Is Cheerleading a sport?

[Deleted]

I don't see how it's any different to gymnastics, so yeah, i'd be happy to see it as an olympic sport. Its easy on the eyes too

[Shadamehr]

If gambling, errr I mean horse racing can be called a sport, then yes, cheerleading is also a sport

[Faerillis]

It is absolutely a sport; have you seen what those women do?! High aerial gymnastics, extreme team co-ordination... If you don't think it's a sport you are thinking of the cheerleaders of old.

Hell High School Cheerleading has a higher injury rate than most other men's sports combined.

[Atrea]

Hell High School Cheerleading has a higher injury rate than most other men's sports combined.

That just means that they're careless and not very good, not that it's somehow harder on the body.

[Bearshield]

I was a cheerleader in high school so I'll give my two cents on the subject. At our school cheer and dance were combined as Spiritline. We performed at football games and basketball games, practiced throughout the year, and attended a cheerleading camp in the summer put on by the NCA. (National Cheerleading Association I think it was, been awhile hehe) Our routines consisted of cheers, dances, and builds. (builds are when you see someone being held up by the others in various ways) So our practices could at times be just as demanding as the football team's practice. For that matter, the NCA has cheerleading competitions. There was one going on in California just a couple months ago when we took our daughter to Disneyland.

So yeah, I see it as a sport, at least as much if not more so than something like golf/bowling. Do I think it belongs in the olympics? Nope but then again, there's other things I dont think really belong in the olympics either. I have to ask though, for those of you who are not American who disagree with cheerleading being considered a sport, how much do you really know about it? Are there many cheer programs in your countries?

[Shinoashi]

It is absolutely a sport; have you seen what those women do?! High aerial gymnastics, extreme team co-ordination... If you don't think it's a sport you are thinking of the cheerleaders of old.

Hell High School Cheerleading has a higher injury rate than most other men's sports combined.

Um.. because they have a high injury rate makes it a sport? Um.. hmm... hermm... no.

[Bearshield]

That just means that they're careless and not very good, not that it's somehow harder on the body.

How many men's sports require 2 guys to pick up another guy and hold him up for a period of time? Stuff happens, doesnt mean the people involved were careless or bad.

[Twotonsteak]

Yes it is. Anyone who would argue that it isn't...well, for them I can only point at some other sports...such as golf, NASCAR, bowling, ect.

[Worvon]

My view is that if there is any subjectivity to selecting the winner (Judging) then it is not truly a sport. A sport has a clear winner, not someone appointed by judges.

[Shinoashi]

Yes it is. Anyone who would argue that it isn't...well, for them I can only point at some other sports...such as golf, NASCAR, bowling, ect.

I agree that none of those are sports therefor neither is cheerleading.

Offtopic a little: I remember the commercials around 2003-2004 where NASCAR was trying to rank itself up there with football, hockey and any other compact sport by showing footage of drivers being bounced around in their vehicles during a crash. Saying that its just as hard. Yeah just as hard being harnessed so unbelievably well to your seat you barely even move around. Your helmet fits so snuggly to your head down to your shoulders that you neck barely even moves. But hey its just as extreme as hockey, and football.

[Holyshnikies]

I guess if the girls didn't look like complete total sluts then yes, no doubt it would always be considered a sport.

But when you have to wear something skimpy just to get people to look at you, seems pretty flawed to me. Change the image.

But other than most schools having dress codes and then their cheerleaders look like sluts, then sure, its a sport

[Mixxy]

Cheerleading is ALMOST a sport, in my humble opinion.

The only thing stopping it from being a real sport is the judging system it uses. Unfortunately, as there's really no way to score a team properly (Gymnastics and Syncronised Swimming have the same problem), it always falls down to "which performance the judge personally liked better".

If there was an honest, non-biased way to judge these sports based on performance and not personal preference, then hells yes they'd be sports.

[Kenai]

I was a cheerleader in high school so I'll give my two cents on the subject. At our school cheer and dance were combined as Spiritline. We performed at football games and basketball games, practiced throughout the year, and attended a cheerleading camp in the summer put on by the NCA. (National Cheerleading Association I think it was, been awhile hehe) Our routines consisted of cheers, dances, and builds. (builds are when you see someone being held up by the others in various ways) So our practices could at times be just as demanding as the football team's practice. For that matter, the NCA has cheerleading competitions. There was one going on in California just a couple months ago when we took our daughter to Disneyland.

So yeah, I see it as a sport, at least as much if not more so than something like golf/bowling. Do I think it belongs in the olympics? Nope but then again, there's other things I dont think really belong in the olympics either. I have to ask though, for those of you who are not American who disagree with cheerleading being considered a sport, how much do you really know about it? Are there many cheer programs in your countries?

Well, we have cheerleading being compared to everything from pushups to painting to basket weaving in the thread, so I'm going to go with "not one iota" for $1000. Thanks for the reply by the way.

I can understand not wanting it in the Olympics for one reason or another, that's more opinion than anything else (despite what is already there). But not calling it a sport blows my mind, and at first I had to make sure I didn't click on a "make the stupidest comparison you can think of" thread by mistake.

[Bearshield]

I guess if the girls didn't look like complete total sluts then yes, no doubt it would always be considered a sport.

But when you have to wear something skimpy just to get people to look at you, seems pretty flawed to me. Change the image.

But other than most schools having dress codes and then their cheerleaders look like sluts, then sure, its a sport

So wearing a skirt and a sleeveless top is slutty to you? I guess they should just wear baggy sweats and bags over their heads right? Just because you lack the self confidence to go out in front of an audience and dance in a dress doesnt mean those who do it are bad.

[Graviteh]

It's a sport, just because they don't keep score doesn't make it any less of a sport.

[salty goat]

Yes, it is a sport. Way more athletic than golf or bowling (both of which I enjoy).

[Finn mac cool]

HAHAHAHAHAHA no no no no no no

[Mixxy]

Well, we have cheerleading being compared to everything from pushups to painting to basket weaving in the thread, so I'm going to go with "not one iota" for $1000. Thanks for the reply by the way.

I can understand not wanting it in the Olympics for one reason or another, that's more opinion than anything else (despite what is already there). But not calling it a sport blows my mind, and at first I had to make sure I didn't click on a "make the stupidest comparison you can think of" thread by mistake.

Like I said, the only reason I don't consider it a sport (at least, not a decent competitive one) is the judging system.
A real competitive sport needs a clear, definitive point or ruling system where the winner is obvious to all. As it stands, even online gaming is more of a sport than Cheerleading in that one (and only) regard.

Unforunately, however, there IS no real way to judge a Cheer team's performance without any bias or personal preference. Hell, one team might beat another team simply because the judge caught more up-skirt peaks during their performance.

Cynical, I know, but that's my point. If there was some scientific or mathmatical way of judging a team SOLELY and COMPLETELY on performance and nothing else, then hells yes I'd call this a competitive sport. A rather fun one to watch too.

TL;DR
While Cheerleading has all the other tools required for me, personally, to acknowledge it as a competitive sport, it is still missing that clear un-biased ruling system crucial to sports. And no, I don't consider Gymnastics or Syncronised Swimming or anything like that a competitive sport either.

There's just too much room for bias and preference to get in the way of deciding a clear winner.

---------- Post added 2011-05-09 at 02:25 PM ----------

So wearing a skirt and a sleeveless top is slutty to you? I guess they should just wear baggy sweats and bags over their heads right? Just because you lack the self confidence to go out in front of an audience and dance in a dress doesnt mean those who do it are bad.

I think he's talking more about wearing a skirt that is closer to a belt in size and a top that's basically a single sleeve.

You know, showing off as much flesh as legally possible?

[JHuggz]

Personally, I don't see activities that require a judges rating to win, as a real sport.
Just my opinion,

[Atrea]

How many men's sports require 2 guys to pick up another guy and hold him up for a period of time? Stuff happens, doesnt mean the people involved were careless or bad.

To what purpose? What purpose does doing that serve in cheerleading? Does it amplify the volume of their cheers? Does it make the team for which they are cheering win?

Doing dangerous stunts - stunts that are often botched, as you have pointed out, due to the high injury rate - that serve no real purpose (other than showboating) is pretty much the textbook definition of carelessness.

Injuries in men's (and women's) sports occur (typically) from one team attempting to stop the opposing team from achieving their goal.
Injuries in cheerleading occur without exception from someone botching a gymnastic stunt.

See the difference?