# Is cheerleading a sport?



## Capt Worley PE (Mar 7, 2013)

> A US District Court judge in Connecticut has again ruled that competitive cheerleading, despite some upgrades, is not a sport, and says Quinnipiac University must remain under an injunction that requires the school to keep its women's volleyball team.




http://msn.foxsports.com/other/story/connecticut-judge-rules-competitive-cheerleading-is-not-a-title-ix-sport-030613

I agree with the judge. Cheerleading is not a sport.


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## MA_PE (Mar 7, 2013)

no


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## Dexman PE PMP (Mar 7, 2013)

I disagree, and here's my logic: I don't think there are very many people who are fans of un-athletic cheerleaders...


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## Capt Worley PE (Mar 7, 2013)

^^^???LOGIC????


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## snickerd3 (Mar 7, 2013)

while it may not be your typical sport it is still a sport in school setting. The kids have to get a physical and all that other nonsense paperwork to participate. The school charges a fee to participate. There are tryouts and uniforms and in some cases meets to compete against other schools. These meets charge money to see kids play. so it meets the definition of sport in the school setting.

outside of the school setting...nope.


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## Judowolf PE (Mar 7, 2013)

While cheerleading is competitive, athletic and fun to watch, it's not really a sport any more than the school dance team, marching band or the strippers down the street are...


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## Capt Worley PE (Mar 7, 2013)

Judowolf PE said:


> While cheerleading is competitive, athletic and fun to watch, it's not really a sport any more than the school dance team, marching band or the strippers down the street are...




Or gymnastics.

Or fishing.

Not sports.


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## mudpuppy (Mar 7, 2013)

So what's your definition of a sport, Cap't? It has to have a ball or puck? There is a score based on some sort of goal? How about speed skating, or any other type of race--running, bicycling?

Is curling a sport? How about beer pong?

If gymnastics isn't a sport, then why is it in the Olympics?

Competitive shooting? If not, then how about combining it with skiing, a la biathlon?


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## Capt Worley PE (Mar 7, 2013)

mudpuppy said:


> So what's your definition of a sport, Cap't? It has to have a ball or puck? There is a score based on some sort of goal? How about speed skating, or any other type of race--running, bicycling?
> 
> Is curling a sport? How about beer pong?
> 
> ...




It has to be something where you have a score you get by doing something (not an assigned a score by judges), or finish in a relative position to someone in competiton (ie 1st, 2nd, 3rd) based on speed.

No, speed skating, running, and bicycling, yes.

Figure skating, no.

Shooting, yes.

As for why gymnastics is in the Olympics..beats me..maybe because it gets ratings.

Colleges that were smart would eliminate girls B-Ball and start Gymnastics competitions.


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## Dexman PE PMP (Mar 7, 2013)

Capt Worley PE said:


> mudpuppy said:
> 
> 
> > So what's your definition of a sport, Cap't? It has to have a ball or puck? There is a score based on some sort of goal? How about speed skating, or any other type of race--running, bicycling?
> ...


But your definition specifically eliminates gymnastics as a sport because it's scores are assigned by a judge...


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## Capt Worley PE (Mar 7, 2013)

Dexman PE said:


> Capt Worley PE said:
> 
> 
> > mudpuppy said:
> ...




Gymnastics isn't a sport. But colleges should have it because it would boost revenue compared to girls B-ball. Less expensive, to boot.


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## snickerd3 (Mar 7, 2013)

WE had both gynastics and girls bball...girls bball definitely brought in more money than the gymnastics. We were regular attendees of both mens and womens gymnastic and it was mostly just friends and family of the athletes.


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## MA_PE (Mar 7, 2013)

what about

shooting?

trebuchet-ing?

cheerleading -&gt; no sport.

As said above there are enough dance/talent competitions


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## pbrme (Mar 7, 2013)

IMO, cheerleading was invented to get the fans riled up. So this guy's an athlete?


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## BluSkyy (Mar 7, 2013)

I have participated in many sports: Soccer, rowing, baseball, basketball, etc. Cheerleading as a feat of physical strength, balance, and tumbling ability is as athletic and skilled an activity as many of them. Many squads participate in judged competitive events.

In my opinion, cheerleading is a sport, an athletic endeavour requiring skill and physical training to compete against other individuals or teams.


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## Judowolf PE (Mar 8, 2013)

^ So competitive dancing (ie dancing w the stars) is a sport, it fits all of your criteria...I totally agree that cheerleading is probably wayy more physically demanding than a lot of the sports they cheer for, but I don't see it as a sport just because they have a competition. My 2 cents


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## goodal (Mar 8, 2013)

It's not a sport. It's a competition. A competition is when you are assigned points instead of earning/scoring them.


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## Road Guy (Mar 8, 2013)

Not necessarily the ones that are on the side of the Field / Court but if you go to their tournaments, you will see ones that have mastered more than basic gymnastics and probably have a greater core strength than most posting in this thread.. probably not a sport , but the latter that I mentioned I wouldnt discount,, but I would say its more of a sport than Golf and day of the fucking week...


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## FLBuff PE (Mar 8, 2013)

badal said:


> It's not a sport. It's a competition. A competition is when you are assigned points instead of earning/scoring them.


Snowboarding/skiing superpipe and slopestyle? Sport or not?


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## Dexman PE PMP (Mar 8, 2013)

According to the criteria above, no, although the downhill races are...


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## Capt Worley PE (Mar 8, 2013)

FLBuff PE said:


> badal said:
> 
> 
> > It's not a sport. It's a competition. A competition is when you are assigned points instead of earning/scoring them.
> ...




Not a sport.


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## pbrme (Mar 8, 2013)

The definition of sport is dynamic, and changes with the ages.

This used to be a sport:







But is this?:






And some think crammin hotdogs is even a sport:


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## goodal (Mar 8, 2013)

Jousting = sport

hot dog eating = gross


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## DVINNY (Mar 10, 2013)

It is NOT a sport.

Too many are confusing athleticism with sport. Don't confuse it.

Badal hit the nail on the head above.

I have competed in a "COMPETITION" that requires WAY more than any sport known to man. Bodybuilding. The reason it requires more, is because of the insane amount of training, dieting, sleep, etc. etc. NO sport out there doesn't allow the athlete to at least have a slice of pizza once a week or so, but not bodybuilding. Bodybuilding requires hours of training a day, very physical training. Tons of cardio, sore muscles, you name it. But guess what, IT'S NOT A SPORT. just because everyone in it is an extreme athlete, it is still NOT A SPORT. it's a competition.

Cheerleading is also NOT A SPORT. But a subjective competition.

If it is subjective (has a panel of judges) = competition

If winner can be defined without subjectivity = sport

so yes, hot dog eating is a sport and cheerleading isn't.

It shouldn't diminish how hard the girls train, etc. because they put in alot of work. But just can confuse athleticism and sport.

If you can compete within a defined set of rules, and determine a winner and a loser, than = sport

(and I'm sure someone will bring up a "referee missed a call" so it's subjective argument)


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## Supe (Mar 11, 2013)

^QFT


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## Dexman PE PMP (Mar 11, 2013)

Chess?


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## BluSkyy (Mar 11, 2013)

and guys...



DVINNY said:


> It shouldn't diminish how hard the girls train, etc. because they put in alot of work.


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## MA_PE (Mar 11, 2013)

I'm glad to see that tic-tac-toe is a sport as is chess, checkers, and a whole host of other board games.


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## Dexman PE PMP (Mar 11, 2013)

They are sports of the mind.

And I'm also glad to see poker is also a sport, especially since I can win there...


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## Lumber Jim (Mar 11, 2013)

DVINNY said:


> NO sport out there doesn't allow the athlete to at least have a slice of pizza once a week or so, but not bodybuilding. Bodybuilding requires hours of training a day, very physical training. Tons of cardio, sore muscles, you name it.




Roman Greco Wrestling has all of this... AND its a sport!!

oking:


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## ALBin517 (Mar 12, 2013)

So somebody can claim sport participation by cheering people who are participating in a sport?

By that logic, I should have just encouraged a PE and then claimed to be a PE myself.


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## envirotex (Mar 12, 2013)

Cheerleading is not a sport at Tex Jr.'s high school. It's a club. Last year, a girl fell during practice and hit her head, and the athletic trainers were not allowed to assist her in any way other than to give her a place to wait while her parents got there...

The reason why it's not a "sport" is becuase of liability issues for the schools. It has nothing to do with how hard they train or competitions that they attend.

I know the trainers, and I'm certain that if there was a life-threatening injury, they would say screw the policy, but I still think it stinks...


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## snickerd3 (Mar 12, 2013)

Both cheer and dance teams were considered sports in my high school. The school wanted the $$$.


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## Capt Worley PE (Mar 13, 2013)

^Title IX reasons?


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## Ble_PE (Mar 13, 2013)

Isn't Title IX only for colleges and universities?


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## Capt Worley PE (Mar 13, 2013)

I'm pretty sure it applies to HS sports.


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## Ble_PE (Mar 13, 2013)

^I guess I'm just more familiar with it's implications for college sports and the number of scholarship athletes.


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## snickerd3 (Mar 13, 2013)

Capt Worley PE said:


> ^Title IX reasons?


most likely. We had almost every sport you could think of in high school. We even had BOYS volleyball teams.


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## engineergurl (Mar 13, 2013)

DVINNY said:


> It is NOT a sport.
> 
> Too many are confusing athleticism with sport. Don't confuse it.
> 
> ...


...just to let you all know, in regards to cheerleading, yes there is a defined set of rules for "competitions", the stuff you see at football and basketball games is for show, but the practices are not for this, and cheering at games requires very little skill or physical strength and you need to know DVINNY is correct in calling cheerleaders athletes, however while they learn to smile and get a crowd riled up at a different sporting event, they are training to balance a tumbling, dance, stunt and cheer routine combination that often requires them to bend, flex, lift and jump more than any other sport (except maybe crossfit)... for a specified amount of time, during which specific times need to be devoted to each portion, and it needs to be coordinated and complicated, timed perfect, and push the edge of the level at which they are competing... and remain within the specified acceptable rules of each section (ie, different age groups are only allowed to preform specific tumbling and stunts) ... all while they smile and wink and look pretty and fit into tiny little uniforms where their bloomers show (and that is mostly because of the stigma that modern day cheerleading has given them).

The one thing I love more than cheerleading is crossfit, because I don't have to smile and wink, look pretty or wear bloomers, and my knee socks are for the purpose of not killing my shins during box jumps... but you know what... cheerleaders would probably survive a crossfit class better than most any other sport that I know of... because it does require a combination of cardio, flexability and weight training...

and yes, I can still do my jumps with perfect pointed toes and a smile on my face... every now and then I do, just to make sure


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