Is Cheerleading a sport?

[lacktheknack]

The more I think about it, the dumber cheerleading seems as an activity. I mean, I'm looking at it from over the Pacific so maybe it's just distance. But why the fuck do you guys even do it?

If it's about showing off, you've got dance class. If it's about the athletic competition, you can go do gymnastics, which is probably safer and more prestigious.

But for some reason you get two dozen girls together, put them in short skirts, and use them as half-time entertainment for your dumb-as-shit version of football.

In short: Cheerleading is way flashier and more interesting than dance class (them throws!) and more fun than gymnastics (them teammates!).

It's the pop music of this sort of thing, where dance class is rock music and gymnastics is classical.

 

[Strazdas]

I consider cheerleading a type of dancing, which i personally do not consider a sport.

Seriously? How can you look at the choreographically fine-tuned, obviously physically strenuous activity of cheerleaders in action and say to yourself, "You know, I have my doubts about whether or not this is a sport"...?

Is ballet a sport? Is Opera a sport? They fit your definition very well.

Spoiler: Me coming into most Escapist threads these days

That gif is wrong on so many levels....

If your pretending to be angry at least try to swing towards the person, not above her.

Solely for the fact that girls get hurt, sometimes severely, it should be considered a sport. The fact is that by not considering it a sport, it makes it that much more dangerous to the girls performing these stunts. More high school students are maimed in cheer-leading accidents than all other high sports combined (though, I don't know if concussions count in those numbers).

So if people get hurt its a sport? One of the primary cause of injuries are car accidents. commuting to work is a sport!

Also how does not considering it a sport makes it more dangerous? is there some magic spells that makes things considered sport automatically more safe?

I believe if you call cheerleading a sport they have to abide by a more stringent set of rules and the excessive amounts of injuries sustained by them would pile up and require them to wear protective gear instead of uniforms and a bunch of other regulations that would destroy cheerleading as we know it.
I saw a documentary on it by someone. One kid attempted a flip and landed on her neck and became paralyzed. Everyone has broken or sprained something to the point where they could trade stories and no one doesn't have one. Also the adults show little concern for the people involved and when someone does get seriously injured it takes them a few minutes to even get up to check up on them and even then they try to pass it off as not as serious as it appears.

What it should be is banned.

I mean if you want it banned then you should support calling it a sport because you think it woudl destroy it so thats even better than banning, right?

Yes, it's a sport. You compete in a team over some kind of physical display of ability and are scored on the results by a panel of judges.

that does not make it a sport. A sport requires a set of rules, scoring system and objective measure to victory. Panel of judges is not an objective measure. This makes cheer-leading a competition, but not a sport.

More injuries than football? It's a physical activity, it's a team activity, and it's competitive?

Ok, so it's a sport.

none of those are qualifiers for sport.

If we're fighting to have video games recognized as E-sports, then you better well believe that cheer leading is a sport.

This is a non-sequitur. E-sports being a sport has nothing to do with cheeleading being a sports. In fact E-sports have a clear set of rules scoring system and objective measure of victory. So its way ahead of cheerleading as far as qualifying as a sport.

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P.S. so people are now offended by the word "Females"?

 

[FalloutJack]

P.S. so people are now offended by the word "Females"?

Only if they're not female. It's an official and defining term, not slang or derogatory in nature.

 

[Strazdas]

P.S. so people are now offended by the word "Females"?

Only if they're not female. It's an official and defining term, not slang or derogatory in nature.

And yet in this thread we have multiple people mocking OP for using it as if he called them "niggers" or something like that.

 

[Sonicron]

I consider cheerleading a type of dancing, which i personally do not consider a sport.

Seriously? How can you look at the choreographically fine-tuned, obviously physically strenuous activity of cheerleaders in action and say to yourself, "You know, I have my doubts about whether or not this is a sport"...?

Is ballet a sport? Is Opera a sport? They fit your definition very well.

Our fundamental disagreement's right there in your first sentence. I agree with your categorization of cheerleading as a type of dancing, but I absolutely do consider dancing a sport, as I'm pretty sure most people do who know how strenuous dancing (especially competitive dancing) can be. Hell, here in Germany there's a piece of vocabulary that calls it "Tanzsport", signifiying dancing (i.e. proper forms you have to learn and practice) as an official sport.
As for your question, I'm not sure about opera, as it depends on which part of opera you mean - the choreography or the singing. Both are physically strenuous, but the choreography should be, in some cases, considered sport. And ballet? For sure. A crossbreed between dance and gymnastics, and definitely a sport.
Bear in mind, that's my opinion. Everyone's free to their own.

 

[FalloutJack]

P.S. so people are now offended by the word "Females"?

Only if they're not female. It's an official and defining term, not slang or derogatory in nature.

And yet in this thread we have multiple people mocking OP for using it as if he called them "niggers" or something like that.

Well, I would have to say that that's their problem. I see no implication there.

Dancing

It's a performance art. Ask a serious ballet dancer. (No, I'm not one.) They would not find it pleasing to have their work compared to sport. Yes, they are physical activities which require skill, but I would say the commonality really ends there.

 

[Sonicron]

Dancing

It's a performance art. Ask a serious ballet dancer. (No, I'm not one.) They would not find it pleasing to have their work compared to sport. Yes, they are physical activities which require skill, but I would say the commonality really ends there.

But I did once ask a serious ballet dancer, a friend of mine, actually. Golden solution for both of us here? She classified it as both. The art component is obviously there, but she also stressed the competitive element of ballet, especially in the 'big leagues'. Make of that what you will, I'd say we're both right, as in your assessment complements mine.

 

[Strazdas]

I consider cheerleading a type of dancing, which i personally do not consider a sport.

Seriously? How can you look at the choreographically fine-tuned, obviously physically strenuous activity of cheerleaders in action and say to yourself, "You know, I have my doubts about whether or not this is a sport"...?

Is ballet a sport? Is Opera a sport? They fit your definition very well.

Our fundamental disagreement's right there in your first sentence. I agree with your categorization of cheerleading as a type of dancing, but I absolutely do consider dancing a sport, as I'm pretty sure most people do who know how strenuous dancing (especially competitive dancing) can be. Hell, here in Germany there's a piece of vocabulary that calls it "Tanzsport", signifiying dancing (i.e. proper forms you have to learn and practice) as an official sport.
As for your question, I'm not sure about opera, as it depends on which part of opera you mean - the choreography or the singing. Both are physically strenuous, but the choreography should be, in some cases, considered sport. And ballet? For sure. A crossbreed between dance and gymnastics, and definitely a sport.
Bear in mind, that's my opinion. Everyone's free to their own.

Being strenuous is not a measure of a sport. Digging ditches is strenuous work.

 

[FalloutJack]

Dancing

It's a performance art. Ask a serious ballet dancer. (No, I'm not one.) They would not find it pleasing to have their work compared to sport. Yes, they are physical activities which require skill, but I would say the commonality really ends there.

But I did once ask a serious ballet dancer, a friend of mine, actually. Golden solution for both of us here? She classified it as both. The art component is obviously there, but she also stressed the competitive element of ballet, especially in the 'big leagues'. Make of that what you will, I'd say we're both right, as in your assessment complements mine.

Huh... Your Milege May Vary? Perhaps. However, that doesn't let cheerleading off the hook. Many people take it far too seriously where it is not deserved. At least ballet and other performances have some importance to them, a real art. I wouldn't agree to the same feeling in cheerleading.

 

[Sonicron]

Being strenuous is not a measure of a sport. Digging ditches is strenuous work.

While that is true on its face, I think we both know that's a strawman. Please don't ignore the context of my argument for the sake of being argumentative.

Huh... Your Milege May Vary? Perhaps. However, that doesn't let cheerleading off the hook. Many people take it far too seriously where it is not deserved. At least ballet and other performances have some importance to them, a real art. I wouldn't agree to the same feeling in cheerleading.

Well, that still doesn't cancel out the sports aspect of it, at least from my viewpoint. Millions of people take sports - whatever the particular sport - faaaaaaar too seriously, be they enthusiasts or the athletes themselves. And the perceived importance is, again, just a matter of personal opinion. Cheerleading and ballet just have (mostly) different target audiences, that's all, and both have their own ideas about the worth/value of particular activities. (That said, your viewpoint is more in line with the common consensus on 'culture', i.e. more cultivated activities.)

 

[FalloutJack]

Snippish

Well, I don't SEE the sport aspect of it. It's the sidebar to an actual sport, in fact created as a morale boost, if nothing else. I cannot put it in the same category.

 

[Sonicron]

Snippish

Well, I don't SEE the sport aspect of it. It's the sidebar to an actual sport, in fact created as a morale boost, if nothing else. I cannot put it in the same category.

That's another way of seeing it, I guess. Maybe you could judge it as a sporty activity, rather than a sport? Something that requires a high degree of physical fitness and partially includes elements/aspects of sports? I don't know.

 

[Strazdas]

While that is true on its face, I think we both know that's a strawman. Please don't ignore the context of my argument for the sake of being argumentative.

No strawman here. Being a strenuous activity is not a measure of whether something is a sport or not.

 

[Sonicron]

While that is true on its face, I think we both know that's a strawman. Please don't ignore the context of my argument for the sake of being argumentative.

No strawman here. Being a strenuous activity is not a measure of whether something is a sport or not.

Yes, many things that are not sports are physically strenuous. Nobody is disputing that. However, bringing up things that are obviously not sports in a discussion about the finer points in separating sports from non-sports is far from helpful.

It's ultimately a matter of opinion, I guess. Please refer to my exchange with FalloutJack, I don't think I have the thoughts or the time to go into this any further. (Damn research papers. -__- )

 

[Strazdas]

While that is true on its face, I think we both know that's a strawman. Please don't ignore the context of my argument for the sake of being argumentative.

No strawman here. Being a strenuous activity is not a measure of whether something is a sport or not.

Yes, many things that are not sports are physically strenuous. Nobody is disputing that. However, bringing up things that are obviously not sports in a discussion about the finer points in separating sports from non-sports is far from helpful.

It's ultimately a matter of opinion, I guess. Please refer to my exchange with FalloutJack, I don't think I have the thoughts or the time to go into this any further. (Damn research papers. -__- )

I brought up the example to show you that not all strenous activities are sports so you may easier understand that being sternous is not a measure of something being a sport or not. It appears that after 3 replies you still think that something being sternous is a way to measure whether it is a sport or not. Why?

 

[Saltyk]

Solely for the fact that girls get hurt, sometimes severely, it should be considered a sport. The fact is that by not considering it a sport, it makes it that much more dangerous to the girls performing these stunts. More high school students are maimed in cheer-leading accidents than all other high sports combined (though, I don't know if concussions count in those numbers).

So if people get hurt its a sport? One of the primary cause of injuries are car accidents. commuting to work is a sport!

False Equivalence.

Also how does not considering it a sport makes it more dangerous? is there some magic spells that makes things considered sport automatically more safe?

First, more students are injured in cheer-leading than all other high school sports combined. I've literally seen videos asking cheerleaders who among them have had injuries and the vast majority (all but one) had had some sort of injury. Broken bones are not uncommon, but some girls have even been paralyzed.

Second, by considering it a sport, there would be much more stringent guidelines and safety precautions. As well as protections for the girls who have been injured.

This is where I would embed the Penn and Teller Bullshit episode on cheerleading, but it looks like all those videos have been taken down. I highly recommend you look it up on Netflix or whatever. It's really great and informative on this subject. Completely changed my mind on cheerleading being a sport.

 

[mecegirl]

P.S. so people are now offended by the word "Females"?

Only if they're not female. It's an official and defining term, not slang or derogatory in nature.

And yet in this thread we have multiple people mocking OP for using it as if he called them "niggers" or something like that.

Well, I would have to say that that's their problem. I see no implication there.

It's because it is too "formal" and dehumanizing. He may as well be talking about an animal instead of humans. It is also commonly used as a adjective not a noun. The correct term would be girl or woman or at the very least female human..not just female. Using the word as a noun is most often done in a scientific or military setting, or from people were are going to stereotype a woman. We aren't talking about science and in the sentence right after he used the word female he brings up stereotypes.

 

[Strazdas]

Solely for the fact that girls get hurt, sometimes severely, it should be considered a sport. The fact is that by not considering it a sport, it makes it that much more dangerous to the girls performing these stunts. More high school students are maimed in cheer-leading accidents than all other high sports combined (though, I don't know if concussions count in those numbers).

So if people get hurt its a sport? One of the primary cause of injuries are car accidents. commuting to work is a sport!

False Equivalence.

Also how does not considering it a sport makes it more dangerous? is there some magic spells that makes things considered sport automatically more safe?

First, more students are injured in cheer-leading than all other high school sports combined. I've literally seen videos asking cheerleaders who among them have had injuries and the vast majority (all but one) had had some sort of injury. Broken bones are not uncommon, but some girls have even been paralyzed.

Second, by considering it a sport, there would be much more stringent guidelines and safety precautions. As well as protections for the girls who have been injured.

This is where I would embed the Penn and Teller Bullshit episode on cheerleading, but it looks like all those videos have been taken down. I highly recommend you look it up on Netflix or whatever. It's really great and informative on this subject. Completely changed my mind on cheerleading being a sport.

you said that it is a sport "Solely for the fact that girls get hurt". Therefore it is not false equivalence to use sources of injuries as the source of what you consider a sport.

And then having more injuries makes it a sport how? you have to first prove that being injured causes it to be a sport before you progress further.

See now the extra protection that for some stupid reason only applies to what is considered "sport" is a reason to advocate for it being identified as a sport. Though i would prefer advocacy for those measures everywhere instead.

 

[Sonicron]

While that is true on its face, I think we both know that's a strawman. Please don't ignore the context of my argument for the sake of being argumentative.

No strawman here. Being a strenuous activity is not a measure of whether something is a sport or not.

Yes, many things that are not sports are physically strenuous. Nobody is disputing that. However, bringing up things that are obviously not sports in a discussion about the finer points in separating sports from non-sports is far from helpful.

It's ultimately a matter of opinion, I guess. Please refer to my exchange with FalloutJack, I don't think I have the thoughts or the time to go into this any further. (Damn research papers. -__- )

I brought up the example to show you that not all strenous activities are sports so you may easier understand that being sternous is not a measure of something being a sport or not. It appears that after 3 replies you still think that something being sternous is a way to measure whether it is a sport or not. Why?

Oh Lord, I'm bad at bringing my point across today.
I understood you perfectly the first time, really. My point was that I believe cheerleading qualifies (or at least may qualify) as a sport because, aside from being physically strenuous (which I DO think is an essential element of sporting activities), it has other requirements typically associated with sports that are not a part of many other activities:
Arrangement in a group of people (with gated entry --> applicants must meet various requirements), conformity with particular team ideals, use of uniforms, (high) degree of choreography in movement (typically at a fast pace), breathing techniques (in this case including voice control), etc.
Sorry for not clarifying this sooner, I just thought it was implicit in the discussion from the start.

 

[Strazdas]

I brought up the example to show you that not all strenous activities are sports so you may easier understand that being sternous is not a measure of something being a sport or not. It appears that after 3 replies you still think that something being sternous is a way to measure whether it is a sport or not. Why?

Oh Lord, I'm bad at bringing my point across today.
I understood you perfectly the first time, really. My point was that I believe cheerleading qualifies (or at least may qualify) as a sport because, aside from being physically strenuous (which I DO think is an essential element of sporting activities), it has other requirements typically associated with sports that are not a part of many other activities:
Arrangement in a group of people (with gated entry --> applicants must meet various requirements), conformity with particular team ideals, use of uniforms, (high) degree of choreography in movement (typically at a fast pace), breathing techniques (in this case including voice control), etc.
Sorry for not clarifying this sooner, I just thought it was implicit in the discussion from the start.

See, now we are going somewhere. You do have other reasons to believe cheerleading are a sport. Good. The one you presented previuosly did not measure whether something is a sport or not. Lets see what you got now.

Group activity (all group activity is gated based on various factors). Not necessary for a sport, and many sports done without it, but its a nice qualifier.

Teams - not really sport requirement either. Uniforms and team conformity is often a requirement at workplace for example.

Degree of choreography - well that seems to support my theory that cheerleading is a form of dancing. Not sure how that makes it a sporty.

breathing techniques - youll have to explain how that makes it a sport. Is medidation a sport since breathing techniques is a very important part of it?

See, when the discussion is about whether or not something should be qualified as a sport, we should first of all define what sport is and see if that activity fits the definition we made. When you open with a statement that noone that looks at physically sternuous can think it is not a sport i take it for that to be your definition of sport. I dont agree with it, and hence discussion starts.