Cheerleading story from Detroit News

This Detroit News lede amused me. (FYI, it's on the metro front, not sports page.)

Plymouth High School cheerleader JessieLaurer says she just can't get any respect.

Boys don't think cheerleading is a sport, despite hours of conditioning, training, flexing and jumping. And her own school district is locked in a yearlong controversy tinged with gender politics over efforts to establish a competitive cheerleading team so she and 60 friends can show their stuff.

“A lot of people don't think it's a sport because we don't really compete,” she said.

(Didn't see the link, but didn't look too hard, either)

From thefreedictionary.com:

Sport
n.
1.
a. Physical activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively.

 

I saw the title and thought Spad came back to cover Michigan...

 

Sport
n.
1.
a. Physical activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively. However, if you can't bet on it, it's not a sport.

 

I find this very interesting :-\. I have covered many cheerleading events and in our area a lot of boys compete. Also, boys do respect the sport in my area, as I did interview several for a story on whether the sport gets a lot of respect or not. I actually am surprised by the practices and training/conditioning cheerleaders go through. Judges have to look at a lot of elements when scoring (I got to see a scoresheet for provincials,and this was my reaction ).

slappy, you could bet on this sport if you bet on which team will win the meet. ;D

 

I've said it before and I'll say it again; Cheerleading is a physically demanding activity designed to provide support and encouragement at games like basketball and football.

Until a varsity basketball game breaks out during halftime of a cheerleading competition, I don't consider cheerleading to be a 'sport.'

 

Bang on.

If your definition of a sport is something that requires physically demanding activity, ballet's right up there.

 

slap --
Two posts on this thread and not a single attempt at the obvious frontrunning columnist joke?
You're slipping, dude.

 

Yesterday, my six-year-old was trying to tell me that dance is a sport. :

 

Any bloody thing can be a sport, in theory, if you slap a scoring system on it. Ballet, tap, Cirque de Soleil, synchronized masturbation. Everything's in play as long as there's a number to give out at the end.

 

No, but the state school for the blind might....

I know... I'm going to hell...

 

Unless it involves wacking off each other.

 

I'd love to add, and one where you can clearly win or lose, not be declared a winner or loser by a judge.