Cheerleaders at girls games

Cheerleaders: Not a sport. Not my problem.

Don't care. Don't care to care. Don't care to care to care.

If some bra-burner wants to make an issue of it, knock yourself out. It's a news problem, not mine.

Most papers don't put the chain gang or the clock operator in the sports pages. Unless it's a special project like we had 2 1/2 years ago. Cheerleaders, band directors and the pizza guy who delivers to the press box are all of the same cloth: Ancillary characters.

 

Cheerleading Mommy on Line Two:

"Don't you know when you didn't pick my little Bryttnii to your All-Area Cheerleading Team, You're Costing Her A College Scholarship?!?

: : ;D ;D

 

Bryttnii.

That is one of the greatest new-age spellings I have ever seen.

 

I once covered a Division I college (very low on the D-I food chain) at which one of the women's basketball players was also a cheerleader. When the men and women would play a doubleheader, which was quite often, she would suit up for the women's game (she rarely played), change into her little skirt afterward and be out there cheering her adorable little heart out for the men's game. I cannot imagine that happening at, say, Duke.

 

The JV cheerleaders cheer on the girls games.

But I am not sure how this is a Title IX issue.

 

My high school had a JV squad for the JV teams, and a freshman squad for the freshman teams.

Then there were three varsity squads. Varsity Red would cheer for football and boys basketball. Varsity White would cheer for girls basketball and volleyball. Varsity black cheered for wrestling and soccer. Other sports got a few cheerleaders, but not too often.

 

The point of cheerleaders is to lead cheers. In order to lead said cheers, they must have people in the stands to join in said cheers. If there is no one in the stands to join in said cheers, there is no purpose for said cheerleaders.

Seems to me, the popularity of a women's or girls game would determine whether they should bother to have cheerleaders there. If there are more girls on the cheer team than people in the stands, it's a pretty good bet they'd be wasting their time. If the girls team draws well (they don't in my area) then by all means bring out the cheerleaders, the marching band, parade floats, Raiderettes, whatever.

It has nothing to do with Title IX either, which is meant to give women an equal opportunity to participate in sports. Making an existing team do double time isn't doing anything to promote equal opportunity for participation (outside of the whole sport/not a sport issue).

 

This is a Title IX issue, as access to support services has been clarified as falling under the umbrella of Title IX. This includes access to trainers, academic services, equipment services, and yes, spirit services. Band, cheerleaders, mascot all must attend an equal number of men's and women's games, be it the whole season or none at all.

If someone wanted to get picky with it, having only the JV cheer squad at the girls' games and only the varsity squad at the boys' games could be deemed a violation. It could be argued that the girls' teams are receiving the "subpar" support while the boys get the best the school has to offer.

And Football_Bat, I've never burned a bra, but I've often thought about it. Those underwires tend to poke uncomfortably.

 

Same here. I mean, what's the big deal?

 

I "coached" the dance squad when I taught (OK, so I hired somebody else to teach them to dance and I stood around and supervised), and we were required to be at all home games -- boys and girls.

 

Just wait until we DO start picking All-Area Cheerleading Teams.

 

At my high school, there were cheerleaders at the wrestling meets.

They sit cross-legged and do little routines where they pound on the mat and clap and stuff.

Whatever.