This is a good question
The reason it is a good question is that both sides of the discussion have legitimate arguments supporting their perspective. The definition for the word sports is quite generic and general allowing for supporters to claim cheerleading is a sport.
Competitive cheer is a sport. The Olympic committee has formally recognized it as one, and cheerleaders are able to become Olympians through the games. Cheer has been recognized as a sport because of the physical and mental demands it places upon those who perform it.
Others will disagree citing that cheerleading is too underdeveloped or disorganized to qualify as an athletic sport. To find out more about this important topic, just continue to read our article. it provides the information you need to make up your own mind.
Is competitive cheer in the Olympics?
If the Olympics was the defining participation competition to declare something a sport, then many actual sports, like football, may not be considered a sport. Tackle football is not an Olympic event.
Not being included in the Olympics does not disqualify cheerleading as a sport. It just means that the powers that be that admit sports to their competition schedule have not included it yet. It may be allowed at some point in the future.
Where cheerleading is included as an athletic competition at the Olympic level, is the Special Olympics. It was finally recognized for this alternative Olympic games in march of 2019. You will now see the participants of the Special Olympics compete against each other in cheerleading as well as the many other sports included in that event.
However, the Olympic committee has given cheerleading provisional status. This was granted in 2016 but that was not in time for inclusion in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. it may appear in the 2024 games in Paris but that still remains to be seen.
The reason it was given provisional status is that the Olympic committee saw that this activity resonated with younger audiences. But that still does not answer the question if cheerleading is a sport. many activities are including in the Olympic Games and may not be seen as a sport.
Why do some people say competitive cheer is not a sport?
The very first and major reason why people claim that cheerleading is not a sport is that it is an activity that supports actual competitive sports teams. For example cheerleaders at the high school, college, and pro levels are there mainly to bring the crowd into the game and support their home team.
Another reason used by the opponents to cheerleading being seen as a sport is that there is no strategy involved in cheerleading. They may have another good point. The only strategy involved is designing the different routines no matter how physical they may be, how risky they are, or the lack thereof.
Cheerleading cannot call a time out in the middle of the competition and change what they are doing in order to meet the superiority of another team. They must go through their routines and then wait for the scores to be handed down by the judges. Much like figure skating, which may not be a sport either.
A third reason used by the opponents is that cheerleading lacks competition. While there are championship competitions for cheerleading, these are few and far between. Most cheerleaders are simply placed on a sideline to encourage the fans to cheer.
Then they say there is no physical contact with their opponents. But this is one of their weaker arguments as many sports, like track & field, golf and swimming do not have physical contact between participants.
Golf may not be a sport anyways and maybe a little physical contact would make it more fun to watch. Finally, the lack of consistent divisions is another reason people disqualify cheerleading from being a sport.
Unlike football, basketball, baseball, and hockey, cheerleading is lacking in this department and it is a glaring lack. There are other reasons people use to say that cheerleading is not a sport but those are very weak and often made out of ignorance.
Is competitive cheer the hardest sport?
First, you have to agree that it is a sport before heading off into a discussion on its degree of difficulty. The definition of the term ‘sports’ is “an activity involving physical exertion and often in a competitive nature.”
In most cases, cheerleading would fail at the latter of the two points. There are not enough competitions at all levels to help it qualify as a sport. There are just too many cheer teams that just stand at the sideline, dance a little, and elicit cheers from the crowd. The NFL is a prime example of this.
But, cheerleading certainly does meet the first criteria. The participants do a lot of training to get in shape to do their activity and the competitive routines are very physically demanding.
The routines used in competitive cheer are very dangerous, complicated and one mis-step could result in death or injury. But the same could be said for any traditional sport. Cheerleading does not have 400-pound defensive tackles running at you at full speed just to stop your forward motion.
Nor does it have very stocky defensemen waiting at the blue line for the smaller forward carrying the puck to cross into their territory. One hip check can break a leg, ruin a career or send the player sliding across the ice until they hit the boards. Plus, those forwards are skating at speeds upwards of 40 mph at the time of the hit.
While there is a lot to learn, lots of skills to develop, and routines to memorize, it is not the hardest sport to play. Football has hundreds of different plays in its playbooks that players have to memorize. Then when they change teams they have to learn a whole new set of plays.
So no, cheerleading is not the hardest sport to learn. It has its risks but there are other sports that are tougher and harder to play.
Do injuries and risks define a sport
One of the arguments in favor of cheerleading being a sport is the fact that injuries take place, Participants at the high school level account for 65% of all sports injuries, and at the college level that percentage rises to 71%, for girls athletes.
The argument is that it takes speed, precision, skill, and practice to avoid injuries. Those facts make cheerleading a sport according to supporters. However, the Pacific National Exhibition in Vancouver Canada, in its heyday, and other similar exhibitions used to have a show with professional loggers.
These men would throw axes, chop down logs, log rolling and climb 100-foot trees. All to show their skills in a competition. These men needed skill, practice, speed, and strength to be the best and avoid injury. Death and severe injuries were a part of their routines.
But these competitions were all done for entertainment and were never considered a sport even though physical exertion was a part of their activity. They had different competitions as well.
Cheerleading may need skill, precision, and physical fitness but those elements do not raise their activity to the level of sport, especially when it is used to support other traditional sports.
Injuries happen everywhere but that does not make those other activities a sport. It just means that there is some risk involved.
Does having coaches make cheerleading a sport
This is another point supporters of cheerleading as a sport make. they cite the presences of coaches and training as evidence that makes cheerleading a sport. This would be a good point if nothing else but sports need someone more experienced to train the participants.
Having a coach allows for people to share their experience, knowledge, and expertise with newcomers to the activity. That does not make the activity a sport. It just helps untrained personal to gain experience and to learn how to get better while avoiding injuries.
The same for training. This is a necessity no matter what activity you participate in. You have to be in shape for almost any job in the real world. Even out-of-shape bus drivers had to train in order to drive a bus without causing or being part of an accident.
Training is part of most things in life and does not elevate those activities to the sports level.
Some final words
These rebuttals and explanations are not meant to say that cheerleading is not a sport. They are here to help keep the activity in perspective. Yes, cheerleading has many elements that traditional sports contain but so do many other activities.
There are strong arguments both for and against classifying cheerleading as a sport. the arguments against seem to be stronger than the arguments for but you need to make up your own mind on this issue.
Being classified as a sport certainly raises the status of the participants and can lead to lucrative careers. How you look at cheerleading will be up to you and if you have family members participating in this activity or not.
There is no doubt that this debate will never end.
