11/05/24
July 22, 2010
Federal Judge: Cheerleading Not A Sport: A federal judge rules that college cheerleading is too underdeveloped at this point to be considered a sport for Title IX purposes.
posted by TheQatarian to other at 12:25 PM - 26 comments
I assume that this ruling will mean an end to televised cheerleader competitions, right? Didn't think so.
From article:
Evidence presented to support an injunction a year ago showed the men's baseball and lacrosse teams would drop players before reporting data to the Department of Education and reinstate them after the reports were submitted. Conversely, the women's softball team would add players before the reporting date, knowing the additional players would not be on the team in the spring.
Sounds like a much more systemic problem than just whether cheerleading is a sport or not.
posted by graymatters at 02:01 PM on July 22, 2010
Sounds like a much more systemic problem than just whether cheerleading is a sport or not.
There have always been several alternate criteria to establish compliance with Title IX, some of which were much more rigorous than others ("rigorous" meaning more likely to be indicative of a situation where there was true equality of opportunity). It's depressing to see that so-called institutions of higher learning apparently have no qualms in blatantly and cynically subverting even the more lax criteria.
posted by lil_brown_bat at 02:08 PM on July 22, 2010
My basic "sport" rule: If two people can watch it and reasonably disagree on who should be the winner, it's not a sport. Cheerleading falls even further short as it really isn't intended to be competitive, it is intended to be just what its name implies: leading of cheers. These cheerleading "competitions" mostly exist so that cheerleading programs can justify getting athletic funding. They really aren't particularly different from dance competitions except for the outfits they wear and the shouting.
As for the Title IX aspect of this: I do agree with the basic premise of Title IX, but its execution is flawed. It tends to lead either to sports that men want to participate in getting cut (wrestling is a common one), or women's sports that no one cares about being funded to satisfy the requirements. (My alma mater, the University of Minnesota, has thrown all sorts of money at the women's rowing team in recent years, for example.) I've agreed with the line of thought that football should be exempted from Title IX, due to its size and lack of female equivalent. I believe that would help get rid of a lot of these attempted circumventions, though I expect others would disagree.
posted by TheQatarian at 03:43 PM on July 22, 2010
If cheerleading were to considered a sport (and I understand the argument given its physical activity), what would be next?
Marching band ... walking around while utilizing muscles to hold instruments and blow air? Dance (especially to hip-hop) ... getting the steps down, synchronizing with the music?
posted by jjzucal at 04:09 PM on July 22, 2010
If two people can watch it and reasonably disagree on who should be the winner, it's not a sport.
Boxing: not a sport.
Poker: a sport.
(not serious, just playing around)
posted by grum@work at 04:33 PM on July 22, 2010
It's pretty shameful that Quinnipiac University is trying to avoid its legal requirements and just basic fairness for its female students. I looked up the qualifications for cheerleading for FSU, and they are serious athletic requirements related to tumbling and stuff. Then, you look at how the team spends most of their time and it is traveling to cheer on the other sports teams, including the volleyball team. Also, it doesn't look the NCAA includes it as a sport either.
posted by bperk at 05:00 PM on July 22, 2010
If two people can watch it and reasonably disagree on who should be the winner, it's not a sport.
That rules out every judged sport, including numerous Olympic sports that have been discussed here many times on a sports weblog. I think that's far too narrow.
Cheerleading falls even further short as it really isn't intended to be competitive, it is intended to be just what its name implies: leading of cheers.
That's not what competitive cheerleading is at all. My niece is on a team. It's a physically grueling mix of dance and gymnastics that is not the same thing as cheering on the sidelines for another team. I don't think she's ever been a school cheerleader. The commitment she gives to it has sent her all over the country.
I don't see how any fair rule system could include gymnastics as a sport and exclude competitive cheerleading.
posted by rcade at 05:01 PM on July 22, 2010
I don't see how any fair rule system could include gymnastics as a sport and exclude competitive cheerleading.
Considering the high level of danger associated with cheerleading, I would argue that it might even qualify as an eXtreme sport. Seriously. These girls throw each other like ten feet in the air, fly around for a while, and then catch each other in a "ta da" pose.
We might be splitting hairs here between "sport" and "athletic activity," so let me just say that the top cheerleaders in competitive cheerleading are athletes, at the very least in the sense that they are athletic.
posted by Joey Michaels at 05:28 PM on July 22, 2010
The reason that QU wanted to use cheer as a sport instead of volleyball was a simple cost issue. The cheer team with 40 members had an estimated annual cost of $40k while the the 11 member volleyball team had a price tag of $70k. This allowed QU to have more athletes on the rolls but at a much lower per athlete cost.
The fact that QU was double counting the women x-country runners as track athletes is something that the NCAA should be looking at, because I am sure it is a common practice at several schools. However if the athletes are receiving scholarship money from both programs, I think there should be a bit of an exception there that the NCAA would have to work out.
Title IX has been a boon program for women's sports and while women point out that they should not be held up as villains for asking for equal treatment, the truth is that the advancement of women's sports has come at the expense of men's sports. The number of schools that have had to cut non-revenue producing men's sports to be in compliance is mind numbing.
A program that I would like to see explored would be allowing the men's revenue producing sports to support themselves and not be counted in the Title IX calculations and make sure that the money that the schools are spending on the sports beyond the revenues they produce is equal. I know that this will flip out many women's sports supporters, but would be welcomed by many others.
posted by Demophon at 05:35 PM on July 22, 2010
It's a physically grueling mix of dance and gymnastics that is not the same thing as cheering on the sidelines for another team.
I agree based on what I have seen of competitive cheerleaders. That's why I looked up FSU because they appear to be serious athletes. Despite that, they are still expected to cheer on the side of football games, basketball games, volleyball games, and such. If Quinniapiac and other schools are serious about starting a real competitive cheerleading league than I think the judge would agree that it is a sport. But, so far, there isn't one for college, and that is why the judge said it isn't organized enough yet.
Title IX has been a boon program for women's sports and while women point out that they should not be held up as villains for asking for equal treatment, the truth is that the advancement of women's sports has come at the expense of men's sports.
Only because women's sports are an easy scapegoat. How much money do you think Quinnipiac's football team is making? How much does it cost? If you get rid of the football team, you could pay for all the other sports. Instead, football is untouchable (and usually men's basketball and baseball) and every other team, men and women, are fighting over the scraps.
posted by bperk at 05:57 PM on July 22, 2010
That competitive cheerleading stuff is completely legit as an athletic event and an achievement. It's clearly evolved beyond the simple definitions.
And I don't want to sound like a queer or nothing, but Bring It On was a sweet movie.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 06:14 PM on July 22, 2010
A program that I would like to see explored would be allowing the men's revenue producing sports to support themselves and not be counted in the Title IX calculations and make sure that the money that the schools are spending on the sports beyond the revenues they produce is equal.
And eventually there would only be football and basketball in college.
posted by graymatters at 06:57 PM on July 22, 2010
Do college cheerleading teams have competitions?
I am aware of the competitive cheer squads, and I do agree that they are as much of a sport as gymnastics (and several other judged activities).
Title IX is a great example of what happens when you throw out a one-size-fits-all mandate that covers every school. Bound to be cases where the money is tight, and thus, programs get cut, or abuses arise.
posted by dviking at 08:30 PM on July 22, 2010
Another perspective. (NSFW - video)
posted by BoKnows at 09:57 PM on July 22, 2010
Penn & Teller are my heroes...
posted by MeatSaber at 10:56 PM on July 22, 2010
Cheering, particularly competitive cheering, requires the girls to be very athletic. This does not necessarily constitute a sport. I have seen stat books for volleyball, softball, women's track, women's swimming, etc., but never one for cheering. Also, all of the above could take place without spectators, except for cheering. Cheerleaders lead the crowd in cheers, they are not competing against the girls on the other sideline to determine the outcome of the contest. Again, this does not mean they are not dedicated, or athletic. It requires extreme strength and skill to perform the filps, handstands, etc. that they do. One more bit to throw into the argument - at the college level, cheering is co-ed. Can anyone name another activity that would normally be called a sport that is mixed gender? There are squads made up of both sexes - cross country for example. But in those cases, the men compete against the men, and the women against the women.
posted by FonGu at 04:24 AM on July 23, 2010
I don't care for competitive cheerleading and had never given this any thought, but it seems to me that competitive cheering is more of a sport than many other things we debate.
Cheerleaders lead the crowd in cheers, they are not competing against the girls on the other sideline to determine the outcome of the contest. You've already admitted to the athleticism involved, and you even highlight competitive cheerleading. In competitive cheerleading, it seems to me that your audience of "crowd" or fans are no more integral than the crowd in other sporting events. In competitive cheerleading, they truly ARE competing against members of another squad, in an effort to determine an outcome decided by a point/ranking system. Seems to me that those two aspects (athleticism, competition) satisfy even the most narrow definitions of "sport" (Physical activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively.)
Can anyone name another activity that would normally be called a sport that is mixed gender? How about golf? Again, there's been debate about whether golf requires the athleticism to be a sport, but society in general considers it one. Now, colleges have gender-specific golf teams, but at the pro-level, we've obviously seen cross-over (Annika). And, even if we disregard this gem, haven't there been females that have stepped onto a football field (see Katie Hnida)? Again, certainly not the norm, but I would bet someone could name even better examples of female-male competition, even if they were fringe sports. Regardless, I don't think that "boys and girls playing together" should discount something from being a sport.
posted by littleLebowski at 06:43 AM on July 23, 2010
Can anyone name another activity that would normally be called a sport that is mixed gender?
tennis mixed doubles
posted by bender at 08:05 AM on July 23, 2010
I realized I had only started the article in the FPP and then jumped to the comments. I still maintain that competitive cheer seems to be a sport by overall definition, but from the article, it seems clear that it had not been recognized so by the college system, so it seems like the judge's ruling may have been founded.
And the school's response to not being able to call cheerleading a sport and facing having to reinstate volleyball? ... To announce it will start a women's rugby team. Is it just me or does it seem like the school is hellbent on F'ing with the volleyball team? If they could muster the budget to create a new program (women's rugby), couldn't they muster the budget to keep an established program running? If I were a QU volleyball player, I'd be transferring out of principle, if nothing else.
posted by littleLebowski at 08:26 AM on July 23, 2010
I have seen stat books for volleyball, softball, women's track, women's swimming, etc., but never one for cheering. ... Cheerleaders lead the crowd in cheers, they are not competing against the girls on the other sideline to determine the outcome of the contest.
You do not understand what competitive cheerleading is. It is different than sideline cheerleading. Teams perform against other teams and are scored, like gymnastics and other judged sports. Like any judged sport, the stats are the scores awarded. The best teams compete nationally against each other.
The name is throwing people off, but it has been a competitive sport since the early '80s.
posted by rcade at 10:05 AM on July 23, 2010
Cheerleaders lead the crowd in cheers, they are not competing against the girls on the other sideline to determine the outcome of the contest.
Someone never saw 'Bring it On'
posted by BornIcon at 10:34 AM on July 23, 2010
One of my darkest days was the day my talented daughter quick her "select" or traveling soccer team to focus on high school chearleading. What followed was 4 years of preparation for and participation in cheerleading competitions in various states across the US with intermittent cheering at actual athletic events. This included 2-a-days for the 3 months prior to the major competitions, something she never encountered in her "playing" days. During her career, much of which was spent as a "flyer", she constantly fought issues with her back and ankles. Several of her teammates were seriously injured, including a compound fracture of a forearm and a serious concussion that has precluded the injured girl from any strenuous physical activity for life. It may not be a sport, and I hated every minute I had to witness of it, but those girls participating in competitive cheerleading are absolutely very dedicated athletes.
posted by manics21 at 12:33 PM on July 23, 2010
Can anyone name another activity that would normally be called a sport that is mixed gender?
Bowling.
posted by grum@work at 12:36 PM on July 23, 2010
Should have typed "quit", not "quick"...
posted by manics21 at 12:46 PM on July 23, 2010
Comments for what it's worth (not much):
1. Though the article and we talk about whether competitive cheerleading is a sport, I don't know that Title IX really makes a distinction between what is a sport and what is not and whether something is a sport. I think it focuses on athletic opportunities.
2. If competitive cheerleading is not going to be considered a sport or athletic opportunity for Title IX purposes, is there a possibility that some colleges might cut or cut back on their competitive cheerleading teams since they might not be able to include the members for statistical purposes? Perhaps an unintended consequence.
posted by graymatters at 01:49 PM on July 23, 2010
The national high school sports federation has had "Spirit" listed as a sport for several years, with published rules and the like. I'm quite surprised that the NCAA never followed suit, but then that might have required some of the "eye candy" that passes for cheerleaders to actually do something athletic.