“the reputation of having been a valiant ‘cheer-leader’”
This sounds like something Monty Burns would have.
Well, I went to an all-male high school, so naturally all we had were male cheerleaders – although I think they were called pep club or spirit squad or something.
Great sig line, IMHO.
I just realized that I, me, Eleanor who keeps her face in a jar by the door, has actually HAD the fantasy that so many guys dream about.
I have dated a UCLA cheerleader!!!
OK, so he was male and he wasn’t gay. He WAS quite good looking (but then again, so was I…<rimshot>).
And he was really nice, too. I didn’t date him when he WAS a cheerleader, I dated him when he was a grad student.
As for the fantasy–I’ll keep that to myself.
We actually had a few male cheerleaders in my high school (1992-1996, very ethnically and socioeconomically diverse high school in Miami, Florida). They were typically the “rah-rah” kind of overachievers who were involved in student government and all kinds of school-related activities, did well in classes, and were generally well-liked. Popular enough guys, I guess. They didn’t have to wear short skirts or carry pom-poms, though. Then again, we didn’t have ANY “out” gay guys in my high school. Even ten years back, nobody would have dared be open about that, whereas now I understand that is a lot more common in high schools.
Same situation here, but we actually imported cheerleaders from sister schools. There were a few guys that led yells, but we had an enthusiastic squad of eight young ladies supporting our school.
It always made me sad that we had one of the top football programs in the area, won CIF while I was there, but we had the saddest cheerleading squad of anywhere. Especially when the other schools always came out with huge bands and actually HAD a halftime show.
I think we would have been better off just sticking with the guys leading yells and skipping the cheerleaders altogether. And when I go to games today as an alumnus twelve years later, the situation is still the same.
My high school, Nordonia HS in Macedonia Ohio had a guy on the cheerleading squad some time between when I graduated (97) and 2004.
I went to a game between Nordonia and Solon HS a few weeks ago and Solon had a male cheerleader.
I also recall seeing a marching band (from somewhere in NE Ohio) at some point in the last 10 years with a male color guard member.
I guess NE Ohio is just progressive like that 
That would certainly explain the Browns, wouldn’t it? 
About 3-4 years ago, there was a guy cheerleader at my wife’s school (a private school). I asked her if he got kidded about it. She said no, that a lot of guys were a bit jealous!
I went to a basketball game where the cheerleaders were performing. He spent half the time with cute, well-built hotties sitting on his hand while he held them in the air.
I should be so gay.
ElzaHub went to high school at Hoover in North Canton, and he says that they had a male cheerleader when he was in high school (circa 1991 - 1995). He was a football player who got hurt and couldn’t play anymore, but wanted to contribute, so he decided to be a cheerleader. ElzaHub said that a couple of kids made the mistake of calling him a sissy. Apparently, they never did that again, nor did anyone else in the school.
And male color guard members are becoming somewhat more prominent, especially in WGI - Winter Guard International. My brother participated in Winter Guard all through high school, and he’s straighter than straight (in fact, at world championships every year, he usually had quite a gaggle of girls following him - but to their chagrin, he’s now married to his high school sweetheart who he met in Winter Guard). Granted, most of the male color guard members I’ve known have been gay, or at least more effeminate, but there are a few straight guys who participate.
(I’m pretty sure there’s a higher ratio of straight to gay at the higher levels of WGI, but in the high school level, it was a lot less.)
E.
Most of the big college sports programs have male cheerleaders. I cover high school football and nearly every school has one or two guys who helps out with the cheers.