cheerleading is not a sport?

G

g-man

New member
a sport is a competitive thing like football or golf or tennis not running round in a skirt making a prat of ourself
 
I would say that given the athletic ability necessary, it is a sport. BTW cheerleading has more injuries than any other sport.
 
It depends on the arena. I think competitive cheer leading or whatever it is called can most definitely be considered a sport. Jumping up and down in front of a crowd well that's not a sport. Then again I do not think Cheer leading these days is just that anymore. It has evolved from those little girls of the 50's and 60's and 70's jumping up and down, clapping their hands. In my day, the girls were chosen for their gleaming personalities, above average maturity, large sweater puppies and broad asses -- let me emphasize and say its for the better, that is no longer the case. Some of the moves I see are very close if not acrobatic and get their roots in gymnastics.

For me a sport has to meet a few criteria. First of all it has to involve some sort of physical exertion that with time can improve ones performance if practiced. It has to have a defined set of rules that if not followed will result in disqualification. Having said the latter, saying there are not rules before hand is in itself a rule, so that is acceptable. That is the case with some of the new, up a coming extreme sports - the participants have no rules because they are in the process of creating them. There has to be competition, either against a clock, set standards or an opponent. Now, the hardest of all criteria in which many fail - it has to have a grace, a sense of fair play that transcends mere winning. In a true sport, the game, respect for the opponent, selfless play or performance of all who compete comes first. Also, any activity that knowingly and intentionally will result in injury to another is not a sport. Sorry, boxing is not a sport, as is ultimate fighting and many martial arts - those activities like war are combatives and those who participate are combatants. War is combat and again its participants are combatants not competitors. With that, well I am not passing judgment I am saying, that those who relish in the watching or supporting knowingly support violence. Let your conscience be your guide on that one. Me well I was a warrior for 20 years and I understand the difference.

Any so called sport or participant that allows or brings attention to himself in any other way other then the performance by following the best intentions of the rules can not be considered a sport. When that happen, it moves from pure sport to entertainment sports. I consider the NFL to be more of sports entertainment then pure sports. Yes, like pro wrestling it has some of the finest and best athletes in the world. I am not saying the NFL is not competitive, not grueling, not deserving of respect among athletic endeavors, but it fails in that it promotes the entertainment, individual players over the game itself. I love the Superbowl and I love the game, but it stopped being a sport many years ago.

Cheer leading meets all the positive aspects of sport and therefore should be considered sport. Most all cheerleaders do it for the purest of reasons. There is no money in it, they don't make the pages of sports magazines, they never ever make a career out of it, they are seldom recognized beyond the school. They do it to get better at it and performed to the best of their abilities.
 
No it's not a sport. It is athletic. It's like the opposite of fishing. Fishing it not athletic but it is a sport. Yes, they have competitions but there are also people who compete at squirting milk out of their eye... clearly, not a sport.
 
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