Is Cheerleading In Schools Sexist?

[Spirit Company]

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The Guardian published Is Cheerleading in Schools Sexist?, asking that question to experts in the United Kingdom. More than 40% of UK schools now offer cheerleading, according to the UK Cheerleading Association. Of those taking part in its competitions, 96% are female. Is cheerleading a good way to get girls excited about PE, or is […]

 

[ScottyB]

What an interesting article. Especially because this is based on UK p.e. classes rather than sports offered as club or official teams as they are in America.

 

[StayFeirceAndCheer]

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The Guardian published Is Cheerleading in Schools Sexist?, asking that question to experts in the United Kingdom. More than 40% of UK schools now offer cheerleading, according to the UK Cheerleading Association. Of those taking part in its competitions, 96% are female. Is cheerleading a good way to get girls excited about PE, or is […]

No, Cheerleading in school is not sexist. Cheerleading in Society is. Most boys don't do it becuase they're afraid of being associated with what they're not: being gay. I guess there aren't enough stubborn guys out there, but, nowadays, no one actually cares, but no one seems to actually realize that. It's not a huge thing anymore, but that's all they are stuck on. This isn't news to me, i'm not sure why it's just now being addressed either. Because it's in the UK instead of America? I dunno.

 

[Official OWECheer]

No, Cheerleading in school is not sexist. Cheerleading in Society is. Most boys don't do it becuase they're afraid of being associated with what they're not: being gay. I guess there aren't enough stubborn guys out there, but, nowadays, no one actually cares, but no one seems to actually realize that. It's not a huge thing anymore, but that's all they are stuck on. This isn't news to me, i'm not sure why it's just now being addressed either. Because it's in the UK instead of America? I dunno.

Exactly.

 

[vannahlexis]

There was an incident in MI a few years back and if I recall correctly, a team attempted to compete with a boy (during the regular season and I thought this was legal but idk) and they were disqualified.

This is from an Article on the issue: "According to the ABC affiliate, Lakeview's disqualification was based on a Michigan High School Athletic Association regulation that stipulates that girls can compete on boys teams in sports where a girls team is not offered, but boys are not allowed to compete on any girls squads in competitive sports where a male option is not offered. It's unclear why that rule wasn't known before the competition began, in which case Urbas would not have competed in the first place."

I think that's definitely sexist. If a girl has the opportunity to play a boy sport that has no girl option, why can't a boy? It doesn't really make sense to me


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[CheerBank]

There was an incident in MI a few years back and if I recall correctly, a team attempted to compete with a boy (during the regular season and I thought this was legal but idk) and they were disqualified.

This is from an Article on the issue: "According to the ABC affiliate, Lakeview's disqualification was based on a Michigan High School Athletic Association regulation that stipulates that girls can compete on boys teams in sports where a girls team is not offered, but boys are not allowed to compete on any girls squads in competitive sports where a male option is not offered. It's unclear why that rule wasn't known before the competition began, in which case Urbas would not have competed in the first place."

I think that's definitely sexist. If a girl has the opportunity to play a boy sport that has no girl option, why can't a boy? It doesn't really make sense to me


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One of cp's teammates was on jv at his school but did not make varsity because the team did not want to be coed. He was not happy but at least did have an option to continue cheering for his school.


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[mollymags]

There was an incident in MI a few years back and if I recall correctly, a team attempted to compete with a boy (during the regular season and I thought this was legal but idk) and they were disqualified.

This is from an Article on the issue: "According to the ABC affiliate, Lakeview's disqualification was based on a Michigan High School Athletic Association regulation that stipulates that girls can compete on boys teams in sports where a girls team is not offered, but boys are not allowed to compete on any girls squads in competitive sports where a male option is not offered. It's unclear why that rule wasn't known before the competition began, in which case Urbas would not have competed in the first place."

I think that's definitely sexist. If a girl has the opportunity to play a boy sport that has no girl option, why can't a boy? It doesn't really make sense to me


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Does Michigan HS cheer not offer a coed division?


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[vannahlexis]

Does Michigan HS cheer not offer a coed division?


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Nope! They haven't since like 2006 I believe


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[Official OWECheer]

This is slightly unrelated, but this is also one of the reasons that NCATA and STUNT make me sad. When HPU cut competitive cheerleading, one of the things I thought of was "what's going to happen to the guys?" I adore high schools like Sun Prairie, Dyer County and Graves County because they have successful coed cheer programs. I do wonder how they compete in their state circuit (since coed team are not that common) because often times coed teams are prohibited from competing, or if they do compete, they are left in a division on their own so they never have the chance to truly earn a title, or they have to compete outside of the state circuit (UCA regionals, etc.).

If anything, cheerleading puts guys at a disadvantage. Not to mention that male cheerleaders face ridiculous social stigma.

 

[Sophie]

This is slightly unrelated, but this is also one of the reasons that NCATA and STUNT make me sad. When HPU cut competitive cheerleading, one of the things I thought of was "what's going to happen to the guys?" I adore high schools like Sun Prairie, Dyer County and Graves County because they have successful coed cheer programs. I do wonder how they compete in their state circuit (since coed team are not that common) because often times coed teams are prohibited from competing, or if they do compete, they are left in a division on their own so they never have the chance to truly earn a title, or they have to compete outside of the state circuit (UCA regionals, etc.).

If anything, cheerleading puts guys at a disadvantage. Not to mention that male cheerleaders face ridiculous social stigma.

Slightly unrelated but, when I see sp at comps, they usually are almost like the superstars of the comp. everyone is in love with them, and jealous of them. And they rarely compete against anyone else besides the major comps, like regionals, state, etc.


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[Official OWECheer]

Slightly unrelated but, when I see sp at comps, they usually are almost like the superstars of the comp. everyone is in love with them, and jealous of them. And they rarely compete against anyone else besides the major comps, like regionals, state, etc.


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Because they have the skill and the reputation to back up their name. That must feel amazing!

 

[Official OWECheer]

There was an incident in MI a few years back and if I recall correctly, a team attempted to compete with a boy (during the regular season and I thought this was legal but idk) and they were disqualified.

This is from an Article on the issue: "According to the ABC affiliate, Lakeview's disqualification was based on a Michigan High School Athletic Association regulation that stipulates that girls can compete on boys teams in sports where a girls team is not offered, but boys are not allowed to compete on any girls squads in competitive sports where a male option is not offered. It's unclear why that rule wasn't known before the competition began, in which case Urbas would not have competed in the first place."

I think that's definitely sexist. If a girl has the opportunity to play a boy sport that has no girl option, why can't a boy? It doesn't really make sense to me


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I have read the comments under other articles discussing the growing popularity of cheerleading in the UK. A lot of people (not all, thankfully) over there seem hung up on stereotypes, and they think that it is only preparing girls for the NFL (a misconception which isn't helped by the fact that lots of these articles contain photos of scantily clad NFL dancers).

 

[PrincexxJessica]

It's funny because I actually have to do a speech on cheerleading for my Communications class and I wrote in my speech about how cheerleading started off as a male-dominated sport but during World War II all the men had to go fight in the war, and that's how cheerleading transformed into a female dominated sport.

 

[Julia Cole]

Both of our boys on my high school team started out as tumblers(one actually did parkour but same concept) and wanted to figure out how to actually make something of it. They both have total respect from everybody at school because one wrestles and one is a state swimmer. We love our boys because its our first year having boys actually cheer with us!

 

[Official OWECheer]

It's funny because I actually have to do a speech on cheerleading for my Communications class and I wrote in my speech about how cheerleading started off as a male-dominated sport but during World War II all the men had to go fight in the war, and that's how cheerleading transformed into a female dominated sport.

Lots of cheer-haters like to claim that the NFL invented cheerleading to oppress women.

Ignorance is so cute.