Cheerleading: a Sport or Not?

The purpose of this research paper is to find out whether cheerleading is really a sport. We chose this topic because of our involvement and interest in cheerleading. Our definition of cheerleading is a sport in which both males and females use both gymnastics and cheering at the same time. People do not believe it is a sport but a recreational activity. We feel that we should prove that it is a sport for the sake of all cheerleaders.

Cheerleading is often referred to as a recreational activity. We can say it was a recreational activity when it first started, but it has outgrown that category. Our topic is "Is Cheerleading a Sport?" We want to prove that cheerleading is a sport because to us it is. It is now widely known through out America and is all over ESPN. Cheerleading should officially be considered a sport.

Cheerleading started during a football game at Princeton. The crowd was chanting loudly and together for their team. While no one is exactly sure about the date, it is said to have started in the 1880s. After that, cheering for your team became popular and organizations started to form. 100 years later competitions for cheerleading started. These competitions where not about who could scream the loudest and who could make up the best chant, but it became about who can do the best stunts and have the most solid pyramid. Coordination is key for cheerleaders.
The dictionary states that a sport is an activity involving physical activity and competing. That means that you have to do something athletic and you have to compete. Things like basketball and football are easily defined as sports because of what they involve. The definition of cheerleading, "a recreational activity in which persons cheer for their home team" seems to fit better with how cheerleading was when it started at Princeton. A recreational activity is defined as an activity someone does in their spare time and does not have much impact.

After examining the definitions of both cheerleading and sport, we have come up with several reasons on why it should be a sport and how it fits nicely. Cheerleading fits as a sport because it involves a huge amount of physical activity. You have to have the ability to jump, tumble, flip and do other gymastic stunts. Cheerleaders compete all the time. They go to competitions locally, regionally, and nationally.

Many people consider cheerleading as a sport already because of obivious reasons. Cheerleading tournaments are all over ESPN and other sport channels. It is broadcast live and has commentators like most other sports. The next reason is that cheerleaders have to train just as much as basketball players if not more. Cheerleaders wear uniforms and have to work out in order to cheer just like other athletes.

Cheerleading has many perks as well as cons being a sport. Because of the laws that demand opportunities for females to participate in athletic activities, cheerleading might be manipulated as the only girl sport in schools. That would deprive girls from other sports if thats all schools consider. Some perks are that the definition in the dictionary would finally fit what cheerleading is, and people would respect cheerleaders as fellow athletes. More and more people might take cheerleading more seriously if it is considered an official sport. It would also help the advancement and progression of cheerleading and people might be able to see cheerleading more popular at the international level.

Whether cheerleading is a sport or an activity is a large debate. The magazine American Cheerleadertook a survey to see what cheerleaders thought. There results were that 78 percent of the surveyed people said it was a sport and 11 percent said that it was not. The other percent of people where not sure or did not care enough to think about it truly. After some more research, we found out that most people had the same opinions. They all said it one way or another if it was not a sport "why is it all over ESPN?"

After our research, we have came to the conclusion that cheerleading is indeed a sport. It matches up perfectly with what a sport is supposed to be and surveys prove that most people believe that it is a sport, and found it hard to believe that the definition did not state that. Our research also led us to find that people do not take cheerleading very seriously and should do so. It is already a major industry in the United States and will soon be a major sport.