Complicating Cheerleader, Cheerleading an American Icon!
Americans tend to believe that a cheerleader is made to stand on a sideline to cheer on a boys football or basketball team but beginning in the 1970s cheerleading became more of an “athletic anachronism.” Cheerleading has become so powerful and have been stereotyped to be a sport in the roll of their identity that brings together “femininity and athleticism.” In American 3.8 million people participate in cheerleading activities and in 2001 cheerleading profited over $147.5 million dollars. Many of our nations political powers were indeed cheerleaders including Franklin Roosevelt, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Ronald Raegan, and both George W. Bush Sr. and Jr. This showed that cheerleading wasn’t just for women as so many people believe.
Adams and Bettis states that people believe “that cheerleading is innocuous female fun may be challenged by the injury statistics: from 1982 to 2000, 50% of all high school and 70.8% of all college ‘direct castrophic injuries’ to female athletes were related to cheerleading.” This shows that cheerleading isn’t so easy as so many people make it out to be. In this scholarly source they show statistics of the injuries made each year and how the numbers are increasing.
Basically what I’m trying to say is that cheerleading is rapidly changing and people aren’t seeing how much the industry of cheerleading is growing. So many intelligent people were once cheerleaders and no one ever gives them credit. Cheerleading is such a great and unique sport that anyone at any age can do, but we just have to be cautious about what skill level people able to perform at to prevent horrible injuries.
Americans tend to believe that a cheerleader is made to stand on a sideline to cheer on a boys football or basketball team but beginning in the 1970s cheerleading became more of an “athletic anachronism.” Cheerleading has become so powerful and have been stereotyped to be a sport in the roll of their identity that brings together “femininity and athleticism.” In American 3.8 million people participate in cheerleading activities and in 2001 cheerleading profited over $147.5 million dollars. Many of our nations political powers were indeed cheerleaders including Franklin Roosevelt, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Ronald Raegan, and both George W. Bush Sr. and Jr. This showed that cheerleading wasn’t just for women as so many people believe.
Adams and Bettis states that people believe “that cheerleading is innocuous female fun may be challenged by the injury statistics: from 1982 to 2000, 50% of all high school and 70.8% of all college ‘direct castrophic injuries’ to female athletes were related to cheerleading.” This shows that cheerleading isn’t so easy as so many people make it out to be. In this scholarly source they show statistics of the injuries made each year and how the numbers are increasing.
Basically what I’m trying to say is that cheerleading is rapidly changing and people aren’t seeing how much the industry of cheerleading is growing. So many intelligent people were once cheerleaders and no one ever gives them credit. Cheerleading is such a great and unique sport that anyone at any age can do, but we just have to be cautious about what skill level people able to perform at to prevent horrible injuries.
Athletes are Cheerleaders too!
While I was researching I found this article on ESPN talking about cheerleading and the arguments that are being made as to making cheerleading a nationalized sport. What I found interesting was that someone said that cheerleading is only about “showing off ‘our’ bodies, showing off ‘our’ underwear and shaking ‘our’ breast around,” (Nelson) when that is really not the case at all. Cheerleaders are athletes who perform “high-risk routines for high-pressure performances” says article writer Wayne Drehs.
What I found interesting was that by Title IX (document to make sports) cheerleading is able to receive the same benefits like any other athlete including “scholarships, academic advisors, strength coaches, on-site trainers, locker rooms and media training” (Wayne Drehs).
At the University of Maryland, they now have two cheerleading teams, one for recreational games and the other for strictly competing. Lura Fleece; the head coach, believes that having these two teams is a “phenomenal” idea and receives countless emails each week from girls interested in her program.
Cheerleading is becoming more and more difficult each year, “there are kids 4 years old doing things you could never imagine…standing back-tucks, stunting” (Lauren Gryskiewicz). People don’t realize how far cheerleading has evolved and older people have to see that cheerleading is nothing like what it use to be.
The article also highlights that cheerleading isn’t being recognized for the countless injuries. At a competetition, Gryskiewicz “saw a male cheerleading tear his bicep” on the mat. Cheerleading is very dangerous and there are more people in the training gym everyday than any other sport is for cheerleading.
There’s a whole lot going on in this article and I tried highlighting some main points.
What I found interesting was that by Title IX (document to make sports) cheerleading is able to receive the same benefits like any other athlete including “scholarships, academic advisors, strength coaches, on-site trainers, locker rooms and media training” (Wayne Drehs).
At the University of Maryland, they now have two cheerleading teams, one for recreational games and the other for strictly competing. Lura Fleece; the head coach, believes that having these two teams is a “phenomenal” idea and receives countless emails each week from girls interested in her program.
Cheerleading is becoming more and more difficult each year, “there are kids 4 years old doing things you could never imagine…standing back-tucks, stunting” (Lauren Gryskiewicz). People don’t realize how far cheerleading has evolved and older people have to see that cheerleading is nothing like what it use to be.
The article also highlights that cheerleading isn’t being recognized for the countless injuries. At a competetition, Gryskiewicz “saw a male cheerleading tear his bicep” on the mat. Cheerleading is very dangerous and there are more people in the training gym everyday than any other sport is for cheerleading.
There’s a whole lot going on in this article and I tried highlighting some main points.