Introduction

“You wanna know what a real champion looks like? Gimme two minutes and thirty seconds and I’ll show you” (buzzle.com). Criticize their athleticism and this is the answer you will hear from any cheerleader. Say that cheerleading is not a sport and you will receive an earful, wishing that you had never said anything to begin with. Many people believe that cheerleaders are just girls wearing short skirts who yell for a “real sport.” However, there are just as many people who believe that cheerleaders work equally hard as any other athlete with equivalent amount of dedication and, therefore, deserve just as much credit, if not more for their sport. Cheerleading follows all of the guidelines to qualify it as a sport due to the physical demand, ability, and skill level required; therefore, cheerleading is just as much of a sport as all the others.