All-Star Dangers Of Cheerlebrity

[Cheerspectator101]

I think there needs to be a distinction between admiration and obsession. It's ok to say hi to a person you admire then leave them to practice with their team, but to follow them around and swarm them is over the line

 

[cmpayne]

Adding to what I said earlier and what someone else brought up, media and promotion is what is fueling this "cheerlebrity" thing. Honestly, I think the 2 by 2 videos had a big part in creating it.

 

[crazeecheermom]

This "cheerlebrity" phenomenon is an extension of our entire society's obsession with celebrity in general. I don't know how avoidable it is with social media and the way an entire generation is being brought up to feel it is normal to idolize or think they know everything about everyone they are interested in. People have a very interesting sense of entitlement because of the amount of information available to them.
I can't imagine the extra stress these kids now have. I feel sorry for them.



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[AllHeartxo3]

In many cases the fault lies with the cheerlebrities as much as their fans. There are many amazingly talented cheerleaders who don't put themselves in the public eye the way so many of these kids do... Twitter, Facebook, etc. In many cases the cheerlebs are victims of their own self promotion. (Again...not all cases...but many)

I was just about to post this! I already tweeted about it. I do not feel bad for a single person that puts themselves out there and know what they are doing. I'm the same age as these athletes and I can see where they are obviously self promoting themselves and allowing this behavior to go on. I'd want to be looked up to, not hounded and stalked and that is where the difference lies.

 

[cheysmomager]

I sure hope that parents talk to their young children and teach them respect!! I would hate for this to ruin the sport that our kids (and us too) love so much!!

 

[crazeecheermom]

I was just about to post this! I already tweeted about it. I do not feel bad for a single person that puts themselves out there and know what they are doing. I'm the same age as these athletes and I can see where they are obviously self promoting themselves and allowing this behavior to go on. I'd want to be looked up to, not hounded and stalked and that is where the difference lies.

I thought about this and I do agree that there are certain people who put themselves out there but some of the fans need to learn how to behave appropriately too.

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[crazeecheermom]

I sure hope that parents talk to their young children and teach them respect!! I would hate for this to ruin the sport that our kids (and us too) love so much!!

Exactly. Perfect opportunity to stress TEAM sport.

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[UCFKnights07]

i agree and disagree when it comes to cheerlebrities, yes, some open the door for the type of crazy fans they get by taking certain opportunities that come their way that put them more in the spotlight then others. but some dont, i dont think matt smith in particular puts himself out there as much as some of the other cheerleaders. but then again hes good looking and in a sport dominated by females sooo, ha. i do feel bad for the guy though. i do think that all these cheerleaders having very active twitters makes it worse for themselves, cause twitter is a VERY public forum for the most part. personally if i were to come across someone such as matt smith, maddie gardner or whomever i wouldnt act like a nutcase, but then again im 24 and an adult, so yeah.

 

[BlueCat]

I don't expect too many people to feel sorry for our program or the cheerlebs out there, but seeing it first hand has seriously made me reevaluate my assumptions about Maddie Gardner and others. The ones at our gym getting arguably more than their share of the attention did not seek it out, and frankly, don't enjoy it at all. If they agree to sign autographs or do a meet-and-greet (or similar), then they are viewed as attention-grabbers. If they don't, they are viewed as being elitist and "too-good" to spend time with the young athletes who look up to them. It is sort of a lose-lose scenario for them.

 

[Cheer Dad]

It certainly does not help the situation when Inside Cheerleading highlights an individual athletes portion of a routine by using their name instead of just using the teams name or when they ask you to come meet and get the autograph of Cheerlebrity XYZ when at a comp. Both of which I saw examples of on their twitter account today.

 

[Nothanks]

It certainly does not help the situation when Inside Cheerleading highlights an individual athletes portion of a routine by using their name instead of just using the teams name or when they ask you to come meet and get the autograph of Cheerlebrity XYZ when at a comp. Both of which I saw examples of on their twitter account today.

They're using the kids at marketing.

 

[WisconsinIsFierce]

I think it's the fans that really need to check themselves. Being talented, looking good, or being on a certain team shouldn't automatically put you in the spotlight to get obsessed over.

 

[UCFKnights07]

and lets face it as much as i love 2x2 videos, it definitely makes it easier for the cheer community to pick out who's who on the allstar teams.

 

[Cheer Dad]

They're using the kids at marketing.

Exactly. They are using these kids and trying to promote their Cheerlebrity status so they can sell more issues.

 

[TheVipersMom]

I don't expect too many people to feel sorry for our program or the cheerlebs out there, but seeing it first hand has seriously made me reevaluate my assumptions about Maddie Gardner and others. The ones at our gym getting arguably more than their share of the attention did not seek it out, and frankly, don't enjoy it at all. If they agree to sign autographs or do a meet-and-greet (or similar), then they are viewed as attention-grabbers. If they don't, they are viewed as being elitist and "too-good" to spend time with the young athletes who look up to them. It is sort of a lose-lose scenario for them.

After seeing how they treated Matt tonight really opened my eyes. I don't think he minded pics as well as the other girls..
But when they are practicing/ warming up/ watching their other teams people should respect their time and space.

They should not follow or chase (physically running) after someone trying to get away. He was very nice to every girl he came in contact with when I was around and he handled it wonderfully.

I applaud your athletes because they all were very well mannered. Some CA parents sat directly behind us and were very polite as well! I can see exactly why CA has grown into the program it has! Hope it's better tomorrow for those athletes and teams!