Cheerleading: What Makes Up A Sport?

Cheer teams compete for national titles just as football, basketball and baseball. There are many activities in today's industry that many people commonly debate whether such is a sport. In order to justify if this activity makes it on the list, we need to incorporate and further provide a clear definition of what makes up a sport. There are numerous definitions online that provide us with a set of criteria and one is, “An activity involving physical exertion and skill that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often undertaken competitively” (Free Dictionary online). The sports people most often get attracted to are Football, Soccer, and Basketball; all which fit in with the criteria stated in the definition. Furthermore, the most commonly debated activity is Cheerleading since it is primarily to, “promote school spirit, support other teams in …show more content…
They are expected to demonstrate ability, endurance and strength. Competitive cheerleading must endure high physical skill through stunts, cheer, and formations. For example, when cheerleaders stunt they will need proper equipment, spotters and most importantly a proper coach before making an attempt because it can lead to serious injury. They work to perfect their routines and win in competitions just like all the other sports mentioned such as Baseball. Furthermore, they lift people in the air, throw and catch, which is extremely dangerous. All this requires body strength such as to, “…have great arm and leg strength to hold the flyer up and throw her into the air” (), in order for them to do different stunts throughout the routine. Another technique that must be acquired is flexibility when performing jumps, “… told to do their jumps over and over again” (). All for the purpose to perfection their capability of executing these skills. These performances make up the skills that are needed in cheerleading and therefore meets the criteria of a