I personally don’t think so, but I’ve read conflicting dictionary definitions regarding the subject. Would like to see what everyone else thinks.
Yes, if the cheerleading squad enters into competetion with other schools for various cheerleading events and contest then it is a sport.
No, if the squad only functions to cheer at team games then they are not a sport.
Either way I recognize that cheerleading can be physically demanding and should certainly count as a PE credit.
Marc
IMHO, cheerleading is a sport. So is Archery and WaterBallet and jumping fences on horeseback, according to the international Olympic committee. Maybe cheerleading will be an Olympic event—strangr things have happened…
Hardly a Great Debate, but I don’t think it’s a sport. I have a very strict definition of a sport. My personal definition of sport is “An athletic activity in which two sides compete against each other and directly influence the performance of the other in order to win”. With that definition it rules out golf, cheerleading, synchronized swimming, etc.
Should freaky hard-core circus sex count as PE credit too? 
In terms of levels of athletic activity, North American football barely passes muster as being a sport. I wouldn’t be surprised if a cheerleader puts out more effort than a football player. I wouldn’t be surprised if a stand climbing hot dog vendor puts out more effort than a football player.
I’m for letting the participants decide for themselves if their activity is a sport.
Only if it’s legal.
Cheerleading is/can be a grueling physical activity. As such, it rates as a sport.
The extra stuff associated with cheerleading (like baking cookies for football players, making posters and violating school dress codes) don’t disqualify it.
Is ferret legging a sport?
I want to go to your school! 
I know people who cheerlead and they seem to put in a lot of effort. And you can get hurt doing it…i.e., there’s a lot involved. I do agree that just cheering on teams is kind of superficial, but a big part of cheerleading is competitions. Anyway…I’m not a fan or anything, but I would recognize that a lot goes into it.
And besides. ::looks stern:: It takes EFFORT to simultaneously leap off a trapeeze and grab hold of your partner, while also doing the dirty dingo as hard as you POSSIBLY CAN, with a midget waiting in the wings who you’re supposed to do next, plus a horse who can’t be satisfied and-
Er…not that i’d know about freaky hard-core circus sex personally. :o
Here’s what Rick Reilly thinks about cheerleading. I like all of Reilly’s columns, he’s a good writer.
The Rick Reilly link didn’t work.
Here, it should work now.
I had this debate once in a Speech & Debate class. My stance was “A sport is an activity involving two entities directly competing with each other.” The opposing side’s activity was “A sport is anything that requires physical exertion.” Apparently, masturbation is a sport.
Cheerleading teams competing? Nah… they go up, do a few acrobatic moves, then sit down and hope and pray that the other team screws up.
Cheerleading is a “performance”, like the theatre, circus, or politics.
Hmmm, depends. What are the units of competition? Number of orgasims? In that case, men would win most every time since they have an easier time coming to orgasim. Plus you have the problem that you are trying to prevent the other person from having an orgasim because you don’t want them to get a point. Perhaps the unit of competition is the number of orgasims you cause the other person have, but then you would both be trying not to orgasim to prevent the other person from winning. Perhaps I will have to perform a study to see which set of rules is better.
**
So does this mean that track and field does not qualify as a sport? What about Bowling?
What if the participants try to psyck (sp?) out their competitors? Then they influence the performance fo the others?
I don’t know if cheerleading is a sport but I love to watch the competitions.
Zebra wrote:
Which brings us back to Monster104’s “freaky hard-core circus sex” competitions. 
All I’ve got to say on cheerleading being a sport is: just because its hard to do doesn’t mean its worth doing. 'Nuff said.
I love this column.
Here are my guidelines:
1.) Must take exceptional athletic ability and/or skill to compete competitively.
2.) There must exist no technological advantage not readily available to everyone competing.
3.) There must be a standardized method of scoring. (This req. produces mass casualties. Sorry gymnasts.)
So lets see:
1.) Yes, It takes skill.
2.) No technology involved.
3.) This one kills it. The judging is arbitrary.
The Verdict: NO
Cyberhwk wrote:
Wink wink, nudge nudge.
Nope and nope. Activities. Not sports. I find them both to be more interesting than, say, football, but I still do not consider them sports.
That would be bad sportsmanship, but it still doesn’t make it a sport. I mean, you can try to psyke out people while playing chess (chess also requires tremendous exertion, too :)), but that’s still not a sport.
According to Reilly definitions, boxing is not a sport either, unless one corner spending more money on the judges than the other corner constitute a ‘standard method of scoring’.