Abie Pessima
Dr. Farrell
ENG 101
November 7, 2016
Should Cheerleading be Considered a Sport? What comes to mind when you think of cheerleading? It is not a sport right? Many people in the world believe cheerleading is not a sport and it is just a bunch of chanting and cheering but it is not just that. In today’s world cheerleading is not well recognized and considered as a sport, but it is more than that. It takes more than cheering and chanting to compete as a cheerleader . Here is why I think cheerleading should be considered a sport, because it takes athleticism, persistence, and courage too compete as a cheerleader. What does to take to be considered a sport? According to the Oxford English Dictionary a sport is a, “Sense relating to play, pleasure, or entertainment” (Oxford English Dictionary). Alyssa Roengik a former cheerleader of University of Florida argues that cheerleading is not
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How is it not a sport if it is basically everything explained in the definition of the Oxford English Dictionary? Roengik stated how, “Cheerleaders are athletics. College cheerleading was as physically demanding and mentally challenging as any activity” (Roengik). Competitive cheerleading is as challenging as any other sports team, because you compete with other teams, and you have a certain time to do a routine. Roengik definitely states how physically demanding and mentally challenging cheerleading is, but it is the same thing with football, volleyball and so many other teams out there that considered competition. Roengik also states, “But cheerleading is not a sport” (Roegnik). At the same time people would agree and disagree with her, I say this because cheering on another team is not a sport it is
Most people don’t consider cheerleading a sport. People say it doesn’t meet the “guidelines” in order to be a sport. But there isn’t really any specific guidelines for a sport to be considered a sport. So no one can really say anything about it not being a sport. By looking at the history of cheerleading and the “guidelines” in order to be a sport I intend to prove that cheerleading is a sport.
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
I am a cheerleader, and was taken away from what I love due to an injury. When you think of cheerleading you imagine the make-up, the pom-poms, and the groups of people throwing cheerleaders high in the air, but cheerleading is more. Cheer is the performance of athletic skills, jumps, dancing, and chanting to get feedback from crowds at events, games, etc. Cheerleaders can be featured at games in support of sports teams, or at cheerleading competitions to earn points. According to varsity.com, which is a foundation that makes articles, social media, and supplies cheer groups with equipment/clothing, frequent drama that speculates when we tell people we cheer they say “cheerleading is not a sport”. Cheerleading fits all the criteria to be considered
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
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
A sport is defined as an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment. There are many different national and international associations and organizations that hold their own standard to what can be considered a sport, but they are all similar: if it involves physical activity and competitions. Cheerleading does, in fact, fit underneath
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.
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
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
Too many believe cheerleading only consists of girls looking pretty on the sidelines, so the question arises, why should cheerleading be considered a sport? Torgovnick informs that, “They [cheerleaders] do basket tosses where a group throws a “flyer” 25 feet in the air. They say the adrenaline rush of performing these risky moves is what they love . . . they keep on going even if they have a broken finger or a fractured rib.” There are many difficult elements put into a routine. Cheerleaders should be credited as athletes because they work just as hard as any other member of a sports
There are many proven facts to support that cheerleading is in fact a sport. ESPN officially declared cheer to be a sport, but that has not seemed to affect people’s opinions.
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
People try to argue that Cheerleading isn’t a sport. For years cheerleaders have been denied the privilege to call themselves athletes. Cheerleading is one of the most dangerous sports you could participate in. It takes all type of strength, technique,balance, timing, voice, and leadership to be a cheerleader. If you are not a athlete you will never understand the hard work and dedication it takes to be a cheerleader or I rather say athlete.
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.
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.