The Pros And Cons Of Competitive Cheerleading

Competitive cheerleading has never been called a sport according to the government. There has been an ongoing debate as to if cheerleading fits the definition of a sport which is “an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature” (Dictionary.com n.d.). By that definition you could interpret it to mean cheerleading is a sport, but there is much more to being a sport than meeting a definition. Competitive cheerleading does require specialized training, extensive practices, and a dedicated team; but to become a sport there are several problems that must be addressed. There is not a consistent set of competitions, no standard set of rules, and no regulations for judging. There has also been many court debates on this subject with cheerleading always on the losing end. In order for cheerleading to become a sport these problems must be addressed. Once this is addressed then cheerleading could become an official sport and the athletes would be eligible for athletic scholarships for full tuition amounts. High school, college, and competitive cheerleading teams can pick which competitions they attend. There are many different competitions each weekend and knowledgeable coaches can find out what teams are competing and choose if they want to compete against them or not.
While sideline cheerleading is most definitely not a sport, competitive cheerleading could become a true sport with some modifications. Consistent competitions, uniform rules, and professional judges would all need to be in place in order to make this become a reality. High school, college and competitive cheerleading teams would all benefit from cheerleading becoming and official sport. There are many laws and regulations that only apply to official sports and cheerleaders would benefit heavily from those. Cheerleading can become a sport easily with a little hard