Work Cited

           

"AACCA.org - Cheerleading as a Sport." The American Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Administrators. N.p., 2009. Web. 22 Oct. 2013.

            This paper is a written by the American Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Administrators. This credible group touches upon whether cheerleading should be considered a sport. Over the past twenty years, cheerleading has become more and more athletic based. There is also an increase of competitiveness within the sport. Competition however, still comes secondary to the main function, which is cheering on other athletic teams. The paper says, “Today, cheerleading involves skills which require the strength of football, the grace of dance, and the agility of gymnastics” (AACCA). The AACCA was developed to set safety standards. According to the definition of a sport made by the Women’s Sports Foundation, cheerleading does not reach the criteria because its priority is not competition, but raising school spirits through leading a crowd. It is debated whether making cheerleading a sport would push schools into hiring more qualified coaches. The AACCA believes the best category for cheerleading is an “Athletic Activity”.

            This source is very credible because it comes from the official cheerleading website containing all the regulations. It is presented very clearly with subtitles where a new point is brought up/ touched upon. This is one of the more vague sources because it does not choose a side of where cheerleading should fall, and instead makes up its own category. But it still provides valuable points.

"Alumni Association Angle." University of Minnesota Alumni Association. University Archives, Fall 2009. Web. 29 Oct. 2013.

"Cheer Extreme Senior Elite: 2012 Battle at the Beach Day 1." YouTube. YouTube, 25 Mar. 2012. Web. 11 Nov. 2013.

"Cheerleading Should Be Designated as a Sport to Improve Safety Rules, Doctors Say ." NY Daily News. Associated Press, 23 Oct. 2012. Web. 31 Oct. 2013.

Doctors Group: Cheerleading Should Be Considered a Sport. Perf. Kelly Mcdermott. WXYZTV Detroit, 2012. News Report. Youtube. 23 Oct. 2012. Web. 5 Nov. 2013.

            Healey, Michelle. "Eye on Cheering Safety.(sports)." Usa Today. (2012). Print.

 Judge: Cheerleading Is Not a Sport. WTNH, 2013. News Report. Youtube. 6 Mar. 2013. Web. 5 Nov. 2013.

Mercer, Lisa. "In High Spirits." Sporting Goods Dealer 205.2 (2006): 18-20. SPORTDiscus with Full Text. Web. 22 Oct. 2013.

            This article starts by giving a brief history of the sport. Started in the 1800s at Princeton University by men who cheered on the football players. Thomas Peebles took the tradition to the University of Minnesota and it started to become more recognized. In the 1900s megaphones were introduced. Then, in 1978 CBS televised cheerleading as a sport for the Collegiate Cheerleading Championships. Today, 90% of cheerleaders are females. The number of cheerleading related injuries has doubled between 1990 and 2002 even though participation only increased 18%. This source was moderately useful for my essay. It contributes a variety of good statistics. This article was much more informative numbers wise than the others. Giving specific time periods and influential peoples names from the evolution of cheerleading. The essay was laid out chronologically which was helpful but ended with more facts on products such as Kaepa’s rather than more recent facts and stats.

Nelson, Mariah. "And Now They Tell Us Women Don't Really Like Sports?" Ms. Magazine | From the Archives. N.p., Winter 2002. Web. 11 Nov. 2013.

Press, Associated. "Court Upholds Cheerleading decision." ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures, 07 Aug. 2012. Web. 31 Oct. 2013.

Seely, Billy. "Understanding Title IX." USA Cheer. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2013.

Stacy, Teicher K. "Cheerleading Doesn't Count as a Real Sport, Judge Rules." The Christian Science Monitor: 2. Jul 22 2010. ProQuest. Web. 22 Oct. 2013.

            Stacy Khadaroo, the staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor wrote a revealing essay concerning the manipulation on cheerleading not being a college sport. Too keep from sexism, according to Title IX (a federal gender- equity law), there must be an even distribution between female and male student athletes at a given university. After a case study done for the University of Quinnipiac, it was decided that competitive cheerleading was too new and underdeveloped to be treated as a varsity sport. Another debate being made is whether Title IX is reasonable since often times interests to play college sports is not equal in men and women on campus, so proportional numbers are not needed to ensure equal opportunity. If more men are interested in sports, more men should have the opportunity to join. Quinnipiac is pro- cheerleading as a sport. The intended audience is anyone who could help persuade the government to allow a headcount on cheerleaders to count as a sport in the Title IX for college sports equality in gender. Regardless of peoples opinions on what category cheerleading should fall under, “Neither the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) nor the US Department of Education has recognized competitive cheerleading as a sport” (Stacy).This source is very useful for a focus on why defining cheerleading, as a sport is a major change for institutions such as colleges. I think since this source uses a specific college as an example it is credible. It is presented very straight forwards and understanding.

           

TOPOREK, BRYAN. "Sport Status Urged For Cheerleading." Education Week 32.10 (2012): 5. Academic Search Premier. Web. 22 Oct. 2013.

            This article states that cheerleading should be marked a sport by all 50 states to make sure that each team has qualified coaches and access to athletic trainers. As of 2012, only 29 states qualify cheerleading as a sport. Over the past decade injuries within cheerleading has risen over 400%. The article says, “From 1990 to 2003, there was a 20 percent rise in the number of cheerleaders 6 or older, going from 3.0 million to 3.6 million, according to the AAP” (Toporek).This article did not give any specific examples but mentioned multiple statistics, which makes it seem credible. This is a less useful source because of the small amount of information given.

"University Traditions." Traditions. University of Minnesota, 26 May 2011. Web. 29 Oct. 2013.

Waters, Nicole. "What Goes Up Must Come Down! a Primary Care Approach to Preventing Injuries Amongst Highflying Cheerleaders." Journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. 25.2 (2013): 55-64. Print.

Zachary. "Photo of the Day: SCSU Basket Toss." Web log post. Zacharyc. N.p., 25 Feb. 2010. Web. 31 Oct. 2013.