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What makes sport a sport
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The word ‘sport’ brings many different ones to mind. Football, most likely being the first. The one to cross minds last, is cheerleading. But, it depends if the person considers cheerleading a sport or not. The Women’s Sports Foundation has narrowed down elements that are commonly agreed creates a sport (varsity.com). One element is it must be a physical activity which involves propelling a mass through space or overcoming the resistance of a mass. The second element is competing against/with an opponent is required. A third element is it 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. The last element is acknowledgement that the primary purpose of the competition is a comparison of the relative skills of the participants. In this essay I will be arguing that cheerleading is a sport because it includes all of these elements. First, I will be giving examples and …show more content…
Politics, for example, is competitive and some could argue using the right definition that it is a sport. But, by the elements and definition I am using, politics is not a sport. I will use the presidency race between Trump and Clinton for an example. Although Trump and Clinton are competing against each other and this satisfies the second elements, they are not propelling a mass through space. Politics does not fulfill all the elements, and therefore is not a sport by this definition. Another example, is cooking. There are cooking competitions and some could argue because cooking can be competitive, it is a sport. Even so, by the definition I am using, cooking does not qualify as a sport. Cooking has the same problem as politics, it does not propel a mass through space or overcome the resistance of a mass. Despite meeting some of the elements, cooking does not meet all of them, therefore, cooking is not a
When it comes to the topic of whether cheerleading is a sport, some of us will readily agree that it is. Where the agreement usually ends, however, is on the question whether cheerleading is a sport or not. Whereas many are convinced that it isn’t a sport, other maintains 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.
What exactly determines whether or not an activity is a sport? The term sport is defined by The Free Dictionary as: A physical activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively, an activity involving physical exertion and skill that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often undertaken competitively, or an active pastime; recreation.
“An athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature.” According to dictionary.com that would be the definition of a sport. Let’s look at the definition of a sport from Cambridge Dictionary, “a game, competition, or similar activity, done for enjoyment or as a job, that takes physical effort and skill and is played or done by following particular rules.” Marching band has been around for many years and still to this day is underappreciated and there’s been a lot of controversy whether or not it should be considered a sport. If we were to follow the guidelines of these definitions, then why would it not be. Marching band is an exhausting sport and takes an immense amount of physical power and will to be done. Not only that, but it takes an almost impossible amount of skill. Finally, marching band is a majorly competitive activity. Most high schools have a competition about once a week for a season that lasts about fourteen weeks (or about three months). So why is it not considered a sport?
Clifford, Sarah Jane. "WOMEN IN SPORTS: There’s No Debate — Cheerleading Is a Sport." MPNnow. Daily Messenger, 02 Nov. 2013. Web. 8 Dec. 2013.
There is two things in this world that you should be scared of. The first thing is spiders, and the second is a cheerleader who has just been told cheerleading is not a sport. There are approximately 400,000 individuals in the Unites States in this day and age that participate in high school cheerleading (www.varsity.com). If you ask, most of them would tell you that they work their butts off, and they would say that cheerleading is a sport. In some cases some cheerleaders are fighting for their right to be called athletes because their school districts tell them that they aren’t. By doing this the school districts are portraying the message that cheerleading is a joke, and that it isn’t a real sport. It sets stereotypes for cheerleaders, and they have to work to overcome those stereotypes everyday. The school districts all over US not classifying cheerleading as a sport are in the wrong. For several reasons, all school districts should recognize cheerleading
Because some cheerleading squads don’t compete, society thinks of it merely as a physical activity. Even though cheerleaders’ main purpose is to support other athletic activities, cheer squads whom compete, follow all physical criteria to be considered a sport. Cheerleaders put forth an incredible amount of determination. They practice tirelessly to show off their skills, with little or no recognition for their efforts. Cheerleading is a sport because it requires physical fitness, skill, dedication, and stamina. Cheerleading should be considered a sport globally.
We believe the arguments in the article to be unfounded and therefore view the claim that cheerleading is a sport to be untrue. There is more supp...
Sports. They are physical activities, athletics, that almost everyone has done in their lives. It’s a very common thing in life. In “What Could Be Better Than a Touchdown?” by Kelefa Sanneh and Why We Run by Bernd Heinrich, the authors tell us that you need something else other than physical strength. Mental strength and agility are just as important as physical prowess in sports.
The best leadership accomplishment that demonstrates my potential to make significant contributions to the campus community and broader society is cheerleading. Cheerleading has made a huge impact on my life and has created many opportunities for me. It has paved the way for my high school career. Cheerleading provided me with opportunities to lead, volunteer, perform and show the athletic ability of our squad.
Society often labels an activity a sport if it is rugged, requires endurance, strength, and masculine qualities. Because cheerleading is a predominantly women sport and is characterized by attractive uniforms and cheers, society often shuns the idea of men participating in this activity. Often times the activity is not considered a sport and the males and females are not considered athletes. Both males and females have to fight to encourage others to perceive them as athletes. In 1997, only one all female division participated in the NCAA all-collegiate cheer and dance team national championships. This proves the point that despite the social and cultural costs involved, males are still eager to participate in the sport that they originally founded and feel many more benefits as well.
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 club teams are now considered one of the most dangerous sports, and there is even a rule book for competition cheerleading now. The book consists of the same concepts that any other team sports such as football would include. The book has rules and regulations for jumps, stunts, tumbling, and many other conditions that involve the sport; School cheerleading, on the other hand, has very few rules and very seldom do they tumble or stunt. Most schools are not allowed to stunt they’re what is referred to as, “ground bound.” People that do not know the facts about cheerleading have deemed cheerleading as not being a sport, they usually call these teams a spirit club and show disrespect towards these athletes. If people knew all of the facts and strengths of cheerleaders, they would consider cheerleading to be a sport just as much as your common sports.
The New York Times states that cheerleading is the fastest growing girls’ sport, yet more than half of Americans do not believe it is a sport. A sport is defined as “an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature” (dictionary.com). Cheerleading at a competitive level is physically demanding and requires team work to be the best. The misconception of cheerleaders being weak, nonathletic crowd entertainers makes people believe cheerleaders are not athletes and that cheerleading is just a hobby but cheerleaders that compete at a competitive level are in fact athletes because it meets the standards of what a sport is, which includes rules and regulations, and overcoming air resistance.
Merriam-Webster defines a sport as “a contest or game in which people do certain physical activities according to a specific set of rules and compete against each other.” Although some argue how video games share many similarities with sports, such as the massive audiences drawn in, the potential scholarships deals, and the amount of skill needed,
What do you think of when you hear the word “sports”? You probably think of basketball, soccer, baseball, and most of all, football; but why not marching band? According to Oxford Dictionary, the definition of sport is an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment. In my speech, I will be explaining why marching band should be considered a sport. I will cover the three criteria in the definition of sport - involving physical exertion, involving skill, and competes for entertainment - and how marching band fits into them.
Sport, according to the oxford dictionary, can be defined as an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment. Sport may seem like just another, simple five letter word yet it has the power and aptitude to teach humanity such fundamental and intellectual life lessons. In my speech I will explore these vital lessons, such as failure, success, perseverance, teamwork, tolerance, responsibility and discipline by exhibiting how each lesson can be learnt and utilised.