AMA: Cheerleading is a sport

They cite rigors and risks ...

http://www.ajc.com/ap/ap/health/ama-says-cheerleading-should-be-designated-a-sport/ngHZj/?icmp=ajc_internallink_textlink_homepage

I'll acknowledge that there is a heavy "eye of the beholder" quotient in assessing whether cheerleading is a sport. My take: I'm not buying it. It's no more a sport than Cirque du Soleil. It is a performance art. Are they athletes? Sure. So are the kids on So You Think You Can Dance. Doesn't make dancing a sport.

 

You do not want to fuck with the AMA.

You'll end up on the list.

 

They even admit they have an ulterior motive for making the determination.

 

I'm not sure I'd call it an ulterior motive. They are simply judging on the criteria that you would expect from medical professionals -- the physical exertion and risk of injury.

 

They were motivated by the premise that if you get governing bodies to consider it a sport, the result is better training of coaches and presumably fewer and/or less severe injuries. Nothing wrong at all with trying to protect cheerleaders' health. I'm not sure it's a valid way to classify an activity as a sport.

 

The words "ulterior motive" have a bad connotation, but I do see what you were saying there.

 

AMA can classify it whatever the hell it wants, but it still shouldn't be covered in the sports section.

 

Cheerleading is not a sport. It is a challenging physical activity, but not a sport.

All the concocted bullshit -- organized scheduled competitions, specific performance requirements, etc etc etc -- is an artificial framework made up after the fact and imposed on the activity to make a non-sport superficially appear like a sport (and thus get their fingers into the money pot).

BOTTOM LINE: the function of cheerleading is for perky little cuties to shake their perky little booties to boost the egos of male football and basketball players. That's it.

(Which of course leads us to the next dominos in the row: 'dance team' and 'pom-pom squad.' which at many schools are separate entities IN ADDITION to 'sideline cheer' and 'competitive cheer.')

 

I don't consider it a sport but it deserves every bit of respect that gymnastics receives in an athletic department and at some schools, that's pretty significant

 

Nope; Gymnastics is a legitimate, established sport.

And the primary reason for its existence is not to for the participants to shake their booties for the boys' football team.



(Ironically, gymnastics in many schools has been the particular sport which has suffered the most by the rise of cheerleading and the other junior-stripper-in-training variations to varsity-sport status.)

 

Cheerleaders wrestling would be a sport, though.

You could pack the stands every week.