Cheerleading, a sport and its definition

* Definition:
- Cheerleading is an intense physical activity based on organized
routines, usually ranging anywhere from one to three minutes, which
contains many components
of tumbling, dance, jumps, cheers and stunting in order to direct
spectators of events to cheer for sports teams at games or to
participate in cheerleading competitions.
- Professional cheerleaders and dancers cheer for sports such
as football, basketball, baseball, wrestling, or hockey… There are only
a small handful of professional cheerleading leagues around the world.
Although professional cheerleading leagues exist in multiple countries,
there are no Olympic Teams.
* Why is cheerleading not considered as a sport?
There are many arguments made regarding whether or not
cheerleading is a sport.That all depends on who you ask and their definition
of sports.
( Definiton of a sport:
-a physical activity
-contesting or competing against/with an opponent
-governed by the rules which define the time, space, purpose of the contest
& the cnditions under which a winnder is declared
-primary purpose of the competion is competiton. )
- The primary purpose is not competition.Sports Require
Competition: there are cheerleading competitions. But what if the
cheerleaders are just clapping and yelling at games? It shouldn’t be
considered as sport.
- Sports Require Physical Ability or Skill: One definition of sports
is that they require some type of physical ability or skill that has to be
learned and practiced. While no one would argue that cheerleaders
practice, it can be argued that cheerleading, when it is simply yelling into
the crowds, does not require a great deal of skill. Anyone can learn and

yell into the crowd as long as they smile a lot.
- In addition to cheering at games and competing, a cheerleading
team can often do a lot of philanthropy and charity
work, modeling, motivational speaking,television performances,
and advertising.
- Whether or not cheerleading is a real sport is a question that may
never be settled. Although there are good reasons to consider it a sport and
it certainly meets some of the accepted criteria of being a sport, there are
many people who will never consider it more than an after school club. One
thing is certain; cheerleading is increasing in popularity so much that it
might launch itself into sport status without having to try very hard.
- In the early 2000s, cheerleading was considered one of the most
dangerous school activities. The main source of injuries comes
from stunting, also known as pyramids. These stunts are performed at
games and pep rallies, as well as competitions. Sometimes competition
routines are focused solely around the use of difficult and risky stunts.
These stunts usually include a flyer (the person on top), along with one or
two bases (the people on the bottom) and, one or two spotters in the front
and back on the bottom. The most common cheerleading related injuries
are: sprained ankles, sprained wrists, back injuries, head injuries
(sometimes concussions), broken arms, elbow injuries, knee injuries,
broken noses, and broken collarbones. Sometimes, however, injuries can
be as serious as whiplash, broken necks, broken vertebrae, and death.