Is cheerleading a sport?

[pokerfan]

or just another way for football schools to skirt (cough) Title IX?

http://title-ix.blogspot.com/2007/07/oregon-and-cheerleading.html

Seems like just a cheap way for universities to balance the books as compared to adding something like softball or gymnastics.

I put this in the lounge instead of the sports forum because I want to hear lounger's thoughts on the subject.

[TK421]

1. No...it's an exhibition

[liberaltrucker]

2. Is Chimpie a President?

No to both IMHO. Cheerleading is a form of entertainment that adds to
the experience of being at the game. The game is the sport.

[pokerfan]

5. I agree as you could probably tell from my tone

It's an extracurricular activity like marching in the band, waving a flag or performing in a play.

These schools just think they can weasel out of Title IX compliance. If say, Oregon wants to adds baseball because of Oregon State's recent success, then they can just add women's rugby or gymnastics.

[piesRsquare]

3. Cheerleading is a sport. n/t

[alphafemale]

4. Nowadays I'd have to say yes.

Gone are the days of a few cartwheels and splits being enough.

The things those kids do now are amazing.

And they have their own competitions now.

Yeah. I'd say it's a sport.

[idgiehkt]

6. competitive cheerleading is

most of the members are ex- or presently gymnasts. The kind I did in high school, no. At the college level it almost always is, at least at medium to large schools. In alot of 3A and 4A schools it is on the level of what they do in colleges. You know, the kind they did in that movie with Faith from Buffy The Vampire Slayer, that is.

[Chovexani]

7. It most certainly is

(Gods, I can't believe I'm defending cheerleaders)

People who say cheerleading isn't a sport should watch those competitions on ESPN some time. It's not about little old splits and pom poms. Cheerleading nowadays is filled with some pretty amazing feats of athleticism. It's borderline gymnastics a lot of the time.

[pokerfan]

9. But the Pac-10 has banned stunting

No pyramids, no tosses. Just handsprings and lots of twirling. So good luck to Oregon winning any competitions.

http://media.wildcat.arizona.edu/media/storage/paper997/news/2006/09/18/News/Ua.Cheerleaders.Unhappy.With.Pac10.Ban.On.Stunts-2282351.shtml

It's a cynical move by a football university to avoid adding a women's sport in exchange for adding baseball.

[Chovexani]

18. That's lame.

I wish I could say I was surprised though. There's such a hostile attitude toward women's sports. :(

[Orangepeel]

8. what's the definition of a sport?

there are cheerleading competitions and it takes a lot of strength and skill to win. I guess that makes it as much of a sport as the long jump or throwing the javelin. But on the other hand, those things have objective winners (who jumps or throws the farthest). But on the other other hand, there are sports like figure skating, diving and gymnastics that have subjective judging.

On the other other other hand, dancing takes strength and skill and it isn't a sport. It's an art.

:shrug:

[pokerfan]

10. Well, ovbiously poker is a sport

(check out my user name)

Hey, it's on ESPN all of the time. It must be a sport! ;-)

I have a problem with any sport that is primarily judged instead of simply won or lost, but especially so when it is judged on artistic merit.

This is just a way for a school to add a men's program without having to add a women's sport in return.

[Orangepeel]

15. by your definition then, diving isn't a sport?

not to mention ice skating and gymnastics.

Arguably, none of those things are sports -- they are arts that take a great deal of athletic skill. But cheerleading seems to me to fall in the same category. I don't think it is "fair" to single it out as not a real sport.

By the way, I don't see any reason why "arts that take a great deal of athletic skill" or "sports that take a great deal of artistic skill" aren't as deserving of school money as the jump higher/run faster/score more type of athletic events.

[pokerfan]

17. Figure skating used to be very rigourous

in its scoring. But the public wanted more dancing. Ballroom dancing is an Olympic sport. Should it be? What is art and what is sport? Who wins? Those with the best costumes?

It's just when art is blurred with sport that I think definitions get mixed up. I would argue that any sport that requires make up along with a kiss and cry area for the performers to wait for the judges decisions is skirting the line.

I like art and I like sport. I can watch ice dancing on its own merit without viewing it as an athletic competition.

But this wasn't the reason I started this thread. The Pac-10 has banned cheerleader stunts (too dangerous I guess, unlike football) and Oregon wants to add baseball (in order to steal Oregon State's recent thunder) so they are declaring their cheerleaders to be varsity athletes. And unlike adding another option for women, it doesn't cost them a nickle or change a thing.

Just a cynical end-run around Title IX, a program I support.

[Richard Steele]

11. No. Sometimes it can be a "competition", but it's never a sport.

Any time you need a panel of judges
to give their OPINION of who "won",
it's not a sport.

:evilgrin:

[Dr. Strange]

16. And to that, my friend, may I add...

:thumbsup:

[mitchum]

12. No, it's good ol' Amurrican T & A..

that perfectly reflects that weird combination of leering and puritanism in this country

[Generic Brad]

13. They could be our future professional pole dancers

We must subsidize this activity.

[Allenberg]

14. I'd say competitive cheerleading, is

but ragtag high school...not so much. I wrote a pretty lengthy article about it when I was the editor of my high school newspaper many moons ago.