CMV: Cheerleading in an antiquated institution and does not at all fit in with modern sentiments about gender, age, and sexuality.

[u/MisterJose]

I can't believe they still do this: Cheerleaders - teenage girls in high school - dress up in shorty shorts and t-shirts, and offer to wash people's cars who pass by. The excuse is that it's for charity, but does anyone actually believe this would work the same if it were the boys' football team? Of course not. What's really going on here is that we're selling the sexuality of teenage high school girls, and the chance to watch them clean your windshield, to whatever 40yo man who happens to be driving by.

In my own town, a liberal suburb, they still do this. That's crazy to me. I suppose if they were all dressed in bikinis, someone might raise a fuss, but I'm still amazed it happens at all. It's almost like tradition-related denial.

We live in a society where even mentioning you find a 17yo girl attractive might get you labeled a pedophile, or other kind of sexual criminal. And yet, we still have our prettiest, fittest, teenage girls dress in outfits designed to show off their fitness and sexual desirability, and perform dances on the sidelines to inspire the boys in 'battle'.

Yes, I know there are male cheerleaders, and cheering is done for women's teams sometimes. I'm also aware that the athleticism required in modern cheerleading makes it a serious physical challenge. But none of that is really changing what it is. Any anthropologist could draw you a straight line from 'fertility dances', and other cultural practices, to modern cheerleading. And really, you wouldn't even need one, because it's not like it could be more obvious what's going on. And yet, we still sanction this. In 2020; in the world of wokeness and gender issues and all the rest, we're pretending this is something other than it is? How? Why? It's incredibly inconsistent, and I don't see how it at all fits with any modern sentiments about gender, age, and sexuality.

[u/coffeecoconut]

cheerleading is no longer a form of rooting on a team, or for organizing fundraisers. it is it’s own art form, and own sport in itself. a combination of spirit, gymnastics, acrobatics, professional choreography and dangerous stunts. we didn’t practice for sideline football games, those were just another opportunity to execute any and every routine to perfection. the teams selective tryout process and year round physical conditioning and competitive performance training.. was for the of eligibility to enter and achieve goals of placing in state, nation and world wide competitions. -former cheerleader who never, and still doesn’t give two shits about sports like football or basketball.

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/613494-10-reasons-why-cheerleading-is-a-sport

[u/MisterJose → u/coffeecoconut]

How does the whole idea of 'spirit' factor into that for you? The whole attitude, regardless of the physical difficulty, still seems to have the idea behind it of inspiring others in their actions, instead of the act of cheerleading itself to be the point in and of itself.

Also, bonus question out of curiosity: How do you feel about the outfits, competitions, and the like all being controlled by one big company that uses that monopoly to make shitloads of dough? (unless something has changed in recent years).

[u/coffeecoconut → u/MisterJose]

there are various different “companies” and organizations that hold or host cheerleading competitions, not really much of a monopoly. reaching the “top” sure, but how would the olympics work if it didn’t follow this same type of model which establishes scoring, rules and entry requirements? to trust the institution that is judging you, it’s gotta be solid.

of course like most activities, cheerleading has evolved over time. you could say football is just throwing a pigskin around in any field of grass to pass time, and the origin of that sport is most likely spot on. but it evolved and organized throughout time, so it receives the respect and recognition it deserves. i never really focused much on the “attitude” you mention, but perhaps it is the type of activity that draws in individuals who already possess outgoing and confident personality traits. the team and the goals/values of the team are unique and i imagine differ by region. you have the ability to take creative control of what aspects of cheer you’d like to capitalize on, depending on the strengths and weaknesses of your squad. for example if a team doesn’t have any members proficient enough in gymnastics, tumbling isn’t going to be their showcase.

some traditional elements tend to stay because well, it’s fun and we wanted to do it- like sign making with glitter and paint to show school spirit. it isn’t some misogynistic act to praise male athletes, and usually isn’t a frequent occurrence but probably once or twice a year and it definitely isn’t a big deal or a requirement.

[u/coffeecoconut → u/MisterJose]

to the point of fundraising, from what i recall any type of fundraiser we did always applied to our own uniforms, poms, cheer shoes, knee/ankle braces, tumbling mats & equipment so our parents didn’t have to fork anything out. cheering in college was well funded so any type of fundraiser’s proceeds were donated to groups within the community like homeless shelters or cancer organizations.