The long-debated question “is cheerleading a sport?” received a definitive answer recently. A federal appeals court has ruled that competitive cheerleading is not a sport.
The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed with U.S. District Judge Stefan Underhill, who found in 2010 that competitive cheerleading cannot – at least not yet – be considered a varsity sport under Title IX, the 1972 federal law that requires equal opportunities for men and women in academics.
“Competitive cheer may, sometime in the future, qualify as a sport under Title IX,” Underhill wrote. “Today, however, the activity is still too underdeveloped and disorganized to be treated as offering genuine varsity athletic participation opportunities for students.”
Underhill’s ruling came after five members of the Quinnipiac University women's volleyball team and their coach sued QU when it was announced that the Hamden university would eliminate its women’s volleyball program for budgetary reasons.
To comply with Title IX, QU planned to replace women’s volleyball with a less expensive team -- competitive cheerleading.
The suit brought by the QU volleyball players and coach argued that move violates Title IX, and Judge Underhill agreed.
“I hold that the University’s competitive cheerleading team does not qualify as a varsity sport for the purposes of Title IX, and, therefore, its members may not be counted as athletic participants,” Underhill wrote in his decision.
For an activity to be considered a sport under Title IX, it must have coaches, practices, competitions during a defined season and a governing organization. The activity must also have competition as its primary goal – not merely the support of other athletic teams.
Of course, many people strongly disagree with the legal ruling.
Matt Leidemer has seen dozens of cheerleading competitions through his work as a freelance sports photographer, and has a great appreciation for the athleticism on display at the events.
“I can see where the perception that cheerleading is not a sport can come from. When you say ‘cheerleading,’ most people are going to conjure up the image of the girls on the sidelines of football and basketball games, chanting and going through arm motions,” Leidemer said. “But that’s not all of cheerleading. I think you need to go watch a competition and see the tumbling, the jumps, the tosses, and see that there is more to competitive cheer than the ‘rah-rah, go team go’ of sideline cheer. There is a degree of athleticism involved.”
Southington High School cheer coach Heather Allenback agrees.
“No one argues that it is a highly athletic activity with elements that must be included – skills, etcetera – that are judged somewhat objectively with a rubric, but inevitably includes subjective assessment. It’s like diving, ice skating or gymnastics,” said Allenback. “The difficulty comes in judging the team as a whole. As a sport, cheer just isn’t set universally, with consistency and standards. I suspect, however, that you will see movement towards a gymnastics-cheer competitive movement in the next 10 years.”
At the end of the day, Allenback is unfazed by the legal ruling.
“Again, this decision doesn’t bother me,” she said. “It’s not saying that cheerleading isn’t athletic.”
The question of whether or not cheerleading is a sport received a myriad of responses on Citizen Facebook pages.
“I’ve read a lot on this subject, and my opinion is that cheerleading should also not count as a sport,” wrote one poster. “I understand that there are more injuries in cheerleading than in most sports, and I can appreciate the fitness and athleticism that goes into it, but it’s not a ‘game’ per se.”
Another commented: “What they do is amazing, but it shouldn’t count as a sport.”
Other Citizen Facebook followers had a different take on the subject.
“I absolutely think it is a sport,” wrote the mother of an 8-year-old cheerleader. “The girls do all kinds of conditioning, and practice just as long and hard as the football players they cheer for. They cheer at games, but they also compete against other cheer squads, just as gymnasts compete against each other. I’m not sure what else they would have to do to be considered athletes!”
Another poster believes she knows why the court shot down the idea that competitive cheerleading is a sport.
“I’ll tell you the reasoning!,” she wrote. “They’re frustrated jocks!”
The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed with U.S. District Judge Stefan Underhill, who found in 2010 that competitive cheerleading cannot – at least not yet – be considered a varsity sport under Title IX, the 1972 federal law that requires equal opportunities for men and women in academics.
“Competitive cheer may, sometime in the future, qualify as a sport under Title IX,” Underhill wrote. “Today, however, the activity is still too underdeveloped and disorganized to be treated as offering genuine varsity athletic participation opportunities for students.”
Underhill’s ruling came after five members of the Quinnipiac University women's volleyball team and their coach sued QU when it was announced that the Hamden university would eliminate its women’s volleyball program for budgetary reasons.
To comply with Title IX, QU planned to replace women’s volleyball with a less expensive team -- competitive cheerleading.
The suit brought by the QU volleyball players and coach argued that move violates Title IX, and Judge Underhill agreed.
“I hold that the University’s competitive cheerleading team does not qualify as a varsity sport for the purposes of Title IX, and, therefore, its members may not be counted as athletic participants,” Underhill wrote in his decision.
For an activity to be considered a sport under Title IX, it must have coaches, practices, competitions during a defined season and a governing organization. The activity must also have competition as its primary goal – not merely the support of other athletic teams.
Of course, many people strongly disagree with the legal ruling.
Matt Leidemer has seen dozens of cheerleading competitions through his work as a freelance sports photographer, and has a great appreciation for the athleticism on display at the events.
“I can see where the perception that cheerleading is not a sport can come from. When you say ‘cheerleading,’ most people are going to conjure up the image of the girls on the sidelines of football and basketball games, chanting and going through arm motions,” Leidemer said. “But that’s not all of cheerleading. I think you need to go watch a competition and see the tumbling, the jumps, the tosses, and see that there is more to competitive cheer than the ‘rah-rah, go team go’ of sideline cheer. There is a degree of athleticism involved.”
Southington High School cheer coach Heather Allenback agrees.
“No one argues that it is a highly athletic activity with elements that must be included – skills, etcetera – that are judged somewhat objectively with a rubric, but inevitably includes subjective assessment. It’s like diving, ice skating or gymnastics,” said Allenback. “The difficulty comes in judging the team as a whole. As a sport, cheer just isn’t set universally, with consistency and standards. I suspect, however, that you will see movement towards a gymnastics-cheer competitive movement in the next 10 years.”
At the end of the day, Allenback is unfazed by the legal ruling.
“Again, this decision doesn’t bother me,” she said. “It’s not saying that cheerleading isn’t athletic.”
The question of whether or not cheerleading is a sport received a myriad of responses on Citizen Facebook pages.
“I’ve read a lot on this subject, and my opinion is that cheerleading should also not count as a sport,” wrote one poster. “I understand that there are more injuries in cheerleading than in most sports, and I can appreciate the fitness and athleticism that goes into it, but it’s not a ‘game’ per se.”
Another commented: “What they do is amazing, but it shouldn’t count as a sport.”
Other Citizen Facebook followers had a different take on the subject.
“I absolutely think it is a sport,” wrote the mother of an 8-year-old cheerleader. “The girls do all kinds of conditioning, and practice just as long and hard as the football players they cheer for. They cheer at games, but they also compete against other cheer squads, just as gymnasts compete against each other. I’m not sure what else they would have to do to be considered athletes!”
Another poster believes she knows why the court shot down the idea that competitive cheerleading is a sport.
“I’ll tell you the reasoning!,” she wrote. “They’re frustrated jocks!”
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