Stereotypes Of Cheerleading

What do you think of when someone asks you, what is a cheerleader? The way many people across the globe view cheerleading is merely a stereotype. This stereotype consists of the idea that all cheerleaders are pretty, overly enthusiastic girls that lack intelligence and athletic abilities. Many people have decided on these grounds that cheerleading cannot be considered a sport, but what exactly constitutes a sport? Generally, any activity that requires physical demand, risk, skill, and commitment to succeed is a sport. The technical definition of a sport, defined by the Oxford Dictionary is, “an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment” (“Sport”). Cheerleading requires these key characteristics that determine a sport. Cheerleading is split into several different types. The most commonly known type of cheerleading is

The purpose of these cheerleaders’ is to encourage fans and support their fellow sports teams. This type of cheerleading is the focus of the development of the cheerleader stereotype, as well as the focus of the argument that cheerleading is not a sport. In contrast to recreational cheerleading, competition cheerleading focus on a physically and mentally competitive atmosphere. While I concede that recreational cheerleading lacks many of the core requirements to be considered a sport, I reject the opinion that competitive cheerleading is not a sport.

Competitive cheer teams preform a two-and-a-half-minute routine filled with elite skills such as tumbling, stunting, and jumps. Although people on the opposing side of this argument state that this activity requires