American Cheerleader: The Icon, The Stereotype, and The Truth

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Many have seen her. Many know her. But who is the American cheerleader? Is she a blond haired, blue eyed sex symbol? Is she a drug-addicted girl with no brains and even fewer moral values? Maybe she is just your average, pretty, girl-next-door with a loud voice and lots of spirit. What is clearly true is that cheerleading and cheerleaders have evolved greatly over a century-long history. What started as one bold college student has turned into an activity with over 3 million participants (Brady 1); one that is backed by a $150 million industry (Williams 2). Modern cheerleading has come a long way from its historic roots, but large differences still exist between the iconic cheerleader, the stereotypical cheerleader, and the truth.

The first known, organized cheer took place at a football game at Princeton University in the early 1880s, but the first individually noted cheerleader was a student at the University of Minnesota named Johnny Campbell. During a Minnesota football game, on the night of November 2, 1898, Johnny took advantage of the crowd's energy to lead them in a chant of, "Rah, rah, rah! Ski-u-mah! Hoo-rah! Hoo-rah! Varsity! Varsity! Minn-e-so-tah!" ("Cheerleading"1). Thus, cheerleading was born. It grew steadily as male only "pep squads" until the early 1920s when, for the first time, women broke into cheerleading. Female cheerleaders brought with them tumbling and dance moves which are now essential staples of modern cheerleading. Also in the early 1900s, the first pom-poms, megaphones, and crowd signs began to appear and grow in popularity. Cheerleading made its fateful shift from a predominantly male activity to a predominantly female activity during World War II. When the men went off to fight, the work and g...

... middle of paper ...

... the whole, most seem to be the “humble, average, girl-next-door who is decently attractive,” (Terry, “Cheerleader” 3) and she is an icon and a role model in her own right.

Works Cited

"Being a Cheerleader-History of Cheerleading." Varsity.com. Varsity Spirit Corporation. Web. 22 Feb. 2011.

Brady, Erik. "Cheerleading in the USA: A Sport and an Industry." Editorial. USA Today:1-4. USAToday.com. USA Today, 26 Apr. 2002. Web. 22 Feb. 2011.

"Cheerleading History." CheerleadingSafety.com. 1999-2009. Cheerleading Safety.com. Web. 22 Feb. 2011.

Terry, Leigh. "Cheerleader Survey for Public." Survey. 22 Feb. 2011-24 Feb. 2011.

Terry, Leigh. "Varsity Cheerleader Survey." Survey. 18 Feb. 2011.

Williams, Alex. "Cheerleading Demands the Field for Itself." Editorial. The New York Times. 15 Aug. 2004: 1-6. NYTimes.com. The New York Times, 15 Aug. 2004. Web. 23 Feb. 2011.

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