July 23, 201016 yr Understood. But the same things apply in many cases to debate teams. Debate teams have nothing to do with athleticism. Most colleges list their cheerleading squads on their athletics page. Will they have to put them somewhere else now that it's not a sport? Does cheerleading get money from the athletics department? Does that stop now?
July 23, 201016 yr Not a cheerleader. Never been a cheerleader. Never coached cheerleading. Never dated a cheerleader. But... Cheerleading is competitive... It requires teamwork... The competition is scored... There are championships to be won... Those do not cinch it, but... You darn well better be an athlete or you can't contribute. The physical requirements pretty much mirror gymnastics. I'm hard-pressed to understand what it is about competitive cheerleading that prevents it from being considered a sport. To me, the definitive line for "sport" is the physical training and athleticism necessary. The competition is about what you can accomplish using your body. That's why the debate team, the chess team, etc, aren't sports. If cheerleading isn't a sport, then we better dis-associate the word "sport" from gymnastics, for sure... However, I wouldn't consider the fact it's on (or NOT on) ESPN to mean anything. ESPN is getting to the point of silliness with some of the stuff they are putting on it or its various off-shoots. I confess I didn't read the article, but I'd love to know how a federal judge defends this opinion, and what made him/her an expert on the definition of sports. Didn't realize our court system also was the final arbiter for Webster's. (I'm being facetious; I'm sure the ruling had to do with Title IX, which meant the judge had to rule if the cheerleading squad helped meet Title iX requirements.)
July 23, 201016 yr OK, I went ahead and read the article. Interesting that the following were requirements for something to be a "sport", per Title IX: It must have coaches, practices, competitions during a defined season and a governing organization. The activity must also have competition as its primary goal — not merely the support of other athletic teams. The judge's comments included: “Today, however, the activity is still too underdeveloped and disorganized to be treated as offering genuine varsity athletic participation opportunities for students.” The judge must be unaware of how competitive cheerleading is...maybe the judge should check out UK and U of L - who have won more competitive cheerleading national titles than any other school...(in different associations, though). The ironies: 1) The girls volleyball team at Quinnipiac University - which was dis-banded by the university due to budget cuts, and who were going to be replaced by a competitive cheerleading squad, prompting the suit from the volleyballers - is still dis-banded. 2) Instead of being replaced by cheerleading, the volleyball team will be replaced by women's rugby. So... ...the only winners out of all of this is the women's rugby team (which will now start from scratch). The volleyballers (still) lose, and so do the cheerleaders, who thought they were about to be recognized as a school team.
July 23, 201016 yr Cheerleaders are outraged nationwide. What time is it? Time for the perfect cheer. :laugh:
July 23, 201016 yr What is the "primary" function of a cheerleading squad? Great question. Cheerleading was originally created for sports
July 23, 201016 yr Great question. Cheerleading was originally created for sports IT is definitely a two headed monster. On one hand, they support the football and basketball teams. That is the origin and tradition of the activity. On the other hand, they compete against other cheerleading squads for titles, albeit in separate venues away from the fields and courts of their origin. I just don't know which of the two is their "primary" purpose, but I think the answer to the bigger question lies within this one.
July 23, 201016 yr Cheerleading at a high level takes a ton of athleticisim, practice and dedication. I wouldn't have a problem with cheerleading being recognized as a sport if the competition end were a little more organized. It seems as if every year, KY for example has atleast 3 " National Champs". I feel like I could set up a few chairs in my back yard, open a concession stand, invite a few teams and crown my own national champ. If you're going to make it a sport, do it right. If you want the sport to be taken seriously, model it after other popular sports -- 1 national champion per division.
July 23, 201016 yr Author What is the "primary" function of a cheerleading squad? The crux of the matter.
July 24, 201016 yr Great question. Cheerleading was originally created for sports True. But basketball was "originally" adopted by colleges only to keep football players in shape during the off-season.
July 24, 201016 yr Cheerleading at a high level takes a ton of athleticisim, practice and dedication. I wouldn't have a problem with cheerleading being recognized as a sport if the competition end were a little more organized. It seems as if every year, KY for example has atleast 3 " National Champs". I feel like I could set up a few chairs in my back yard, open a concession stand, invite a few teams and crown my own national champ. If you're going to make it a sport, do it right. If you want the sport to be taken seriously, model it after other popular sports -- 1 national champion per division. I understand exactly where you are coming from - but KY has 6 champions in football. So is football not a sport?
July 24, 201016 yr What is your point? I guess you do not consider gymnastics or diving sports? What about boxing or mma if no one is knocked out? Then the winner is judged,............just like cheerleading. My point was that Bowling is a sport.
July 24, 201016 yr What is the "primary" function of a cheerleading squad? It use to be "support" but it is more competition now. My problem with cheerleading competitions is that when they have regional KAPOS events there may be just 1 team in a category and they win region. Then they get to go to state. To me that is not competition. They have several categories and almost every squad gets to move on. That is the way it is in our region.
July 24, 201016 yr It use to be "support" but it is more competition now. My problem with cheerleading competitions is that when they have regional KAPOS events there may be just 1 team in a category and they win region. Then they get to go to state. To me that is not competition. They have several categories and almost every squad gets to move on. That is the way it is in our region. Kinda like football team that hasn't won a game making playoffs
July 24, 201016 yr Many schools are now having two squads , one for ballgames, one for competitions. The biggest stumbling block is perhaps, the lack of a definitive governing body nationwide. It is in interests of all these different groups presently putting on "national competitions", to not have one overseeing group so they can stay in business. Last year a group began laying groundwork for a unified governing body with one champion, much in hierarchy of NCAA. This would basically put some of these organizations out of business. Compare that to bootleggers supporting dry counties when vote comes up. Sports evolve over time, basketball previously mentioned, a good example. If a unified group emerges, which will take time, I believe this will be revisited. My fear is the subtle demise of fast pitch softball. It is gaining in KY, but this week reveals no longer will our Olympic committee fund a team, no longer is it an Olympic sport, the world championships had three teams, our best are on TV playing against a makeshift all-star team. There is no where to go, no competition past college. Will that deterioration continue?
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