All-Star Dangers Of Cheerlebrity

[King]

I think you can avoid this. If you dont want cheerlebrity status dont chase it. My prime example is always Amanda G. Amazing athlete, shuns the spotlight does her thing, gets the praise isnt listed as cheerlebrity. So Im almost positive if its unwanted it can be avoided. IMO

I agree. I think cheerlebrity has to be nurtured to really reach a fervent level. I think it can seem real fun on the way up though... getting recognized, twitter followers, tv shows and magazine articles.. but once at the top I think we see where it leads. I have do understand the desire for attention (the biggest motivator for anyone is peer recognition) but this type of fame and celebrity usually comes with fortune as well. I just don't see the money in it for our sport right now.

 

[King]

This may sound stupid BUT.....What do the athletes like Gabi Butler, kiara Knowlin, etc. get out of this?
I mean they are all under 18 and there are no million dollar contracts or a pro league for cheerleading. Is the best they can hope for is a college scholarship and a gig modeling Infinity shoes? I am a cheer dad and I don't think my CP will be the next Maddie but why would you do this or let your CP do this. What's in it for them?

As far as I can tell, recognition and possibly connections. Since cheer doesn't have a vehicle to really sell or make money through cheerlebrity that is about it.

 

[HeatUniqueJ]

I think you can avoid this. If you dont want cheerlebrity status dont chase it. My prime example is always Amanda G. Amazing athlete, shuns the spotlight does her thing, gets the praise isnt listed as cheerlebrity. So Im almost positive if its unwanted it can be avoided. IMO

That's what's confusing me a lot, i feel like some of the kids really encourage their ''Fans'' to follow them by taking pictures, writing autographs ,having clothing lines etc
They obviously like being in the spotlight so they should not be the ones complaining
But then there are apparently some out there who don't really do anything but are still hyped
And then there's your example, amazing athletes who don't get any attention at all but also don't try to . Someone mentioned F5 earlier, i think they are a perfect example for this aswell.
And i really don't understand how it is posibble for some kids to become that famous without doing anything , maybe i'm just stupid

 

[BlueCat]

I think you can avoid this. If you dont want cheerlebrity status dont chase it. My prime example is always Amanda G. Amazing athlete, shuns the spotlight does her thing, gets the praise isnt listed as cheerlebrity. So Im almost positive if its unwanted it can be avoided. IMO

My perspective on that has changed since I directly see it happen to athletes I know, coach, and love. Not going to lie - I used to be convinced that the famous cheerlebs deserved much of the scrutiny they got. I probably said some snarky things that I now regret.

Witnessing some of the "cheer-famous" athletes firsthand, I simply don't see them actively trying to bring more attention to themselves. If you mean them saying "yes" when hired to model, being on the cover of magazines, etc. most of the time they viewed it as being great exposure for their team/gym more so than getting themselves more twitter followers. Most would probably turn all of that down in a heartbeat now that they see the result.


I am not saying that everything they do and say is perfect by any means. However, I get the chance to witness the behavior of many teenagers, and the ones that are the currently experiencing their proverbial "15 minutes of fame" are much more humble and gracious about it than most teens would be. Perhaps I am blinded by the fact that I have known those athletes for years, but they mostly have done nothing wrong in my estimation.

I would like to commend their teammates and gym-mates for stepping up to help the situation as best they can. It would be completely natural for them to be jealous or resentful of people that are getting a much bigger share of the attention than they are. For the most part, their teammates are simply being defensive and protective of their friends. (I probably helps that they also get to see the huge downsides that being "cheer-famous" can have.) It would normally have a tendency to cause rifts or divides among a team, but luckily, it seems to be actually unifying them and making them stronger.

I don't expect most people to understand, agree with, or even feel any "sympathy" for the kids in their situation. I admit that even as late as a couple of months ago I wouldn't have myself.

We wouldn't even bring it up if it weren't for the fact that it is getting to the point where it feels a bit dangerous and affects our ability to function normally at competitions.

 

[King]

My perspective on that has changed since I directly see it happen to athletes I know, coach, and love. Not going to lie - I used to be convinced that the famous cheerlebs deserved much of the scrutiny they got. I probably said some snarky things that I now regret.

Witnessing some of the "cheer-famous" athletes firsthand, I simply don't see them actively trying to bring more attention to themselves. If you mean them saying "yes" when hired to model, being on the cover of magazines, etc. most of the time they viewed it as being great exposure for their team/gym more so than getting themselves more twitter followers. Most would probably turn all of that down in a heartbeat now that they see the result.


I am not saying that everything they do and say is perfect by any means. However, I get the chance to witness the behavior of many teenagers, and the ones that are the currently experiencing their proverbial "15 minutes of fame" are much more humble and gracious about it than most teens would be. Perhaps I am blinded by the fact that I have known those athletes for years, but they mostly have done nothing wrong in my estimation.

I would like to commend their teammates and gym-mates for stepping up to help the situation as best they can. It would be completely natural for them to be jealous or resentful of people that are getting a much bigger share of the attention than they are. For the most part, their teammates are simply being defensive and protective of their friends. (I probably helps that they also get to see the huge downsides that being "cheer-famous" can have.) It would normally have a tendency to cause rifts or divides among a team, but luckily, it seems to be actually unifying them and making them stronger.

I don't expect most people to understand, agree with, or even feel any "sympathy" for the kids in their situation. I admit that even as late as a couple of months ago I wouldn't have myself.

We wouldn't even bring it up if it weren't for the fact that it is getting to the point where it feels a bit dangerous and affects our ability to function normally at competitions.

Do you see yourself changing your gym policies to limit cheerlebrity causing exposure? No magazine articles, interviews, or what not?

 

[BlueCat]

That's what's confusing me a lot, i feel like some of the kids really encourage their ''Fans'' to follow them by taking pictures, writing autographs ,having clothing lines etc
They obviously like being in the spotlight so they should not be the ones complaining
But then there are apparently some out there who don't really do anything but are still hyped
And then there's your example, amazing athletes who don't get any attention at all but also don't try to . Someone mentioned F5 earlier, i think they are a perfect example for this aswell.
And i really don't understand how it is posibble for some kids to become that famous without doing anything , maybe i'm just stupid

The autograph & picture-taking thing is a no-win situation for those athletes. If they sit for hours taking pictures and signing autographs, then they are viewed as seeking out all of the attention and deserving whatever happens to them. If they say "no" when someone asks to take a picture with them, then everyone resents them for being "spoiled and snotty" and not caring about the feelings of the poor 8 year old girl that just wants a picture.

On top of that, if the team makes announcements about how they want to handle the autographs and crowd around them, the team/coach looks arrogant. I have heard people discuss how incredibly cocky and self-centered it is to assume that people would want our autograph or picture - while there are literally dozens of teens and tweens circled around the athletes tugging on their sleeves (or worse) and asking them to pose for pictures.

Again, if someone has a suggestion for the best way to handle this graciously - we are all ears.

 

[CoachTamara]

Witnessing some of the "cheer-famous" athletes firsthand, I simply don't see them actively trying to bring more attention to themselves. If you mean them saying "yes" when hired to model, being on the cover of magazines, etc. most of the time they viewed it as being great exposure for their team/gym more so than getting themselves more twitter followers. Most would probably turn all of that down in a heartbeat now that they see the result.

Any teenager in America probably dreams of being asked to model uniforms or be on the cover of a magazine... My kids would go nuts over it. They get excited if they are in the local newspaper, and I think you would be hard pressed to find any child that doesn't feel the same way. That is fun and exciting, and I'm sure sometimes it is great to see kids that look up to you and admire you. Any older kid loves hearing they are what the little ones want to grow up to be.

I've always been fine with my kids not really knowing big teams, and none of them knew what the Majors was. I emailed the parents telling them "hey, if you want to see some amazing teams, you should go to this and let you kid experience the best of cheerleading." Somehow in a weeks time they went from not knowing any other teams outside of our state to having huge cheer crushes that they are obsessed with. At JSN, I felt nothing but pity for these poor kids... They were being hounded and it never let up. Some of them ask for it, but most of them don't. I can't blame them for being normal kids that want their picture on a magazine, but something has to be done. It's totally unsafe.

In a strange way though, I think it has connected our sport. No offense BlueCat, but I feel like I could never get into CA in the past because I never saw them at competitions. I didn't know their routines, I didn't know the music, and it was like they were a myth out of Texas that just appeared at Worlds and won. When I saw teams on youtube and then in person, I felt like I knew them and felt a true "fan" connection. I wanted to cheer them on, and I wanted them to win and I could sing along and play their music in my car and be happy for them. It's happening in cheer... People are buying shirts of teams they like and traveling to support them, much like fans of NFL or MLB teams. In a way, I love that for our sport. On the other hand, I hate that these kids are being mobbed and chased and have no privacy just because they are doing a sport they love (and not getting a penny for it like super star athletes do).

 

[BlueCat]

Do you see yourself changing your gym policies to limit cheerlebrity causing exposure? No magazine articles, interviews, or what not?

Absolutely.

 

[Cheerforme]

Couple of thoughts I had about the whole cheerlebrity thing...some parents seem to really push their kid into a spotlight and flame the fire so to speak ...I know one parent of a girl my daughter cheered with for years. This mom spent a lot of time on twitter with a couple of fake identities pushing her cp's name when ever she competed...the girl dod reached a certain level of cheerlebrity because of this action - example over 5000 followers - most of which she doesnt know - but then this mom complains when her cp gets negative critics from "people who dont know her"

...Also the parent has to agree to the reality tv/magazine articles/fan meet and greets etc...so there is a means right there to slow this down. Just say NO

Lastly, what happens when these high profile kids end their cheer careers...they have normal lives, find out people dont necessary know them or care about the cheerlebrity status and they actually could have significant psychological issue with this, such as depression or "lack of worth" feelings because the safety blanket of cheer is not there anymore to build their self esteem...hopefully they have built the necessary coping skills while they were spending all that time being in the spotlight. Of course they could go and make a career for themselves in the cheer industry so they can live in the bubble forever...but that may not be the best for their overall potential, but they would never know.

 

[King]

The autograph & picture-taking thing is a no-win situation for those athletes. If they sit for hours taking pictures and signing autographs, then they are viewed as seeking out all of the attention and deserving whatever happens to them. If they say "no" when someone asks to take a picture with them, then everyone resents them for being "spoiled and snotty" and not caring about the feelings of the poor 8 year old girl that just wants a picture.

On top of that, if the team makes announcements about how they want to handle the autographs and crowd around them, the team/coach looks arrogant. I have heard people discuss how incredibly cocky and self-centered it is to assume that people would want our autograph or picture - while there are literally dozens of teens and tweens circled around the athletes tugging on their sleeves (or worse) and asking them to pose for pictures.

Again, if someone has a suggestion for the best way to handle this graciously - we are all ears.

I think the only way to handle the situation is to honestly be as low key as possible and do not hold any autograph sessions. I think you cannot make everyone happy and having an autograph session (no matter the intent) increases the perception that asking for autographs is ok. It's not and shouldn't be for what we do. It creates unsafe situations and mentally I think can ruin teens.

 

[CoachTamara]

I think the only way to handle the situation is to honestly be as low key as possible and do not hold any autograph sessions. I think you cannot make everyone happy and having an autograph session (no matter the intent) increases the perception that asking for autographs is ok. It's not and shouldn't be for what we do. It creates unsafe situations and mentally I think can ruin teens.

I agree in a way, but also think that you need to think about who you are dealing with-teenagers. They will go to any lengths and do anything to get what they want. Kids don't want to say "Oh I met Matt Smith," they want something to prove it. In an autograph session, at least they get the experience and walk away with something. They can tell all their friends how nice the person was, and show that they met them. It's a more controlled environment, and you can have adults watching and protecting them.
Although it's not fun, I think you have to prevent them from wandering around so these girls can follow and stalk them. Maybe they stay in the team room while not competing and no outsiders are not allowed in. Also, getting the EPs to help would have to happen. Unless you are warming up with your team, you are not allowed back there to watch and distract them. I think you can communicate to kids that hey, this is really, really unsafe for our athletes so they are not allowed to sign things and take pictures unless they are at a certain place. It's our gym policy, not theirs, and we are simply looking out for them. All it would take is a tweet (ok maybe 5 for the kids to really get it) telling all the bazillions of followers that this is just the rules for them and they are sorry but that's how it is.

 

[BlueCat]

I think the only way to handle the situation is to honestly be as low key as possible and do not hold any autograph sessions. I think you cannot make everyone happy and having an autograph session (no matter the intent) increases the perception that asking for autographs is ok. It's not and shouldn't be for what we do. It creates unsafe situations and mentally I think can ruin teens.

I agree. What you suggest sounds easy in theory. It is just incredibly tough to turn down that little girl who runs up to them with tears in her eyes and asks to "just take a quick picture with their idol." Their instant look of confusion and sadness when the athlete says "sorry, but I can't right now" is heartbreaking. The look of contempt from the parent who just sent their kid over to ask for a picture with the athlete who was sitting and stretching with their team is frustrating.

 

[King]

I agree in a way, but also think that you need to think about who you are dealing with-teenagers. They will go to any lengths and do anything to get what they want. Kids don't want to say "Oh I met Matt Smith," they want something to prove it. In an autograph session, at least they get the experience and walk away with something. They can tell all their friends how nice the person was, and show that they met them. It's a more controlled environment, and you can have adults watching and protecting them.
Although it's not fun, I think you have to prevent them from wandering around so these girls can follow and stalk them. Maybe they stay in the team room while not competing and no outsiders are not allowed in. Also, getting the EPs to help would have to happen. Unless you are warming up with your team, you are not allowed back there to watch and distract them. I think you can communicate to kids that hey, this is really, really unsafe for our athletes so they are not allowed to sign things and take pictures unless they are at a certain place. It's our gym policy, not theirs, and we are simply looking out for them. All it would take is a tweet (ok maybe 5 for the kids to really get it) telling all the bazillions of followers that this is just the rules for them and they are sorry but that's how it is.

But if that athlete did not have a twitter account, was not on a magazine cover, and did not post amazing videos in threads pushing how amazing they are no one would be asking for their autograph. I know plenty of potential cheerlebrities in different programs and I can tell you it has to be nurtured to get anywhere. Some of the things that do nurture it don't seem harmful at the time, but eventually lead to it.

 

[CricketCheerMom]

My CP gets annoyed when people talk about Gabi Butler and they find out she knows her then don't believe her. She is like Gabi is just a kid leave her alone. I am not gonna lie she thought it was cool to meet Maddie Gardner but it was a total fluke at Worlds, she wasn't hunting her down.

 

[crazyredhead]

I agree in a way, but also think that you need to think about who you are dealing with-teenagers. They will go to any lengths and do anything to get what they want. Kids don't want to say "Oh I met Matt Smith," they want something to prove it. In an autograph session, at least they get the experience and walk away with something. They can tell all their friends how nice the person was, and show that they met them. It's a more controlled environment, and you can have adults watching and protecting them.
Although it's not fun, I think you have to prevent them from wandering around so these girls can follow and stalk them. Maybe they stay in the team room while not competing and no outsiders are not allowed in. Also, getting the EPs to help would have to happen. Unless you are warming up with your team, you are not allowed back there to watch and distract them. I think you can communicate to kids that hey, this is really, really unsafe for our athletes so they are not allowed to sign things and take pictures unless they are at a certain place. It's our gym policy, not theirs, and we are simply looking out for them. All it would take is a tweet (ok maybe 5 for the kids to really get it) telling all the bazillions of followers that this is just the rules for them and they are sorry but that's how it is.

I just cant understand how its come to telling a what 16 year boy stay in a room incase you get mobbed.