The age old question -- to cover cheerleading or not?

[friend of a friend]

I don't even want to know how you found that picture, shottie.

 

[Tom Petty]

I don't even want to know how you found that picture, shottie.

hey, stop messin' with the athlete. he's got a big day of posting in front of him come sunrise.

 

[forever_town]

No wonder the store ran out of Myoplex.

 

[Tarheel316]

This has got to be one of the all-time greatest threads. Starman, you're right. Just being in the paper isn't enough. They want the recognition as a sport, which they don't merit.

 

[Starman]

http://ksuowls.cstv.com/sports/w-cheer/mtt/kenn-w-cheer-mtt.html

How about a Division I university with a full roster of their cheerleaders on its athletics Web site -- complete with positions (?!)

Check the news archive. 16 of the 34 participants on the team are All-Americans. : :

http://ksuowls.cstv.com/sports/w-cheer/spec-rel/082207aaa.html

 

[Ace]

http://ksuowls.cstv.com/sports/w-cheer/mtt/kenn-w-cheer-mtt.html

How about a Division I university with a full roster of their cheerleaders on its athletics Web site -- complete with positions (?!)

Check the news archive. 16 of the 34 participants on the team are All-Americans. : :

http://ksuowls.cstv.com/sports/w-cheer/spec-rel/082207aaa.html

Hmmm. Wonder what the criteria is.

 

[mike311gd]

http://ksuowls.cstv.com/sports/w-cheer/mtt/kenn-w-cheer-mtt.html

How about a Division I university with a full roster of their cheerleaders on its athletics Web site -- complete with positions (?!)

Check the news archive. 16 of the 34 participants on the team are All-Americans. : :

http://ksuowls.cstv.com/sports/w-cheer/spec-rel/082207aaa.html

Hmmm. Wonder what the criteria is.

I'm sorry, Ace. I couldn't hear you over the unified sound of All-American gurgling.

 

[outofplace]

Not cover subjective sports? Holy Roy Jones!

Cheerleading was first deemed a sport to equalize the number of female athletes with the number of men in a given institution (Helllooo 100 football scholarships!)

That's disturbing, but so is the whole macho flavor of the, I-ain't-gonna-cover-no-girls-in-skirts discussion here. Do we put WNBA, women's gymnastics, women's tennis in the paper? Or is it only good for the readers if the sports editor says it is?

No no no, cheerleading was first deemed a sport to allow high school cheerleading programs to get their fingers into athletic budgets.

The angle in college of using cheerleading rosters to equalize participation numbers for male and female athletes came later.

As far as the "I-ain't-gonna-cover-no-girls-in-skirts" angle, the biggest gripe I (and a lot of people) have about cheerleading is that it siphons off money (and participants) from completely legitimate girls' athletic activities (boys' too, although less directly), in order to involve them in an activity which, when you get down to it, is a symbolically-sexually-subservient role which exists to boost the macho egos of male football and basketball players.

Well said, Starman. And that last point you made about cheerleading taking money away from legitimate girls' sports was mentioned quite a few times in this thread. But it seems that Mediator would rather jump to conclusions about motivations of those who are against covering cheerleading rather than try to understand other people's arguments.

 

[Mediator]

Jeepers, Outie. I though Starman's post was pretty conclusive, too. I was just pointing out that we cover other subjective sports like boxing, and like IJAG I thought saying you weren't covering a hs sport that had been deemed a sport by the local PHSAA was subjective.

And then I threw in gender.

But that doesn't mean I am incapable of understanding, brother. I just couldn't think about a men's sport that gets the same treatment. Also note the question marks -- usually not indicative of conclusions.

 

[sportsnut]

My last statement on this subject is if your editor tells you to go cover it do it. It also depense if the area your in gives a darn. When I worked for a paper and they made me cover Juco cheer tryouts the city wanted it and the editors said why the heck not if it sells a few more papers.

Now if boys wresling came to you and told you to cover it would you or would you say no I am not going to cover a sports with guys in spandex??? Why should it be different to cover cheerleading??? In most high school they still sell cookies but the school pays for the bus to away games thats it.

 

[friend of a friend]

That might be the worst grammatical post ever.

 

[mike311gd]

That might be the worst grammatical post ever.

Yes.