Is Cheerleading a Sport?

            Throughout the course of history, cheerleading has mainly been viewed as support for athletic teams or just merely an activity.  The truth is cheerleading has evolved rapidly in the past few decades.  It no longer solely consists of yelling “Go Team!” or “Rah-Rah!” as some would say, it has become increasingly more competitive.  Although it still involves cheering for the team and showing school spirit, cheerleading also includes stunting, jumping, and tumbling.  Not only do cheerleaders cheer at games, they also compete at cheer competitions and showcase at exhibitions.  Cheerleading is definitely not as easy as it looks.  A cheerleader has to constantly keep the counts of a routine in her head, hit the right motions, say the right words, and keep the flyer from hitting the ground, all while smiling and showing spirit.  It takes hours of practice and sometimes years of training to do some of the higher level skills required at the collegiate level.  Despite all the hard work and athletic ability cheerleading takes, some still say that it is not a sport.  Honestly, I am not sure why or how anyone could even argue this point.  It involves practicing and competing just like other sports teams, the only difference is it does not involve a ball.  Some squads spend more time working out and practicing in the gym than even a football team would, so cheerleading definitely involves physical activity.   The dictionary defines a sport as “an activity involving physical activity and competing.”  Cheerleading fits this definition perfectly. 

            I think that cheerleading should be considered an NCAA Varsity college sport just like football and basketball.  Cheerleaders should be able to get scholarships and recognition as an athletic sports team.  It is only fair that this change happens.  Cheerleading squads compete against other squads and determine a winner just like other sports.  They practice and train just like other athletes. As a cheerleader myself, I personally know how hard cheerleading really is. I have been cheerleading pretty much my whole life, so it is an insult when people make the comment that cheerleading is not a sport. Most of the time guys are the ones who make this comment because they just assume that all cheerleaders do is yell for the team.  I guarantee they would have a completely different attitude if they went to just one cheerleading practice. 

            Personally, I want to see the sport I love so much to finally get the recognition it deserves.  Officially changing cheerleading to an actual sport would not involve that much of an adaptation from the way things currently are.  It would affect those who cheer or those within the cheerleading world, such as coaches and judges for competitions.  It would also give cheerleaders everywhere a feeling of satisfaction that the sport they work so hard on is in rank with other sports.  Because it would be an easy transition, I propose that the change should take place at the beginning of the next school year.  This will allow time to prepare the rules and regulations necessary for a new NCAA sport.  Allowing this change to take place would finally let everyone see how hard cheerleading really is.  It would provide justice for this amazingly under thought of sport.  After all, this country is about justice, right?