Cheerleading A Sport?

lwagnitz
lwagnitz Posts: 1,321 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
What are your thoughts?
Is it a sport?
Why or why not?

Replies

  • Bakkasan
    Bakkasan Posts: 1,027 Member
    Why wouldn't it be? Unless it never gets beyond yelling GIMME AN E!!!!
  • lwagnitz
    lwagnitz Posts: 1,321 Member
    Only some states consider it a sport. And a lot of people don't. You've got me.
  • bluefox9er
    bluefox9er Posts: 2,917 Member
    What are your thoughts?
    Is it a sport?
    Why or why not?

    according to ESPN, Poker and Golf are sports, so I see no reason why cheerleading and madden on xbox 360 can't be sports, too.
  • EricNCSU
    EricNCSU Posts: 699 Member
    High level high school, and college level cheerleading with the lifts and tosses and flips and all that.. heck yeah that's a sport. The fact that a lot of them are current or former gymnasts to be able to do that stuff... they are certainly athletes.
  • Restlessme
    Restlessme Posts: 191 Member
    God yes. My cousin literally worked her butt off in cheerleading. I attended a practice once and almost died.
  • sullykat
    sullykat Posts: 461 Member
    Takes athletics? Check!
    Competition? Check!
    Uniforms? Check!
    Regulated? Check!

    = sport
  • AnitaS71
    AnitaS71 Posts: 25 Member
    Anyone who doesn't know it's a sport has never seen cheerleaders at work! My daughter cheers on her middle school squad, and I've spent a lot of time watching them practice and cheer at games. Those girls work hard!
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,966 Member
    sure
  • predatorathletixx
    predatorathletixx Posts: 1
    OMG YES! I cheer on a senior 4.2 team for all-star cheer and my high-school team too! :) when people think of cheerleading they think of pom poms and chants for football players...which isn't what we do. We stunt, tumble, and dance. My boyfriend thought his weight lifting was WAY harder then my cheerleading...so i brought him to one of my practices...our conditioning alone had him gasping XP anyone can lift an object and put it back down- few can lift a person, hit beautiful skills, then twist down....followed by a fast paced dance and some handsprings/tucks of course!! so yes....cheer is a sport...which i spend over 24 hours a week doing :D
  • tsh0ck
    tsh0ck Posts: 1,970 Member
    What are your thoughts?
    Is it a sport?
    Why or why not?

    no. but, depending upon the kind/level, participants are extremely athletic.
  • jjlibunao
    jjlibunao Posts: 78
    High level high school, and college level cheerleading with the lifts and tosses and flips and all that.. heck yeah that's a sport. The fact that a lot of them are current or former gymnasts to be able to do that stuff... they are certainly athletes.

    Yes - I agree. Especially at the college level. I watch the UCA & UDA Cheerleading and Dance Championships on ESPN and those girls (and guys) incorporate dance AND gymnastics into their routines. They definitely train their butts off to compete.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,940 Member
    Cheerleading is much more a sport compared to golf, billiards, bowling, dart throwing, NASCAR or car racing in general, fishing, or bodybuilding etc.
    Shoot I think competitive ballroom dancing is more athletic than the above "sports".

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • tsh0ck
    tsh0ck Posts: 1,970 Member
    Cheerleading is much more a sport compared to golf, billiards, bowling, dart throwing, NASCAR or car racing in general, fishing, or bodybuilding etc.
    Shoot I think competitive ballroom dancing is more athletic than the above "sports".

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    right on all accounts.

    but my big deciding factor is set scoring. do X, get Y points. when you are in an athletic competition with completely subjective scoring, I lean toward not a sport.
  • spamantha57
    spamantha57 Posts: 674 Member
    It's definitely a sport. You train, you're athletic, you compete... sport.
  • Viva_Karina
    Viva_Karina Posts: 398 Member
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  • sissiluv
    sissiluv Posts: 2,205 Member
    Only some states consider it a sport. And a lot of people don't. You've got me.
    The only reason I can think of as to why it wouldn't be considered a sport (especially at high school and college level) compared to something like, say, golf or darts is because it's female dominated, and therefore isn't taken as seriously by cultural standards.
    Kind of the same reasoning behind the phenomenon of female-dominated professions getting paid less than male-dominated ones, or a profession seeing a drop in pay after it sees an influx of women where it had previously been a male-majority...or so said my textbook for Women's Studies anyways.
  • Gallowmere1984
    Gallowmere1984 Posts: 6,626 Member
    Oh ffs...this thread had died a nice, quiet, natural death...but someone just haaaad to necro it.

    Of course it's a damned sport. Have you seen the bat**** insane stuff those people do?
  • iara333
    iara333 Posts: 18
    I was more out of breath/sweaty at the end of the 3 minute routine at my last competition than I am after playing an 80 minute rugby match. It's a sport.

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