Persuasive Essay: Why Cheerleading Is A Sport

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Do you know the difference between a fine art and a sport? Both of these hobbies require similar characteristics, such as hard work, dedication, and practice. Any athlete, musician, or instrumentalist would agree that the preparation for success in these crafts relate. Nevertheless, with a minor contrast between the two activities, many fans find it hard to tell them apart. A continuous debate hits athletes hard, trying to decide whether or not cheerleading is a sport. Mastering dancing, flipping, and screaming may seem like an easy task, but actually require as much strenuous work as other athletics. Cheerleading qualifies as a sport because it relates to other exercises considered “sports” by our society. Although the NCAA(National College…show more content…
Take gymnastics for example, probably the most compared world renowned sport to cheerleading. They appear similar in ways such as physical exertion and proficiency, Jami Kastner writes in her article comparing the two, “Both are highly athletic activities that require a great deal of physical fitness and expertise”(Kastner 1). If gymnastics, which fans know as a sport, requires the same physical fitness a cheerleading, then why single cheerleading out? Many critics doubt the difficulty and physical tension cheerleading bears on the body. One of the most popular sports in America, football, happens to exert less energy each play than cheerleading does in a whole routine. Each football play estimates to last only about four seconds. Then, each team enjoys a break to huddle, a walk to line of scrimmage, and another four seconds of energy exertion for the next play (Biderman). While in cheerleading, the physical exertion at once becomes more demanding. Georgia Tech senior King Harrison highlights "It's kind of like running an all-out sprint for two-and-half minutes...the only difference is you have to hold two 50-pound weights above your head"(Drehs 4). Therefore, as these players from the cherished sport of football waste four seconds of energy with a break, these cheerleaders work for over two minutes non-stop. Anyone can say football is…show more content…
Differing from many other sports, the NCAA does not qualify cheerleading as a sport. “U.S. District Court Judge Stefan R. Underhill ruled in their favor, saying that competitive cheerleading had not developed enough to be considered a college sport for Title IX purposes”(Eaton-Robb 1). Title IX refers to sex discrimination in college athletics, requiring colleges to provide as many women’s sports as men’s sports.Therefore, being a cheerleader prevents any ability of receiving a scholarship for the sport in college. Despite the rigors and physical fitness of cheerleading, these athletes hard work throughout their lives pays for nothing going into college. Imagine, spending numerous years putting everything into an activity, then having no reward of scholarships like every other sport does. However, the NCAA has not fully ignored the idea of cheerleading one day becoming an official sport, stating some regulations in order to do so “In order for a sport to be considered for the NCAA Emerging Sports for Women list, 20 or more varsity teams and/or competitive club teams must currently exist on college campuses and the sport organization must submit a detailed proposal including possible general competition rules…”(Bonesteel). If the hard work and physical fitness these cheerleaders put in
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