Is Cheerleading A Sport?

Because of the physical demand, skill set needed, and the rules set to tumble, stunt, and jump, competitive cheerleading should be considered an official sport. Yet cheerleading has rules, guidelines, training, and many other things other sports also include. It also is definitely a physical and contact sport which has caused countless injuries throughout the years of the sports existance. But, most people only know cheerleading as sideline (school) cheerleading and have not had a glimpse into the world of competitive (All Star) cheerleading.

“In a day and age when cheerleaders are leaders in their community, role models in school, and must maintain the highest GPA out of any other activity it is ridiculous for all states not to classify them as a sport. Jaw-dropping stunts, whip-backs, and thirty-foot- high basket tosses help cheerleading earn their acclaim and steady ratings” (Rondon 97). Yes, just like any other sport, cheerleading competitions are broadcasted on ESPN. Substantiation of the popularity of cheerleading is because it is featured on one of the largest sports broadcasting networks in the world. “On ESPN, cheerleading competitions draw an average audience of 455,000 homes, comparable to the National Hockey League” (Ebersole “Thrills and Spills”). “Cheerleading on ESPN earns steady ratings (a .5 versus a .3 for Major

A sport is an organized association that provides regulated activities to individuals. In most cases these individuals are composed into teams with an identity, mission statement, and goal. Competitive cheerleading is association, and just like the definition of a sport, competitive cheerleading is organized and acknowledge under specific associations, (ISHAA,NCCA,etc.). Those associations regulates the activities of each participant. Every participant is classified by their team name and mascot. With pride each participant and team identify themselves and motivate themselves through their mission statement and goal. Considering, these relative factors, it is evident that competitive cheerleading is a sport. Competitive cheerleading is being

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

To begin the argument at hand of whether or not cheerleading is a sport, it must be recognized that there isn’t truly a set/official definition for what a sport is. There are no set of regulations that have been universally agreed upon in which all activities can be examined against in order to determine whether those activities is a sport or not. It’s difficult to put under simple terms and rules what exactly qualifies something as a “sport” without disqualifying any currently agreed upon

You have been training all summer. You have been in the weight room almost every day and wake up so sore you can barely walk. You give encouraging words to your teammates and pump them up right before a game. You are tough and fearless when you take the field. You strive to do your best and want to win. How would you feel if every time you took that field your peers didn’t believe in you and did not respect your sport? Cheerleaders go to the gym and work just as hard as other athletes do, and are not receiving any credit. This makes us frustrated and let down. There are many aspects of cheer that people are unaware of. Being a cheerleader, you have to be able to tumble, stunt, be competitive, have teamwork, and most of all dedication. Cheerleading is a sport because it is physically demanding, requires teamwork, and is very competitive.

Whether cheerleading is considered a sport has become a very controversial topic over the past few years. Due to lack of education of the sport, it is very frowned upon by other athletes. Other athletes seem to feel that cheerleading isn't difficult and requires minimum to no effort. These accusations can be very hurtful when coming from a cheerleader’s perspective. Based on their strength and skill, the amount of practicing and maintaining health, the number of injuries, and its competitive aspect, cheerleading should be considered a sport. The talent that these young men and women have is phenomenal. The performance of their skills looks extremely flawless but no one truly knows what goes on behind the pretty stunts and synchronized

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

Why is it that most americans believe that cheerleading isn 't a sport? Could it be because cheerleaders don’t compete against other cheerleaders on specific “game days”? Cheerleading is different from most sports because they usually compete with how loud they are, and their facial expressions. In order for an activity to be considered a sport it has involve physical activities. Cheerleading is a sport because people train and compete for it, the cheerleaders also have to be physically fit.

Which, cheerleading 's primary purpose is to cheer on sports teams at their high school or college, not to compete ("Being a Cheerleader"). Cheerleading is not considered a sport because their primary purpose is to cheer on their school’s teams not competing, like other sports (Drehs). It is an athletic hobby for athletes, it just does not meet the requirements to be considered a sport. Although, competitive cheerleading is a sport they cannot label it as a sport because it is not their initial purpose as cheerleaders (Drehs).

Dictionary.com defines a sport as "an athletic activity that requires physical prowess or skill and often a competitive nature." Live healthy.com says although cheerleading is not a sanctioned sport by the NCAA or an Olympic sport, it still carries risks. Cheerleading incorporates human pyramid building, gymnastics and participants flying through the air. While the

Cheerleading got gymnastic in it which is a sport. If gymnastic a sport wy cant cheerleading be a sport? Tumbling is also a sport. Tumbling is in cheerleading and some people stilll dont think it's a sport. If you combined two sports the outcome should be a sport

The New York Times states that cheerleading is the fastest growing girls sport, yet more than half of Americans don’t believe it is a sport! They also 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 because of the lack of activity. On the other hand, competitive cheerleading is a sport, due to all of the time, hard work, and determination.

Hours of practice and stretching are fitted into a cheerleader’s everyday schedule. Yet so many people question whether they are actual athletes participating in an actual sport. The definition of a sport reads, “An activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment,” (English Oxford Living Dictionaries). Competitive and sideline cheer meet all of those requirements to be a sport. Many states have also begun to identify cheerleading as a sport. “In the last few years, cheerleading has been classified as a sport in several states: Michigan, New York, Maine, New Hampshire,

A person sitting in a stadium, watching a quarterback throw a football will have no doubt he is playing a sport. The same person is watching the bases, of a cheerleading team, throw a flyer up in the air. Do they feel the same way about the two activities? Cheerleading has been around since the 1880’s and it has gotten a bad rap ever since. When the majority of people hear the word cheerleader, usually all they imagine is “flirts in skirts”, but it is much more than that. Competitive cheerleading is a physical sport where different teams show off their skills and the team that is the best is declared the winner, so why don’t people consider it a sport?