Cheerleading is a Sport...Just not yet

In class we have been talking about girls and sports. Particularly why there is separation between the two genders and why is it seen impressive to say “she ____s like a dude.” I decided to analyze an activity that doesn’t get the credit of being called a sport for multiple reasons: cheerleading. 

When asked to think of a list of sports, cheerleading rarely, if ever, makes the list. Cheerleading is a movement practice that never gets recognition of the strength it requires. When asked to describe a cheerleader, most people would tell you that cheerleaders are skinny, popular girls who’s biggest concerns in life include their appearance and the hottest gossip. And who could forget the abundance of sparkle and fake smiles? From personal experience, I can say this is not true and does not cover most of what cheerleading is. 

First and foremost, cheerleaders job is to entertain the crowd. Additionally, cheerleaders are supposed to keep the energy of both the players and crowd high through cheering, dancing, and stunting. To an outsider, it may seem like girls are simply jumping and throwing their legs around in tight uniforms and made-up faces. What people don’t understand are that routines and learning cheers take countless hours. The appearance of the cheerleader is not the focus of cheerleading. I will not deny that wearing the same uniform and hair style are huge parts of it in order to clean the performance. However, there is much more that strength and hard work that must be put into cheerleading. For example, women are picking up women. Why is this more impressive than wrestling or swimming? Could it be because there is no men’s team to compare it to? Would that really change anything? Cheerleading is not excused from the rules created by the patriarchy. There is a subconscious belief alive in all of us that women are objects; meant to stand as the entertainers in the male gaze. 

At football and basketball games, cheerleaders are placed on the sidelines; literally and figuratively. Sports fans may look over from time to time, but most assume cheerleaders are at the game as eye candy. 

Ultimately, cheerleaders who make it to one of the National Football League’s cheerleading team have “made it.” Just as middle school football players aim for the NFL, so do the cheerleaders. One of the most renowned cheer squads is the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders (DCC). Not only do they have some of the highest skill standards, but they are known for being the hottest squad whatever field they step onto. In order to get the best of the best, the try out process is known to grueling. CMT airs a television show about their try out process called “Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team.” Since I hadn’t watched the show, I looked on their website about their try out process. On their frequently asked questions page, the third from the top was an inquiry about a height and weight requirement. Here it is the answer taken directly from the website: “You should look well proportioned in dancewear. We DO NOT have specific height and weight requirements, however, a lean figure is demanded by our uniform” (http://www.dallascowboys.com/content/auditions-faq). Without even saying it directly, the answer communicates “you need to be hot to be hot to be on the team.” Scrolling down, there is a section about what DCC commitments are. I noticed that it does not mention the annual DCC swimsuit calendar. However every year, the DCC are photographed in swimsuits to be put in a calendar which can be sold to fans of the Dallas Cowboys. In fact, the girls on the squad consider having their half-naked bodies plastered on the annual swimsuit calendar an honor. One DC cheerleader was quoted on the subject saying, “It’s an exciting moment for the women who cheer on the boys in blue and silver” (http://cw33.com/2016/11/19/cowboys-cheerleaders-smokin-hot-swimsuit-calendar/). What I hear from that statement is ‘I am okay with being objectified instead of being respected for my cheerleading talent.’

Personally, this horrifies me that these are the women that young cheerleaders have to look up to. Girls that are okay with having their bodies speak for their worth and ability as a cheerleader. In my eyes, this is what the sport has come to. In fact, within the last two weeks TMZ published an article called “Who’d You Rather?”  with pictures of the DCC and the Washington Red-Skins Cheerleaders. This includes a gallery of 20 pages with side-by-side pictures of a girl from each team. After voting, a percentage appears telling how many people voted for each girl displayed. 

When people talk like this about cheerleading, I can see why people don’t even think of considering it a sport. I'm not the only person who feels this way. Kristen Wile wrote an article about changing NFL cheerleading. She explains her worries about how NFL cheerleading is run today and even gives suggestions on how to make a change (http://www.bizjournals.com/bizwomen/news/out-of-the-office/2016/11/life-lines-let-s-fix-nfl-cheerleading.html?page=all). I believe there needs to be a change not only in the cheer world, but the humans' worldview as a whole.