Is cheerleading a sport?

[JustWrestle]

Who knows? Maybe the times when they are at the games it is like "Practice" in front of an audience for when they are in real competitions.

[Guest RHSfan05]

I do have to agree with what is above. Cheerleading is a sport when it comes to competeions. But when it comes to just cheering at football games and basketball games. I dont really know if that is a sport. Of course they have to practice just like we do for all kinds of sports. But They just stand in 2 lines and jump and scream. But when it comes to competitons... I Love to watch them. It just seems more like a sport when you do competitons. Cause there is so much more work to be done and it seems that there are a bigger squad than 12 girls/guys. But not all schools have a competetive cheerleading squad. Like RHS we dont have a REAL competetive squad they will compete aganist Harriman but that is just is mostly for fun cause they know there gonna win. But I guess that it is in some ways a sport and in some ways its not.

[MustangsGurl]

Most cheerleaders dont even know what their cheering for, they dont know the first thing about the sport, and doubt they really care.

They talk about eachother behind their backs

hmm....let's look at my list of cheers: i see OFFENSE CHEERS, DEFENSE CHEERS, FOUL SHOT CHEERS, i guess we really dont know whats going on in the game do we?

 

Sure, some may not know every single rule of the game, but we do know whats going on. Give us a break!

 

And as for the talking about each other behind our backs thing, you may not understand that cheerleading squads are like one big family. If even one person loses trust in another, the whole squad crumbles. We look to each other. Cheerleaders are tight with each other. You learn to get along. Therefor, I highly doubt that we'd talk behind each others backs. Some people on other squads might do it and thats their business, but as for ours, we don't.

Edited July 16, 2003 by MustangsGurl

[mchsballer]

Thats great, and I wasnt makin reference to your squad and your squad only, and I didnt say all, I said most. Cheerleaders amy do offense cheers and defense cheers and foul shot cheers, but weather the actually know what offense of defense does is another story, alot of squads supervisors or coaches tell them what to do, not the cheerleaders themselves.

[mchsballer]

Also- Any sport you play, your teammates are like on big family, you play together, eat together, hang out and spend almost every waking minute with eachother. So yeah, I realize this fact. Look at your basketball teams, or football, whatever. Im sure youll find that no where NEAR the amount of back biting goes on in these sports that cheerleading does. This has nothing to do however with weather or not cheerleading is really a sport. I think its really just a matter of opinion, and it looks to me like, any one who plays a real sport says no, and cheerleaders and parents (even really good friends of) say yes, and Ill admit, I enjoy watching the competions on TV, some of the things they do are amazing, but you dont see that here.

[Baseballerfb13]

mustangsgurl,

of course you say your squad is one big family, no one wants to talk trash about their own team or squad or whatever. these people are just stating what theyve seen before on their cheerleading squadrons. anyways, you guys have certainly hit the nail on the head and i cant really think of much to add except that i agree with the opinion that cheerleading is not a sport and could POSSIBLY be considered one when they compete but even their competitions are overrated. i went to a few last year and they werent too great. sometimes they even go to competitions and theres only one team in their division so theyve already won before they even get there. how is that competing? i know all competitions arent like that but it just adds to my doubts about it being a sport

[MaryvilleRebels]

Someone earlier said that the cheerleaders have to go through a lot to get ready for the game on Friday. However; so does the band, they practice in the summer, and each day of the week, including gameday, and still...they aren't considered a sport. Sure you may go through a lot, but don't think you're the only ones!

[TheEgoHasLanded]

Band Members don't stretch and run sprints in the summer. They aren't worried about their weight, they aren't thrown 15 feet in the air. They don't have the kind of pressure that cheerleaders have (I know, I played two instruments as well as played varsity football, basketball, and then competed on the knowledge bowl team, and the chess team). Cheerleading is very much a sport. I'm not kissing up to anyone, I respect cheerleaders for their hardwork and dedication...some cheerleading programs are not very serious, but then again some golf teams, wrestling teams, bowling teams, cross country and track teams aren't taken seriously either. One of my friends cheered and she almost broke her neck, she was temporarily paralyzed so I will never say that isn't a sport. They cry if they mess up, I have never seen a band member cry if he or she messed up. They cry when they do well also, I have never seen a pianist cry after a recital, even though I took part in them for over 6 years. They go through a lot, and their commitment deserves and demands respect.

 

 

When they stop respecting your sports, then you stop respecting theirs'

[TrojanSportsFan]

Great post there EGO.

[MaryvilleRebels]

Just because a girl gets hurt doesn't make it a sport. People jump off stuff and get hurt, thats not a sport. Cliff diving, not a sport. The dangerous level doesn't make it a sport. Neither does the amount of work they put into it. They don't compete on Friday nights at a football game, or at basketball games, they perform. I'm an actor and I work just as hard as they do on acting in order to be great at it. I work on acting 5 hours a day when I am in a play and I do voice workouts I have done some dangerous things such as being suspended from a cable, I have been punched in the face, etc. They don't call acting a sport. Why? Simple, I don't compete when acting. Its physical, takes time, hard work, and stressful...just like cheerleading, but I still don't go around calling it a sport. I for one don't think cheerleading is a sport unless you are on a competitive team, a school team is not a sports team. I also disagree that they cheerleaders should get rings when a team wins a championship in football. No matter how dangerous or how crazy, its not a sport on Friday nights!

[Baseballerfb13]

cheerleaders dont really go through anything "troublesome" to gget ready for friday night, as far as ive seen. sure they may practice yelling and getting in their stunts and what not, but the rest of the time spent is on the signs and stuff for the game on friday. i love all the things that cheerleaders do for the team, but you cant say they prepare that hard for games when it involves spending a couple hours drawing. im not going back on what i said before, cheerleading could be considered a sport when they compete, but the friday night stuff doesnt even come close to representing a sport. on friday nights, they are just crowd pleasers who LEAD CHEERS for their team and pretty much nothing else

[FHSrebel27]

What an interesting topic. I think I'm going to have to go against the majority here (or actually the minority of voters but majority of posters) and say that yes, cheerleading is a sport. Let me just ramble for a minute on why I belive this is such. First, sport is a very loose word. I feel that competition is the only thing needed to define something as sport. Whether that be a band competition, forensics (speech and debate stuff, ask WesVols), a football game, or cheerleading competition. All of that is sport in my book. Franklin High has brought in a former Titans cheerleader to teach senior Honors English and also lead the cheerleading squads. She demands more out of her cheerleaders than many other athletic coaches. During the fall (and now the winter because they've combined it to one big football/basketball squad), their life is cheerleading and nothing else besides school. They practice several hours each night for the game on Friday and typically a competition on Saturday. I feel that they do more than just stand on the sideline on a Friday night and attempt to get some fans excited. If they didn't understand or care about what was going on why then did I watch them get horribly upset when our season came to a close this past season? It's not as if their cheerleading status suddenly vanished. It's more than just status. Many (not many on this site) would say that football players are simply out there for their status. This is obviously not true as we all know so who is to say that the same isn't true for cheerleaders? No no, I'm not a cheerleader, I promise. I just think what they do (at least at the two high schools I've attended) plays a very big role. Well perhaps I've rambled long enough... and I probably haven't made any sense, but oh well.