Cheerleading Is a Sport

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Short skirts, pom-poms, and cheering are usually the first things that people think about when they hear the word cheerleader. What they do not know is that cheerleading is much more than that. As of 2010 cheerleading has not yet been considered a sport because a U.S. Judge thought that it was “too underdeveloped and disorganized” (Pom 1).What that judge does not know is that cheerleading has already earned its place as a sport but now needs to earn the title of being a sport. Cheerleading needs to be considered a sport so that cheerleaders will finally get what they deserve to have. To begin with, cheerleading is a sport is because it meets the Title IX standards. Title IX was established to ensure that females have the same opportunities as male in athletics. For cheerleading to get these opportunities, it first has to be considered a sport. In order to be considered a sport under the Title IX standards, competition must be the focus of a team (Pom 3). There are many high school teams with the sole purpose of competition. There may also be a team at that school that simply cheers for football and basketball games, but competition is a completely different team. Competition teams have a separate practice times and usually consist of different people. Therefore, competition is the main reason there is a team and cheerleading meets the criteria for the Title IX standards. Title IX also states that “if the team conducted regular practices in preparation for such competition while under the supervision of a coach, then [this activity] can be considered a sport”(Woman’s 2). The thing is, cheerleaders already do that. It is against the rules to hold practice without a coach present. Furthermore, cheerleaders prepare on a daily basis for these competitions. Since cheerleading already meets the criteria for Title IX, cheerleading technically is a sport.

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