Is cheerleading a sport or something else?

[BlackVelvetElvis]

Curious about this. My niece and young cousin are cheerleaders-excellent athletes.
Is this, more or less, glamorized to the point of T&A instead of a sport? It is undeniable the higher the level, the more glamorized it is (XFL even used the T&A factor as a marketing point). Does this sport degrade women or only at a higher level? I'm curious what you guys think.

[One Taste]

1. It's T&A imo..

but it doesn't degrade women.

[BlackVelvetElvis]

2. Maybe not degrade. How about "objectify"?

That's really the more appropriate word.

[Syrinx]

14. I never really got the whole "objectify" thing

That's really the only thing about Janeane Garafalo that bugs me. (Except that I can never remember how to spell her name.) If I enjoy looking at a pretty girl because I think she's pretty, is that bad? Am I objectifying her? It doesn't bother me if women "objectify" guys that are much better looking than me (except I might be a little jealous).

I miss "Honey Watching On A Saturday Afternoon" in that football magazine.

[BlackVelvetElvis]

20. My definition of objectify.

When you stop thinking of or visualizing the opposite (or same sex for some people) as a human beings and primarially as something to satisfy yourself. Almost as if they are objects and not human beings. Their feelings and needs are not even an issue then. What if a woman compared you "size-wise" or "body-wise" to other men because she was exposed to that as an ideal? Would you feel degraded if that was all that mattered and not who you were as a person?

[Syrinx]

23. I guess I get where you're coming from

When I see a beautiful girl at the mall or somewhere, I always think to myself "wow, that girl's pretty," not so much "wow, that's a piece of ass." You know like Bush and father talk about "pussy."

http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=10989

[BlackVelvetElvis]

26. Ha. I know that Bush story.

There is nothing wrong with looking and admiring a person of beauty, is there?!

[Syrinx]

32. I don't think so

But that's the feeling I've gotten from Janeen (sp?) sometimes. I still love her though.

[Angelus]

3. A sport??? Are you serious???

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

It's all T&A, my friend, and some dancing. That's all, IMO. It's also something that I really enjoy watching. ;) :evilgrin:

If cheerleading degraded the women in it, they wouldn't be doing it, would they? I think not.

[Pithlet]

34. Not that I think cheerleading degrades women

But just because women participate in something doesn't automatically mean it isn't degrading.

[Sapphocrat]

37. Not comparing the two, but supporting your point

But just because women participate in something doesn't automatically mean it isn't degrading.

To wit: porn.

[MontecitoDem]

4. When I was a kid

it was one of the only "sports" available for girls at my school - and so it was pretty competitive. Wish we had been able to choose from things like soccer, basketball and volleyball that are available today!

[BlackVelvetElvis]

6. At some fundie schools-Title 9 never happened.

the girls are not allowed to participate in sports at all, except cheerleading. They are required to wear very modest uniforms (long sleeves, below-the-knee skirts). This should tell us something!

[Servo300]

52. What should it tell us?

[Radical Activist]

5. Entertainment

but not a sport. I once had someone indignantly talk about all the injuries cheerleaders she knew had sustained, in order to prove that it was a difficult sport. I pointed out that some people injure themselves by falling down the stairs but that isn't a sport either.
Its good preperation for any girl who aspires to be an exotic dancer or trophy wife.

[MontecitoDem]

10. Here I am defending it!

Alright, let's admit that it's an activity that can be either highly physical and demanding or a silly dance-around T&A thing - depends. In my high school we practiced jumps, pyramids and precision drills 5 days a week from the beginning of August through March, 2 hours after school every day. If you missed three practices you were off the team. It was fairly demanding compared to some other teams.

At my college it was more a jiggle show. So....again, it depends. It seems to have gotten more provocative since I was a cheerleader. And you can bet I won't be encouraging my daughter to do it.


:eyes:

[Radical Activist]

13. Ok Ok

Cheerleaders exhibit skill and do impressive things sometimes. I just don't think ESPN airs national cheerleading competitions because of the athletic aspects of the participants.
I do have to admit with embarassment that cheerleaders are a big turn-on for me, as senseless as that is. Oh well.

[MontecitoDem]

16. Ah, now I understand your opinion

that it is entertainment!

:toast:

[belladonna]

18. I was a cheerleader and became neither

Okay, one stint of exotic dancing, but it doesn't count because it was a one night only, girl's night out, got talked into it kinda thing. I take dancing very seriously and saw it as a chance to get even better at it. Not all cheerleaders fit the stereotype, sorry :P

[Radical Activist]

21. LOL

Funny story. I just have to imagine that if I ever have a daughter I wouldn't want her High School/Jr high to exploit her as a sex object in a way that is very obvious in front of hundres of people at Football or Basketball games. I realize cheerleading has good aspects to it and there are things about it that are obviously apealing to women or girls. But, in some places I think they're primarily used as eye candy, and that's a shame. That's the point I was trying to make. That's how it was at my college, so that shapes my opinions.

Of course I'm always happy to hear about former cheerleaders that are liberal and went on to have serious careers or otherwise purposeful lives. :D

[MontecitoDem]

28. Former Cheerleader

now lawyer, mom, and political activist. (But I don't often admit the cheerleading past!)

[Radical Activist]

35. That's great!

That gives me hope that I can find a cheerleader or former cheerleader who is progressive, intelligent and worth dating for reasons other than her looks. haha :toast:

[GreenPartyVoter]

44. Former cheerleader, now an activist for justice for

fat people (yeah, I gained a lot of weight after school), poor and oppressed people, and liberal Christianity.

I did go to college and get a degree in Elementary Ed, but instead I have chosen to stay home and raise my boys. I'm now at the point where I can work from the house and am reviewing books and evaluating manuscripts.

Maybe it's not a fancy life, but it's a pretty good one and my family and I are happy with it. :)

(And the only person I know of who ever thought I was eye candy in my VERY ugly cheering jumper was hubby. *lol*)

[swag]

7. Our President Was a Cheerleader - Watch Your Mouth! n/a

[belladonna]

8. I was a cheerleader, go ahead and make fun

I got into it for the dance aspect, but not all schools stress that aspect of it. Looking at it that way, and from my experience only, I'd say it's not exactly a sport, but does require a certain degree of atheleticism.

[ForrestGump]

9. Where do we draw the line, though? Fot example, what makes ice dancing

an Olympic 'sport'? Because it requires fine muscle control, an excellent sense of balance, and a lot of strength? Well, so does regular dancing at that kind of level. And synchronized swimming? Isn't it a form of dancing, too? A kind of aquatic analog to cheerleading, in its moves and synchrony? It requires athletic ability, but so does just about any physical activity when you're doing it at a high level. But to those who'd dismiss things like synchronized swimming and ice dancing as not being sports, what makes them any non-sporty than some of the gymnastics events seen in the Olympics?

My pet (very minor...doesn't keep me up at nights) peeve, as a professional SCUBA diver, has always been the term 'sport diving' applied to SCUBA diving. It's not a sport. The term for a non-commercial, non-military, or non-scientific diver, or anyone else who doesn't make a living at it (as do photographers, etc), should be 'recreational' diver. Anyone who competes at SCUBA -- and I've met a lot of recreational divers who do -- is an imbecile, typically destined to either drop out of diving or to do themselves or someone else tremendous harm.

I'm going to have a sport-bathroom-visit. Have a sporty day.

EDIT: sport-typoed, several times. I give myself 4 out of 5 possible points.

[BlackVelvetElvis]

11. I think the more money invested in a sport the deeper the line is drawn.

It's all about the money with pro sports.
Good point, where is the line drawn?

[Sapphocrat]

38. Seriously, you think so?

Money doesn't strike me as the dividing line -- I would guess (tho' I don't know) that any Dallas Cowboy cheerleader or member of the Miami Heat draws a bigger paycheck than, say, your average contract WBNA player.

To me, it's all in the presentation. How many fans watch WBNA games in order to ogle the players? Cheerleading -- at the professional level -- appears to me to be nothing more than an excuse to watch the breasts of taut-bodied "chicks" bounce up and down. If it's a sport, it's a sport like "Charlie's Angels" was serious crime drama.

Amateur cheerleading (say, high-school level) is perhaps something else. Maybe it's even a sport. But if we bring money into the convo, I'm hard-pressed to believe it's anything but mere fluff.

Not that there's anything wrong with women who want money in exchange for using their bod-- Oops, maybe I'd better not continue that thought. LOL

But, hey, I'm not judging the women who do it, or the men who get off on it. Me, I adore the female form, but cheerleading doesn't do a thing for me. Give me somebody who spends more time on her mind than on her body, any day.

[Keebs]

12. If it isn't a sport

then they just have Cheerleading competitions on ESPN so guys can oogle the under age girls? Maybe.. but I just don't look at it like that. If golf is considered a sport I don't know why dance and gymnastics combined can't be considered a sport.

[BlackVelvetElvis]

15. What about the over-18 events?

Ooogling is legal then (at least to some). Look at pro sports. The older a cheerleader gets, it seems cheerleading morphs into less of an athletic competition and more into an oogle-fest. Does ESPN cover cheerleading comps as a pro sport? Nope. Fellas, you may now legally oogle.

[Radical Activist]

17. Golf is by no means a sport

I can at least understand those who argue that cheerleading is a sport. But golf? No freaking way. Its a game, that's all. I can't believe anyone in their right mind watches golf on television. What a complete waste of life. I'd rather watch paint dry.

And yes I think since most ESPN viewers are men they air the competitions so men can oogle college cheerleaders. That may be sick, but they do whatever gets ratings.

[MontecitoDem]

19. Have you ever "oogled" golfers?

It appears that "oogling" may disqualify an activity from being called a sport.

[Radical Activist]

22. No

That's hillarious. But I still don't think golf is a sport. Maybe golf would be more popular if they wore cute skirts instead of those ugly golf clothes.

[BlackVelvetElvis]

24. Some lesbians really dig other female golfers though.

This is a whole other topic!

[MontecitoDem]

25. Yea, imagine all those guys in cute skirts

That would CERTAINLY improve the ratings!

[Radical Activist]

27. I'd tune in to see that

at least once anyway, for the comedic value. I just hope the cameras don't zoom in when they bend over to pick up the ball. eeew

[Bridget Burke]

36. I'll imagine them in kilts. Historically accurate, no?

With the birthplace of golf being Scotland?

With a good stiff breeze coming from the loch....

[NewJeffCT]

50. I think it depends on how serious the cheerleading is.

Serious cheerleading is certainly more of a sport than golf or bowling. Some schools take it very seriously and the cheerleaders work very hard and very competitively.

Other places, it is more of an excuse to dress up in a short skirt and dance around.

[DieboldMustDie]

29. At cheerleading competitions...

do the have cheerleaders cheering for the cheerleaders? You know, kinda like meta-cheerleaders. :shrug:

[GreenPartyVoter]

40. Yes! At Varsity meets the JV kids cheer for their teams

but not on the sidelines or anything. They just wear matching t-shirts or warm-up suits and get the crowd pumped for their guys and gals.

Also competing teams will cheer each other on in the name of good sportsmanship.

[St. Jarvitude]

30. Pardon my French, but what the fuck is

T&A?

Pardon my ignorance, please. I'm sure it will jump out at me as soon as someone replies... hehehe.

[BlackVelvetElvis]

31. Look below for the crude version.

Tits and Ass.

[Radical Activist]

33. Radical Cheerleaders

Did anyone else see that at the peace rallies? It was a little fad for a while. One group did it at a protest I went to. Some women did basic cheer moves and chants against the war. I seriously liked that...a lot. lol

[GreenPartyVoter]

39. Competitive school cheering is NOT to be confused with PRO

cheering. The first is about athleticism, the second is about dancing but also T&A. (Witness the cleavage on those skimpy little outfits.)

[ACK]

41. Cheerleading an idea born of dirty old men

Ok you are watching some really violent sport activity like football and all these padded guys are hitting each other and people go down and some even get hurt.

This is good stuff. But what is violence without sex?

So one old guy says to the other, "You know what this guys needs Bobby?"

"What Billy?"

"This game needs really young girls jumping around in really short skirts so we get a little shot of their panties every once and awhile."

Bobby replies, "Well just be sure to call the "panties" bloomers and it all seems good fun to me. Maybe we can get to the point they simulate sex moves in their "dances" and we don't even have to wiggle around a bit to get our rocks off while watching them."

Billy says with a deep satisified sigh, "Wouldn't that be grand?"

_

[Dan-W]

48. Hee, hee.

Yeah, baby, give us a cartwheel!!

[Loonman]

42. I think it's a sport

Hell, yeah.

[GreenPartyVoter]

43. Is it a sport? Can YOU do this?

(FWIW, I was never this good of a cheerleader, but man did I wish I _had_ been this good. *lol*)

[Vladimir]

45. Cheerleading is sexist bullshit n/t

[fujiyama]

46. No it's not a sport

and neither is ice dancing and other subjectively measured events. They're entertainment, but they have no place at something like the Olympics.

Sports IMO require something quantitive -- a certain number of points, goals, a distance, a speed, etc.

[bkcc]

47. something else

Cheerleaders are incredibly athletic, but cheerleading is not a sport.

Think about it:
Where did cheerleading get its start?
To cheer on other sports teams. It would have never existed were it not for the fact that people were there to see something else.

Take away the football, basketball, etc. that they're there to support and it's still very athletic, but it just isn't a sport in and of itself.

Cheerleading was intended (as per the dictionary) "to lead organized cheering, as at sports events." Without the sports event, you're basically organizing cheering for...yourself??

[noonwitch]

49. Not a sport

But it still requires more agility and flexibility than I've ever been capable of. But it's not like basketball, tennis, track, or any of the other high school sports. It's kind of like golf, with t&a.

[RandomKoolzip]

51. It's not a sport, it's proof that god exists.

Sorry, but I have a real cheerleader fetish (college or older only, please....) Yes, I know, I'm an awful awful evil sexist pig, but that's what I like. Sorry!

My wife knows this. She was never a cheerleader herself (she was a punk with pink hair in high school), so she thinks it's kinda goofy. But she has her own weird fetishes too, so let's not begrudge the sexual peccadilloes of one particular gender if no one's getting hurt, shall we?

[cleofus1]

53. hurrmmmm

When you can do a back flip and a cartwheel into a multiple somersault and jump around for two hours....then you can say it's not a sport.