The Famuan

Issue date: 2/4/08 Section: Sports

The American society has argued that cheerleading is not a sport for far too long. I am here to prove them wrong once and for all.

Let's start with the history of cheerleading according to Cheerleading Magazine.

Cheerleading goes back to the 1880s when the first organized recorded yell was on the campus of Princeton.

What I discovered from reading the magazine was that on Nov. 12, 1898, cheerleading was officially recognized when Johnny Campbell, an undergraduate at University of Minnesota, stood in front of a crowd and instructed a cheer, "Rah, Rah, Rah! Sku-u-mar, Hoo-Rah! Hoo-Rah! Varsity! Varsity! Varsity, Minn-e-So-Tah!"

In the 1920s women began to participate in cheerleading. They incorporated gymnastics and tumbling into their cheers.

In the 1930s high schools began conducting "pom-pom squads." In the 1940s the first cheerleading company was formed in Dallas, Texas by Lawrence R. Herkimer. In the 1960s the International Cheerleading foundation was formed.

In the 1970s cheerleading started to support all sports, including women's sports. In 1978 the first cheerleading competition was televised on CBS.

The American Heritage Dictionary defines a sport as a physical activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competition. This definition defines cheerleading perfectly.

And we ask ourselves if cheerleading is a sport. Of course it is.

Some say that cheerleading could not stand alone. That's wrong. Cheerleading competitions are filled to the max with fans and supporters. They sell popcorn and candy at concession stands just as well as any other organized sport.

If you think cheerleading is just an activity that supports another sport, then you are a completely biased idiot. A sport is not defined by having cheerleaders. Soccer doesn't have cheerleaders so does that make it not a sport? Give props where props are due.

Men and women have aspirations of cheering for their favorite high school, college and professional cheerleading teams from very young ages.

Cheerleading is a sport whether you like it or not.

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