Identity Crisis

The sticking point for many is the competitive aspect–or rather, lack of it. With only about 10% of high school cheerleaders competing, it’s difficult to argue that cheerleading lives up to the widely-accepted definition of a “sport,” which includes an aspect of competition.

After the AMA made its recommendation that cheerleading should be designated a sport, Bill Seely, the president of USA Cheer, expressed his disappointment.

“We believe the best approach is not relabeling cheerleading but ensuring all athletes and coaches are trained and certified and all programs adhere to safety rules,” he said. “Relabeling cheerleading will change its fundamental nature to a purely competitive sport.”

While some have embraced the increasingly competitive aspect of cheerleading, others have raised the same concern as Seely: leaning into competition in cheer will change its makeup. Required competitions would take cheerleaders away from supporting their school’s teams during games–the place where it all began. The question “Is cheerleading a sport?” brings with it another: “What should cheerleading look like?”

For this identity crisis, there may be a solution: separating cheer into two separate entities entirely.

USA Cheer recognizes Traditional Cheerleading, which operates from the sidelines and involves the classic pom-poms and peppy chants, as well as STUNT, a discipline more focused on competition and gymnastics-style maneuvers. Traditional Cheerleading is classified as a student activity, while STUNT is designed to meet the Title IX requirements for a sport. 

The University of Maryland decided to take this approach and split its cheer team into two distinct groups, one that cheers at games and another that performs at competitions–the latter of which counts for Title IX and receives the same benefits as other student-athletes.