Argumentative Essay: Is Cheerleading A Sport?

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

Ten years ago, if someone had told me that I would be a cheerleader at the collegiate level, I would most likely have laughed in their face. Now as I sit here getting ready for practice, I laugh thinking of how I entered the world of cheerleading. Going into my freshman year of high school, my mother told me I had to try out for cheerleading. So, naturally, I cried. There was no way I would be a cheerleader. But as they say, mothers know best. Growing up, I participated in every sport imaginable; gymnastics, basketball, track, lacrosse, and even golf. Changing activities often became familiar for me, as I would get bored quite easily. After I had made the decision to take up cheerleading full time, I felt like I was downgrading. I felt

Even though Cheer is considered a school club or an outside activity, cheer should be considered a sport because they compete seasonally and have all the requirements for being a sport. Cheer should be considered a sport because it has all the requirements to be a sport. Some requirements to be a sport are contesting and the sport must be governed by rules that explicitly define the time, space, and purpose of the contest and the conditions under which a winner is declared which cheerleading has both of these (Nicole Lauchaire). This basically means there is no reason that Cheer should not be considered a sport. Some people may disagree saying that cheerleaders wear “10 pounds of makeup,” and “two

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.

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

Cheerleading is simply entertainment for viewers and is a social club for its participants. “Sports Beat - The Sport of Cheerleading: It’s a lot More than Just Pompoms and Smiles,” points out that a main benefit of cheerleading is the ability to “easily transition into the entertainment industry” (Hatton C-04). This statement supports our belief that cheerleading should not be considered a sport. Cheer-leading, the leading of cheers at sporting events is not a sport. Entertainment, versus athleticism, is more of what cheerleading is. Team supporters are present at games/events to raise school spirit and encourage cheering. Cheerleading generally requires a competition to be in progress, so the cheerleading itself can occur. This is not an activity which can take place alone.

The definition of a sport according to oxforddictionaries.com is “An activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment.” Cheerleaders both compete and participate in athletic activity requiring skills. So many people see cheerleading as the sideline of girls doing simple chants and cheers; but, cheerleading has evolved into dangerous stunts, tumbling and more exciting performances. The American Association of Cheerleading Coaches Administration (AACCA) in their Cheerleading As a Sport paper states “Today, cheerleading involves skills which require the strength of football, the grace of dance, and the agility of gymnastics.” This sport is not what it once was, they do much more today than they once

When it comes to the topic of whether cheerleading is a sport, some of us readily agree that it is. Where the agreement usually ends, however, is on the competitive side of cheerleading. Although not all types of cheerleading are considered competitive, the ones that are competitive should be considered a sport. Whereas many are convinced that cheerleading as a whole is not a sport due to lack of competition, others maintain that it is a sport because cheerleaders are athletes, they need to train and be in shape in order to be able to do all the complex maneuvers safely. I agree that cheerleading is a sport because cheerleaders compete against other teams and competition is part of every sport.

Many people think the term “cheerleader” is a group of girls that dance, jump around, and do cool moves in the air. They may think it’s not a sport because of the fact we don’t exactly attempt to hurt or take the opponent down to the ground physically. But little do they know the hard work and dedication that comes with being a cheerleader. Cheerleading is a sport because some of the things you need to be considered aren’t exactly what everyone may have, as well as other sports. From needing to be able to toss people 5 to 10 feet in the air, being able to follow them if they shift to one side or the other while in the air, the tricks girls pull in the air, to the amount of conditioning we do, etc.. cheerleading is a very intense sport.

In every sports game, people root for the teams they like; their ways of rooting can range from yelling to professional one called cheerleading. Cheerleading has a long history just as other sports. Cheerleading does not exist to simply motivate the team, but also makes audience and the game itself interesting. That is the reason why it should be considered as one of the sports. Although many do not see cheerleading as a sport, it is definitely considered as sport, as it requires intense physical activity, entertains people, and unites players.

“Cheerleaders are the strongest athletes, for they must fight for gold while they fight their stereotype”Cheerleading began during the late 18th century with the rebellion of male students.[3] After the American Revolutionary War, students experienced harsh treatment from teachers. In response to faculty's abuse, college students violently acted out. The undergraduates began to riot, burn down buildings located on their college campuses, and assault faculty members. As a more subtle way to gain independence, however, students invented and organized their own extracurricular activities outside their professors' control. This brought about American sports, beginning first with collegiate teams.In the 1860s, students from Great Britain began to cheer and chant in unison for their favorite athletes at sporting events. Soon, that gesture of support crossed overseas to America.

Athletes have the ability to choose which sport they would like to participate in and there are many to select from. Some decide to do football, others do baseball, and some actually choose to join cheerleading. Each of these sports require similar skills such as strength and endurance, which is why many cheerleaders get angry whenever they hear people say “cheerleading is not a sport”. According to author Lauren Rubin, who wrote the article, “Cheerleading Is A Sport” she states

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the definition of a sport is a contest or game in which people do certain physical activities according to a specific set of rules and compete against each other. Competitive cheerleading right now, is the fourth leading sport for high school girls. It is seen as a sport by 22 states (Slegel). In cheerleading you have only two and a half minutes to prove the judges that you are better than you opponent (Springer). The Women's Sports Foundation states that because cheerleading involves stunting, physical activity, and rules, it should most definitely be considered a sport (Orlando). Cheerleading goes back to the late 1800s when popularity rose up in U.S. college football (Schultz). Competition squads compete locally, regionally, nationally, and now internationally (Schultz). Cheerleading should be considered a sport because it takes a lot of skill and practice, has a high injury risk, and it involves teams competing against one another.

Cheerleading isn’t a sport for many reasons, one being that the activity doesn’t require any skill. Regular, non-sport cheerleading doesn’t have any specific skills that make it a sport, yes some cheerleaders can do certain skills but those aren’t required for activity. For competitive cheerleading you are required for certain skills, a lot of those skills increase the amount of physical exertion just like sports.

AMA declared competitive cheerleading a sport, yet people still don’t think it is. But recently, cheerleading has been on and off for being in the Olympic games and being recognized as a widespread sport. I personally think that people shouldn’t speak against the topic, unless they’ve researched on it. In competitive cheerleading you compete with a team, against other teams. Which also meets a requirement for a sport. Also, it meets the physical side too. You have to, lift girls up ten feet into the air, tumble which takes a lot of strength, and do jumps which require you to be flexible. Competitive cheerleading makes