What makes something a sport? What characteristics define a sport? Why do we feel that some sports are not considered sports when we have never played them? When you google the definition of a sport this is what you will find “an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment.” So as long as there is physical activity and competing then whatever you are playing is considered a sport. When you think of a “sport” that should not be considered one what is the first that comes to mind; why? Why is it when googling “Sports that aren 't considered sports” Cheerleading comes up so often?
Those were the many questions I had at the beginning of my search. I planned
…show more content…
After all it is a whole lot more than waving poms, smiling, and doing simple skills like cartwheels. “As routines have gotten more difficult, cheerleading has become more dangerous. There were nearly 37,000 emergency room visits for cheerleading injuries in 2011, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Many injuries were serious, such as broken bones (S-P-O-R-T).
Cheerleaders need skill along with athleticism now there is someone on the cheerleaders sides; Academy of Pediatrics fight for cheerleading to be considered a sport. “The goal is to reduce injuries among cheerleaders and to ensure the same attention to safety is paid to cheerleaders as to athletes in other sports” (S-P-O-R-T). “After all there are 3.7 Million cheerleaders reported at the age of 6 and up, why don 't they deserve the attention? Why don 't they deserve classification of a sport?” (S-P-O-R-T).
Search
…show more content…
I completely agree when people say that sideline cheerleading isnt a sport because you are just cheering on the football players, you are not competing for anything. But when anyone says that competitive cheerleading is not a sport I have absolutely no idea where they are coming from, doing research on why competitive cheerleading isn 't a sport I could not find one legitimate reason it shouldn 't be considered a sport.
While using GRCC’s databases for this paper I found it extremely frustrating because I could not find anything I wanted at first, I actually ended up calling the library and got help on things to search and databases to use. If I would not have called the library for their help my sources probably would not have come from GRCC like they needed to because I was not good at using their site. Sometimes you just need to take a deep breath, relax, and get help. This paper has taught me
There are millions of cheerleaders in America and all around the world today. They stand in front of hundreds of fans and try their best to get the crowd pumped up. They stand outside braving the cold as they are rained, sleeted, and even snowed on. It’s probably the only sport I can think of where you would have to wear hardly any warm clothing and still have to pump the crowd up. How can you not call that a sport?
Last year, during one of my high school’s football games, a couple of students approached my friend and I. “Why do we need cheerleaders?”, “Don’t you think you guys are sort of distracting the football players?”, were the questions directed towards us. Because of my timid freshman self, I was unable to answer their question at the time. Why exactly did Cheerleaders matter? As the year went on, I couldn’t help but notice the drastic effects the
According to Brea Darnell, cheerleading is not a sport because of “the inability to compete against an opponent. One of the most important requirements of a sport [is] to compete against another opponent, not just cheer to support your team” (Daily Republic). Pom-poms and sideline chants are aspects of sideline cheerleading that lack in contributing to the definition of competitive cheerleading. Competitive cheerleading is a different side of cheerleading that consists of tumbling, jumping, and dancing, alongside a greater amount of contact activity in comparison to sideline cheerleading. Lori A. Selke, a writer for Livestrong.com, creates the argument that, “in order to gain and maintain those athletic qualities, a competitive cheerleader must train as hard as any other athlete… In addition to attending cheer practice to practice stunting, tumbling, and dancing, cheerleaders must also weight lift and work out several times a week” (Selke). The arrogation of cheerleading illuminates why it is a sport and not just an activity because of the overall devotion to the sport and time a cheerleader must generate to practicing, refining, and executing skills, similar to any other athlete in
Society should consider competitive cheerleading a sport because it fits the definition,
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
From an outsiders perspective one may see brainless and beautiful robots, which scream and perform neat tricks. This is not the case from the inside; cheerleading is so much more than that. Many people are under the impression that cheerleading is not a sport. I am the voice of reasoning that will let you in, and I will show you that cheerleading, in fact, is a sport. Cheerleading requires much physical demand from the body just as any other sport would. Cheerleading, in general, is a team effort. There are many sides to cheerleading, which make it a versatile sport. When it comes to cheerleading there’s more to it than what meets the eye.
Cheerleading is an important tool for promoting both genders’ self-esteem. In an article by Lee Purvey in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Giannia Kustra expressed how cheerleading helped her as a person to “become more outgoing” (Purvey). In high school, cheerleading gives students an opportunity to support their teams proudly, build teamwork, and improve character and work ethic (Bernstein). This new “business” helps to improve the spirit and morals of athletes and fans alike.
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.
Cheerleading began as a male-only activity to cheer on their schools sports teams. Today it is a world-wide co-ed sport that incorporates leadership, athleticism, and entertainment. Cheerleading focuses on teamwork, dedication, and skills preparing participants for future challenges in life. It helps cheerleaders practice communication skills, confidence, and crowd management. Cheerleading has come a long way since the 1800s and is now a very popular sport in the US and a few parts of other countries around the world.
Cheerleading has not always been a feminine sport. In the 1880’s, Princeton University created an all-male pep club to the football game against the University of Minnesota. Since then cheerleading has evolved profoundly. In the late 80’s Cheerleading competitions began with the help of the Universal Cheer Association. Cheerleading Competitions require a vast majority of time dedicated to practices and teammates. The process of creating a routine no longer than two-minutes and thirty-seconds, with at least one cheer, and a segment of music is very time consuming and stressful on the squad. With the help of choreographers and leaders the squad is able to produce a routine that represents their school and exhibits all their hard work in a matter
To a cheerleader, this is very degrading to hear, and to an extent, offensive. To put in excessive amounts of work and literal blood, sweat, and plenty of tears, and then be told what you are doing is a sort of joke can make one wonder what is the point of doing this, if no one supports what you are doing. A common reason for believing cheer is not a sport is the lack of competition. This is false though. A cheer team can compete up to, but not limited to seven times in one season, and during these competitions, “…teams perform a 2 and a half minute routine with music that includes stunts, jumps, tumbling” (varsity.com). Others argue that cheerleading only includes yelling for other teams. While cheerleading does include this, cheer also involves “tumbling, dance, gymnastics, and stunting” (thoughtco.com). This is possibly the most frustrating claim, because if an individual looks at any cheerleading video this will be proven to be incorrect. The final argument is that cheerleading does not require any strength, like any “actual sport”. This, like other arguments, is false. “The greatest difference between football and cheerleading, is that football requires sheer strength while cheerleading also requires balance and body control. Balancing a top heavy 120 pounds in one hand takes much more coordination than running full steam into the guy facing
Sherman, Elisabeth. "Why Don't More People Consider Competitive Cheerleading A Sport?." The Atlantic. N. p., 2017. Web. 14 Nov. 2017.
In conclusion if cheerleading was to be classified as a sport they would get school funding for things they might need or even to help someone who cannot afford everything you need to be a cheerleader. Also cheerleaders would get the respect they deserve because they do not just dance around and get people hype for a football game. But lastly classifying cheerleading would help the injury rate decline greatly, but also considering that the most injuries happen at practice. This would mean
A common perception about a cheerleader is that their sole role in sports is to chant and encourage teams that are playing on the field from the sidelines or stands of a game. However, towards the end of the 20th century, cheerleaders have taken on more of an active role. Cheerleaders take part in competitions against other schools based on the skills they acquire throughout the season. States like Virginia, Michigan, and Georgia have officially recognized cheerleading as a sport and have included the activity as a part of each state’s respective league. However, there are many more states that have not yet considered cheerleading a sport. Cheerleading has two facets, competition and sideline. While competitive cheer may require more athleticism and skill than sideline cheer, one should consider cheerleading as a sport due to its need of athleticism and training, its role in stabilizing and promoting social norms, and the competitive nature between teams for the goal of winning.
Cheerleading is a sport that involves short routines that combine dance, gymnastics, and stunting. “Cheerleading’s roots are closely tied to American football’s” (Varsity). The sport started out as a way to boost school spirit, which helped improve team performance. Over time cheerleading has become an All-Star sport of its own (EpicSports).