Is cheerleading a sport? Many people ask this question if they are not familiar with modern cheerleading and cheerleading competitions. Although many people see cheerleaders only on the sidelines of games, the true nature of the sport is revealed at cheerleading tournaments, where squads can earn cheerleading awards.

What Makes Cheerleading A Sport?
Most people would define a sport as an activity that pushes the individual physically and mentally to perform at peak levels. There may be some competitive component involved. Cheerleading meets these criteria exactly. Today, the games that cheerleaders attend for their school are merely practice compared to the competitive events that they attend.

If you doubt the athleticism of cheerleading, take a look at a pro squad doing a routine. Long gone are the days of everyone clapping on the floor and doing basic cartwheels. Girls are thrown into the air to perform complicated air maneuvers and then caught by their peers. Members of the squad leap across the mats and complete tumbling patterns that would rival the moves of any Olympic gymnast. They do all of this with bright smiles on their faces, and they are in perfect unison.

Cheerleading’s History
Part of the confusion over the nature of the sport comes from the history of cheerleading. Up until the late 1970s, cheerleaders were limited to leading cheers on the sidelines and doing a few basic jumps. In 1972, Title IX was passed in the United States, which provided an opportunity for women’s sports in high schools, making cheerleading a high school sport. At that point, cheerleading became more athletic and challenging as coaches at cheerleading camps pushed the girls to try more acrobatic moves.

Cheerleading’s Fight For Recognition
Even as cheerleaders became more athletic, many people still did not recognize it as a sport. In 1999, ESPN (the cable sports network) officially declared it a sport and began showing the national cheerleading competitions that were taking place around the country. This was many people’s first view of cheerleading in its competitive form. Instead of pom poms and loud cheers, the routines showed off the athleticism of the cheerleaders and their gymnastic abilities. As of the early 2000s, as many as 20 different high school organizations declare cheerleading as a sport.

Despite its growing recognition, there are still some hurdles to overcome. Cheerleading is not an NCAA recognized sport, meaning that there isn’t funding available for college cheerleading. There also aren’t widespread safety rules for cheerleading, which is a problem for parents who are concerned about safety. However, with the leaps and bounds this sport has made in the last few years, it will only be a matter of time before cheerleading is seen in the same light as other sports.