All Sports Are Created Equally

For years people have argued that cheerleading is not a sport, I am here to argue that it is and will forever be a sport.

All Sports Are Created Equally

Let’s first talk about what being a cheerleader is like. When you are on the track or sidelines of a game you get this weird rush of adrenaline, especially when your team scores. You have the highest amount of hope for your team and you always want them to win. Yes, doing the cheers is a lot of fun, but watching the game and getting everyone excited and rowdy is a whole lot more fun. Winning is always the best but even if you lose you’re super proud of the team. Not everyone appreciates cheerleaders and thinks it’s a joke but I assure you it’s not. Most people have doubts but I’m here to help you truly decide.

Next up, stunting is a really big thing in cheer. When you stunt you have to trust that everyone around, especially your bases, will catch you if you fall. Everyone in the stunt works hard to get it as close to perfect as possible. Everyone in the stunt plays a big part because that person is there in case the flyer falls. Stunting can be really scary, especially if something goes wrong. Most injuries such as sprained ankles and head injuries, such as concussions, come from stunting. Once you get a stunt nailed down you get the best feeling, your hard work to make something perfect and it looks great. Big stunts are often performed as a halftime show on big games like homecoming or senior nights. Cheer also does a dance during halftime, normally followed by a large stunt.

Competitive cheer is also a thing and it requires so much more work than regular cheerleading. As a competition cheerleader, you spend the entire season practicing day after day. Like football, you have competition that you go to, but your entire season is only preparing for one great big competition. Of course, there are multiple competitions you attend but one big one you look forward to. Competition cheer is full of stunt routines that you have to perform perfectly. I find competition cheer is way more dangerous than regular high school cheer. There is so little time to think about your next move, you just have to do it, although, it looks amazing when it’s all put together. 

So why is cheer a sport? Well, there’s a lot of physical activity involved and it can be dangerous if things aren’t done correctly, especially with stunts. Another major reason cheerleading is a sport is because it’s in the Olympics. Any sport that’s in the Olympics has to be considered a sport otherwise it wouldn’t be there. 

Cheer is really fun and I think it should be considered a sport by everyone. I know and understand I can’t convince everyone on the planet, but cheerleading really should be seen for what it is rather than what it seems like. As a cheerleader I really enjoy the sport and think others should try it too, I think you would really find that it’s harder than it looks.