Is Cheerleading a sport?

[Papalenin]

Cheerleading has nothing on real gymnastics.

[Zhardoom]

Sadly it is not considered a sport, and that is rely rely bad!
Due to it not being considered a sport, it does not get any "safety regulations" or "safety requirements" as lets say football or other "sports" would
And you say they need goals?
Well what about the Cheer leading championships then? they have goals? Do they not?
And Cheer leading have more injuries per year then any other sport that are trained in schools.
And if you want to compare it with other sports?
Well skateboarding, snow boarding, figure skating, gymnastics in various sorts.
And if you do not want to call them sports ether, then why are they in lets say the Olympics?

---------- Post added 2011-05-21 at 11:23 PM ----------

Of course it isn't. It is demanding and intense, but not a sport. Also, it's hugely limited to a very small group of countries, so definitely no international sporting tournaments.

I beg to differ
http://www.varsity.com/event/1199/icu.aspx

Scroll true the countries, see many that lack??

[Deleted]

Also, it's hugely limited to a very small group of countries, so definitely no international sporting tournaments.

So like Baseball (22 national teams). Oh or Rugby! Here's one for you; the IFAF World Cup. Only 6 teams competed in the last one! Guess what sport that is? American Football.

It is a sport, but many guys think that cheerleading is shaking pom poms at the sidelines. Proper cheerleading is a sport as they have scored competitions which equals a sport. You can argue all you want, but you are wrong. It is that simple. It is a fact that Cheerleading is a sport, not opinion.

[Zhangfei]

So like Baseball (22 national teams). Oh or Rugby! Here's one for you; the IFAF World Cup. Only 6 teams competed in the last one! Guess what sport that is? American Football.

It is a sport, but many guys think that cheerleading is shaking pom poms at the sidelines. Proper cheerleading is a sport as they have scored competitions which equals a sport. You can argue all you want, but you are wrong. It is that simple. It is a fact that Cheerleading is a sport, not opinion.

If there was competitive art grading it wouldn't make it a sport. It's just dance, and not hugely graceful dance either. Just because you can score it, doesn't make it a sport. Or Starcraft playing would be a sport.

Edit to say: About cheerleading not being popular (like American football) worldwide, I meant that in reference to it being in any worldwide sporting competition. So what if a few countries have a team. I play cricket in America with some Indians on a small team. It doesn't mean that cricket is a solid, supported, well-grounded sport in America, so that the Olympics should include it. It's barely anywhere but North America.

[Zyzzyx]

If there was competitive art grading it wouldn't make it a sport. It's just dance, and not hugely graceful dance either. Just because you can score it, doesn't make it a sport. Or Starcraft playing would be a sport.

Edit to say: About cheerleading not being popular (like American football) worldwide, I meant that in reference to it being in any worldwide sporting competition. So what if a few countries have a team. I play cricket in America with some Indians on a small team. It doesn't mean that cricket is a solid, supported, well-grounded sport in America, so that the Olympics should include it. It's barely anywhere but North America.

Watch out, the Gaming League will throw their flash drives at you if you don't call Starcraft a sport!

[Zhangfei]

Watch out, the Gaming League will throw their flash drives at you if you don't call Starcraft a sport!

The horror!

[xile]

If there was competitive art grading it wouldn't make it a sport. It's just dance, and not hugely graceful dance either. Just because you can score it, doesn't make it a sport. Or Starcraft playing would be a sport.

Edit to say: About cheerleading not being popular (like American football) worldwide, I meant that in reference to it being in any worldwide sporting competition. So what if a few countries have a team. I play cricket in America with some Indians on a small team. It doesn't mean that cricket is a solid, supported, well-grounded sport in America, so that the Olympics should include it. It's barely anywhere but North America.

Get over your sadly one minded thought process. Curling LAWLZ is a sport, things that my grandparents could do are sports, they are competitive. Please explain why cheerleading isn't a sport, and why nascar is. Please tells me what qualifies as a sport and how it excludes cheerleading. High school game cheerleading is lawlzy and has nothing on competitive cheer, but apparently it's not a sport just because you say it isn't, it's just dance. Hey guess what nascar is just driving, soccer is just kicking a ball around, baseball is just... lol. Gymnastics and competitive cheer are pretty close, cheerleading being a slightly more cheery and group driven form of gymnastics with a bit of dance added in. So if you want to not call cheer a sport you might as well throw out gymnastics which is arguably one of the hardest things to do period.

[Deleted]

Of course it's not.
Anything played without a ball can't be a sport.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_oOLQi5-is

[Deleted]

The only things you can call a sport in my book are competive games that you can win in. Cheerleading does not fall under this group.

[shiby92]

The only things you can call a sport in my book are competive games that you can win in. Cheerleading does not fall under this group.

Yes, You can compete in cheerleading. There are competitions. Cheerleading requires A LOT of gymnastic training. People get hurt. Requires team work and precise timing. Yes it is a sport

[Deleted]

Cheerleading can be competitive and you can win in it, if there's a contest and a jury rates the contestants.

[Takanami]

I don't see why people have a hard time admitting that cheerleading is a sport to be honest. It involves a high level of athletics, it involves competition, a set of rules, and people engage in it for leisure. The most important thing here is that it is a physical activity with a set of rules. It's really not hard to come to the realization that cheerleading is indeed a sport. Also, you can win in cheerleading. There are competitions all of the time, treated usually as a team sport. The only rational way I can see denying cheerleading as a sport would be masculine insecurity or being thick headed about your own personal definition and what you like.

A simple google search will even give you an easy to understand definition of the word, though this isn't a complete definition obviously..
Noun: An activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others

Now, show me that cheerleading doesn't involve physical exertion and competition. >> People and their narrow minded thought processes never cease to amaze me.

[Tilions]

I'm sure to live up to the definitions of a sport, and I'm sure it's more challenging physically than other sports, but the origin of Cheerleading kinda makes it... strange... to call it a sport, since it was actually made for cheering at other sports.

[Zhangfei]

Get over your sadly one minded thought process. Curling LAWLZ is a sport, things that my grandparents could do are sports, they are competitive. Please explain why cheerleading isn't a sport, and why nascar is. Please tells me what qualifies as a sport and how it excludes cheerleading. High school game cheerleading is lawlzy and has nothing on competitive cheer, but apparently it's not a sport just because you say it isn't, it's just dance. Hey guess what nascar is just driving, soccer is just kicking a ball around, baseball is just... lol. Gymnastics and competitive cheer are pretty close, cheerleading being a slightly more cheery and group driven form of gymnastics with a bit of dance added in. So if you want to not call cheer a sport you might as well throw out gymnastics which is arguably one of the hardest things to do period.

Art is not "just" art, dance is an incredibly physical, demanding form. Cheerleading is incredibly physical and demanding. However, it's "just" a popular form of dance. Nothing against it, but it's not a sport.

The fact you don't get why NASCAR, a sport I loathe, isn't a sport is retarded. The body gets hugely punished with gravity as well as rapid weightloss through the heat. It's also directly competitive on simple grounds. Cheer is like ice skating, something I also don't consider a sport, because it's judged on artistic and not sporting merits.

The final point is that cheerleading wasn't ever originally designed as a challenge, unlike less intensive sports like lawn bowls or darts. Adding competition in later is a lame excuse for a sport, or you could call icing friends a sport depending on who gets iced the least winning.

[klaps_05]

its a sport for the guys watching 8)

[Seethe]

is gymnastics a sport? yes. Then so is cheer leading.

Cheer leading is just group gymnastics with a theme.

[Jaqera]

Cheerleading is as much a sport as Planking...


p.s. neither are sports

[Deleted]

If gymnastics is a sport then cheerleading most definitely is too. It is also propably the most dangerous sport practiced high school students.

[Primernova]

It's a sport but also highly exploitative, especially for very young girls. It's a subject best left alone really.

A trapping of life, best left up to the individual or the individual's guardian to decide and not others to judge.

[Myrrar]

I did competition cheerleading (all-star)all through middle and highschool and no, it's not a sport. I did ballet and other dance, that's a sport. I did gymnastics when I was younger, that's a sport. Cheerleading, especially highschool has neither.

The closest thing we got to dance was hiphop, and not even good hiphop. You can never have danced before and win competitions.

Also, tumbling =/= gymnastics. It's = tumbling. Back hand springs, tucks, toe touches, anything else while physically demanding, is not up to what gymnasts do. Competition cheerleading is fairly close to a sport, same way if you consider golf a sport. I still wouldn't equate it with ice skating or swimming or any other solo non-contact sports. Highschool cheerleading is a joke.

Just depends on what you consider a sport to be. But if it is, it's by far the least demanding and skill based sport out.