Should Cheerleading Be Considered A Sport?

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 of the main reasons why the NCAA hasn’t picked up cheerleading as a sport is because it “doesn’t meet all the criteria of a sport”. That is true in some aspects of cheerleading, but for competition cheerleading it meets all of the needs of a sport. What actually is a sport though? According to Webster’s Dictionary, a sport is “ an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature, as racing, baseball, tennis, golf, bowling, wrestling, boxing, hunting, fishing, etc.” But according to the NCAA a sport has to meet all the following criteria to be considered a

It is because the dedication we put forth ,the handwork,the teamwork,and the organizational skills.So when you think about the question Is Cheerleading a Sport ask your self the question could you do what cheerleaders do?Also keep in your mind when you ask yourself that question we put in physical activity,we compete ,we do difficult techniques ,and last but not least we use athleticism .If sports is defined as competitive activity involving physical or mental skills,then cheerleading HAS to be considered a sport!So Is cheerleading a

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

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.

Cheerleading is one of the leading causes of catastrophic injuries in female athletes in high school and college levels, yet people still argue that it is not a sport and how “easy” it is. Reasons cheer is not labeled a sport yet is because all of the benefits that would need to be provided for cheer teams because of title IX, the primary purpose of cheer (not competing), and the fact that cheerleading would not exist if they labeled it a sport because then their primary purpose would be to compete, not lead on their school’s teams.

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

“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

The definition of a sport is “an athletic activity requiring skill or physical [ability] and often a competitive nature… (“Sport”). Cheer leading has become a thriving female industry in a primarily male dominated world that should be worthy enough to receive the respect it deserves to be called a sport. Many may agree to competitive cheerleading being a sport due to it having to be highly competitive, physically and financially demanding, and requiring an abundant amount of trust in the team.

First of all, the Women’s Sport Foundation says that any physical activity in which relative performance can be judged or qualified can be developed into a competitive sport as long as it includes four defined elements (which cheerleading does) and that the primary purpose is competition versus other teams or individuals within a competition structure. This is where cheerleading falls short. The purpose of cheerleading is not to compete, but to cheer on other teams that actually are competing. There is no tournament for cheerleading, only a routine and a shout. You don’t compete against other cheerleaders to see who can do the best stunts.

The National College Athletic Association does not recognize competitive cheerleading as a sport for Title IX purposes ("Cheerleading is starting”). Some believe that cheer is about aesthetics. However, despite much debate about whether it is a sport or not, cheer definitely meets the requirements inherent in the definition of a sport. A sport requires skill, has governed rules, and is active (“Being a Cheerleader”). Cheer meets all of these requirements.