Cheerleading | Is it a sport?

[JoePhilly]

98. Depends on how we define "sport".

So forget cheerleading for a minute. Let's just try to define the characteristics of a sport.

1) A sport usually includes an athletic component. Usually a rigorous athletic component.
2) A sport is usually a competition.
3) Many sports require the rival individuals or teams, to play offense and defense.
4) Many sports require direct physical interaction between the rivals.
5) Many sports include very specific and objective ways to score points.

So this is just an example list, but without some list of characteristics, hot dog eating becomes a sport.

Also, once you define the characteristics, you could also determine categories. So for instance, perhaps not all athletic competitions are sports. They are simply "athletic competitions".

I think items 1 and 2 in my list are required elements for a sport. And I think that items 3-5 can increase our confidence that some activity is a sport.

And an activity like bowling ends up on the edge. It has 1, but not in a very rigorous form. It has 2, does not have 3 or 4, but does have 5.

Cheerleading has 1 and 2, but not really 3-5. So, using my 5 items above, it might not pass the test.

But that's the point. You need a list of criterion to work from, and that list should work beyond cheerleading.