Tim's Take: Is cheerleading a sport?

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By Tim Guidera - bio | email

SAVANNAH, GA (WTOC) – They run, they jump and they sweat.

They practice as long and hard as some teams and travel as far and as frequently as some others.

So how are they not athletes?

A federal court judge in Connecticut ruled last week that cheerleading in not a sport for the purposes of Title IX. And while that is only an issue now for colleges concerning gender equity, it is an insult to anyone who has ever cheered.

"It was just a complete slap in the face, knowing how hard they work, how far we've come,'' said Stephanie Britt, who operates Cheer Savannah, a training center for competitive cheerleaders in Pooler.

"It's very insulting,'' added Stephanie Brown, a Cheer Savannah cheerleader. "I mean, we work very hard at what we do and are really good at it and it's a sport.''

"I had so many of my mothers,'' added Britt, "saying the want to that judge to come in and try one flip.''

The flipside is the difference between competition and performance. And that seems to support the judge.

As infuriating as the ruling might be, it can be defended if you accept the premise that a sport is distinguished by the presence of a score, not the degree of athleticism required to play it. Because cheerleading is as physical and strenuous as many sports. But on the field, a cheerleader's principal interest is not to win but to entertain.

And Britt actually agrees with the decision as it applies to college cheerleading squads, which don't practice what she teaches.

"Sideline cheering in and of itself is not a sport,'' she says. "Competitive cheerleading is a sport.''

But even that stipulation doesn't prevent some level of anger about the overall anti-cheerleading statement.

"My kids were so mad and wanted to have contests,'' said Britt. "You bring in the best softball player in Savannah and see if she is as strong as I am or she can jump as high. Yeah, it was a slap in the face, but we're working to change that image.''

And to do so they'll work as much as any team in any sport.