitive cheerleading fits into all five of these categories through stunts, tumbling, competitions, score sheets, time limits, and mat size. Cheerleading also fits into these categories through the Entertainment and Sports Programming Networks (ESPN) comparing cheerleading routines and a competitive cheerleader’s sole purpose is to compete. Most people in the world do not think cheerleading is a sport for several reasons. Some they think cheerleading does not have a strategy, while others think cheerleaders do not have enough physical ability. However, cheerleading fits into all of the categories of what must take place in order to deem it as a sport (Cheer

As the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders became more popular, more little girls and boys looked up to them as idols. Many of the cheerleaders cherished this and acted, as role models for the little girls who would one day want to also cheer on the Cowboys. The cheerleaders tried to be more than just a girl in a revealing uniform, but an inspiration to them as well. Aron (2010) noted that little girls could now aim to be a Dallas Cheerleader instead of Miss America (p. 71). Over the years, the appearance of the cheerleader’s began to take precedence over their hard work and talent. This conveys a strong message to impressionable children that appearance is more important than hard work. For many young girls and boys, cheerleading has been their escape

Adams, Natalie G., and Pamela J. Bettis. Cheerleader an American Icon. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan, 2003. 2 April 2014

Many have seen her. Many know her. But who is the American cheerleader? Is she a blond haired, blue eyed sex symbol? Is she a drug-addicted girl with no brains and even fewer moral values? Maybe she is just your average, pretty, girl-next-door with a loud voice and lots of spirit. What is clearly true is that cheerleading and cheerleaders have evolved greatly over a century-long history. What started as one bold college student has turned into an activity with over 3 million participants (Brady 1); one that is backed by a $150 million industry (Williams 2). Modern cheerleading has come a long way from its historic roots, but large differences still exist between the iconic cheerleader, the stereotypical cheerleader, and the truth.

From the outside looking in people might see a gathering of girls yelling and doing neat tricks, but from the inside looking out, it’s completely different. Cheerleading is a team effort and it takes every courage of your body to push you to keep going. In the late 1800’s, cheerleading was brought up to mind when people in the crowds would chant and yell during football or basketball games. Many people that hears the name “Cheerleading” tend to bring down the idea of it being a sport, when it is a sport. If you were to define the definition of sport, you will get “an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature,”1 So why isn’t it considered a sport?

When you hear the word cheerleader, what do you visualize? A ditzy girl on the sideline of a football game shaking pom-poms seems to be the most common image. Although this is how cheerleading originally began, the sport has been revolutionized: it is incomparable to its’ original purpose. Cheerleading is now a year-round activity which involves stunting, tumbling, and dancing. There are many different types of cheerleading; these are all governed by different rules which are set up within the league. These rules are not required by the government, because cheerleading is only recognized as a sport in a handful of states, which has caused nationwide debate. Many cheerleading coaches are inadequately trained, and athletes are often pushed to attempt skills that are beyond their skill level. The dangerous nature of cheerleading has led to serious injuries among teenagers, often occurring during stunting. Cheerleading should be ruled a sport due to the extreme dangers that cheerleaders are subjected to because of insufficient coaching and the lack of guidelines surrounding the activity.