Persuasive Essay: Why 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.

People who do not participate in cheer say it's not a sport. These people say all cheerleaders do is chant and move their arms. Which can be true if you’re talking about sideline cheer and not competition cheer (Elisabeth, 2017). The difference between sideline cheer and competition cheer is that sideline cheer is cheerleaders chanting on the sidelines for their team and competition is they are competing against other cheer teams. However, cheerleaders support high school and college athletic teams and train for competition. In other words, cheerleading is more than a sport.(Varsity.com, 2018). Therefore all aspects need to be taken into consideration while deciding if cheer is a sport or not.

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

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.

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

One reason cheerleading is a sport because it is a physical activity.This web helps explain my reasoning about physical activity .You can find this web on https://cheerleading.about.comod/skillandabilities/a/031002.antm.Some cheer teams put in more hours and effort in the gym than teams such as football and basketball.Cheerleading not only shows you and teaches coordination it helps condition competitors,but it also helps you with sportsmanship ,leadership communication skills,organizational skills,productivity and much more.

From an outsiders perspective one may see brainless and beautiful robots, which scream and perform neat tricks. This is not the case from the inside; cheerleading is so much more than that. Many people are under the impression that cheerleading is not a sport. I am the voice of reasoning that will let you in, and I will show you that cheerleading, in fact, is a sport. Cheerleading requires much physical demand from the body just as any other sport would. Cheerleading, in general, is a team effort. There are many sides to cheerleading, which make it a versatile sport. When it comes to cheerleading there’s more to it than what meets the eye.

One reason people claim that cheerleading is not a sport is that sports require competition, and cheerleading is merely a means of rallying excitement at sporting events, and therefore is not a sport itself. However, in addition to performing at sporting events, many cheerleaders and cheer squads also compete in cheerleading competitions across the globe. In a cheerleading competition, cheer squads perform routines to music, and are judged based on what stunts the squad performs and how well

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).

In today’s society there is a huge argument on whether cheerleading is a sport or not.

“The argument of whether or not cheerleading should be granted sport status is one that has escalated into a fierce debate over the past year,” Wayne Drehs, a staff writer for ESPN, confirms. While giving a purpose to many young athletes as many other known sports do, cheerleading has lost any sport recognition somewhere along the way. The sport has grown miraculously into something that is nothing short of amazing. However while cheerleading’s difficulty has grown, many people’s support for the acceptation of being a sport has not. Many cheerleaders would agree in a heartbeat that Cheerleading is in fact a sport, and should be known as one. Every person needs to understand what cheerleading really is, everything the athletes do daily, and

For the past couple of years, athletics, judges and ESPN have debated on whether or not if cheerleading should be an official sport or not. Lots has changed since the first cheer at a University of Minnesota football game. Today cheerleading teams have taken it to a new level. According to Merriam Webster dictionary, a sport is defined as, an activity involving physical exertion and skill where teams compete against other team. In short version, a sport involves, physical contact, skill, and competition. There are two separate groups of cheerleading, all-star and college/ high school. All-star teams perform for the challenge and competition of the sport. The purpose of college and high school cheer teams, is to support the football and basketball teams, some teams dabble in the competitive side. Although many of us would say that cheerleading is a club, but should considered as a sport because cheerleaders train and practice for years, camaraderie is important with teams, and cheerleading has fierce competition.

If you think that cheerleading is not a sport, the International Olympic Committee disagrees with you, as cheerleading could be added to the Olympic games very soon. As of the year 2016, cheerleading is one of the 37 sports recognized, it has a three-year probationary period that started in 2016, and receives funding from IOC and after the three-year probation, cheerleading will be able to apply to be one of the many sports in the Olympic Games. The year that we expect cheerleading to make an appearance into the Olympic Games will be as soon as 2024. I know that seems like a long time for it to be added to the games, but the point is not how soon it will be added, but the fact that it WILL be added because it IS a competitive SPORT. While many people may believe that it still does not qualify as a sport, they should thoughtfully consider the facts that it takes skills and talent, there are competitive teams, and there are great health risks just like any other sport.

Some people say that to be a sport you have to go to competitions. Well cheerleaders do the people that say this obviously do not know what they are talking about. I know someone that always Says that all cheerleaders do is perform a 30 second show at halftime, shake their “booties” and yell “Go team!” But really most of the time they don’t they go to yearly competitions and compete against many other teams some of these not even originating from a high school. Cheer competitions began in the 1960’s. Another thing people say is that if the competitions are not on ESPN then it is not a sport well these people are wrong again because the USASF Cheerleading World Competitions are held in the spring each year at Disney World. They are televised by ESPN and show the best of the beat cheerleading

As it states in “Cheerleading is a Sport” it’s said “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 sport”(Renee. R.1). Cheerleading is in the process of becoming as well known sport as the most popular sports such as football, basketball, and volleyball. They are in being considered for the Olympics, and that should promote cheerleading as being a sport, as well growing into a respected activity. They are just as athletic and fit as other student athletes, and should be treated the same as well.