All-Star Dangers Of Cheerlebrity

BlueCat said:

I understand that. I'm sure that some of the things that some "cheerlebrities" have done come across as very self-serving. Some of them probably were. I just know that my perspective on it has changed seeing how it has developed for a few kids in our program. I have watched them like a hawk for at least a year and haven't seen them make many choices that I disagreed with.

The nerdy side of me is fascinated by the psychology of it all. What is it that makes one person get so "cheer-famous" compared to others? Being on a "big-name" team certainly makes more of a difference than it should. Being a flyer makes more of a difference than it should. However, those athletes are not always the most talented ones on the teams. They are also not always the most physically attractive. They are not always the ones tweeting the most. It is some illusive combination that I can't figure out. It is absolutely NOT highly correlated to "fairness" or "deservedness".

(I am NOT suggesting that any particular cheerlebrity is specifically not worthy of their fame - just making general comments.)

The group-think mentality is part of it. Once someone begins to get famous within a certain demographic, it starts to feed on itself. Those athletes start to become talked out (and subsequently more famous) because they are famous. Once athletes see someone giving an autograph or taking a picture, that spawns curiosity (and talking about the cheerlebrity). Once athletes start slamming the cheerlebrity for not being talented enough to deserve their attention, the protective nature of some the other fans kicks in and they start feeling protective (and closer and more devoted) to those being criticized.

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Yay, now into the psychology of it. A far more fascinating discussion. I think flyers, points of jumps, center of dance, and last passes are the most likely candidates because it gives people a focus point. Big Red was a cheerlebrity because she was tall, had red hair, and stood out. Being attractive AND good at what you do also makes a difference. The average attractiveness of most cheerlebrities is far above the average cheer athlete. Something is compelling about that person.

I don't think any cheerlebritiy is more worthy to fame than another, as much as some are in a better position to be a cheerlebrity than others. I do think it is a cycle that escalates quite quickly. If some one has a little celebrity and is picked up by a few I think it can escalate insanely fast, intentionally or not. And in cheer we are creating a culture that celebrates being famous. And that culture is one of the biggest problems.

If a fans a fan they will love the team, the athlete no matter what. These fake 'I want to meet my idol yet I cant tell you a thing about them I just want a photo' are not fans. I would as a coach have no bother in disappointing them.

NEliteSteven said:

Confession: I walked next to BlueCat and Brad Habermel and had a total fangirl moment, but I didn't ask for a picture....It's called self control.

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I was behind three coaches from Top Gun last week at State and it was in back hall at a slow time, but, hey, we aren't even allowed to talk to our own coaches on comp day, I know they didn't want to talk to me, but I wanted to say Dr???? Also, if I had said anything and they casually mentioned to our coaches that a cheer mom from your program stopped us and said hi. No. CP said that our coach had said that some members of their IO5 had offered to take a pic with our youth, (he did not tell them at the time, though) Wonder if he knew that if they opened the door to that, those girls would bother them the rest of the day.

For better or for worse, Maddie was one of the first and the post I highlighted was the driving force and still is that way. It was over the last 6 years ago this began with autographs at competitions, then the smart phone and cameras and she was getting a lot of reponse a couple of years before Worlds 2010. That said, the hindsight is 20/20, looking back we would not do anything different because now she is out of that situation mainly due to the fact she is graduated, out of All Star and is not going to any more competitions after Vegas unless it is in an official capacity. I think King is right, you are probably going to have to be a bit rude, say no, and limit their exposure. Again, last year at NCA Day 2, right before they went on the floor 2 kids came up and asked her to sign their shoe. I think she was rude at that point. It got worse every year, so I'll bet it will continue to escalate.

BlueCat said:

Absolutely.

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I know it's a little difficult to police (and kind of out of your jurisdiction, per say), but do you think making athletes with social media amp up their privacy restrictions could help? If they choose to have a twitter, make it protected, private their instagram, etc? Really have them add/accept people that they know so it could help them maintain some privacy in their normal lives?

BlueCat said:

My assumptions about and perspective of your daughter have changed dramatically over the last few months based on our experiences with this.

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I'm glad you have a better perspective. Maddie knows the young man on your team and likes him a lot and she says his heart is in the right place. Unfortunately for him, that cat is so far out of the bag you will not get it back in. Or, who knows, he may get great opportunities. I am still of the opinion you cannot make fetch happen, when the kid has the charisma it just happens.

This is going to take a village to solve and fix the problem.
Thoughts and ideas:

Event Producers: Backstage and in the warm up area, firm rules need to be in place that if you are not there warming up/ performing with a registered team then you have no business being backstage or in the warm up area. This needs to be and autograph free zone meaning "you cannot ask anyone for any type of photo or signing of any body part etc. Also, if your team is not in the warm up area than you are not in the warm up area. The warm up area is not a "backstage pass" at a concert.

Gym owners and coaches: If you have athletes on your team seeking photo's and autograph's then they need to have the proper prespective when asking for this and know when it is the "correct time and place" to ask for this.

If you are the coach/owner of a gym and you have athletes being hounded for photo's and autograph's you have every right to set boundaries and flat out say "no" to these people. This is your business and if this effects the product you put on the mat then again you have the absolute right to put boundaries out there and enforce them. Most of the athletes being stalked are minors and when they are in your care you have the responsibility to keep them safe.

Parents: Set firm boundaries on social networking sites with privacy settings etc. Explain to your "little stalkers" there is a time and place for everything and asking to get their shoe sign Day 2 at NCA is not the time. (Side note: who ruins a pair of $80 cheer shoes by getting some name signed on it?) Life is full of little disappointments and if they are told "no" then move on and recognize the athlete that said "no" has commitments to a team and needs to fulfill those first.

Maybe the PAC could help lead the way on this one?

Some people create a sense of ownership to these "celebrities" that is twisted and downright creepy. Albert Pujols or Lebron James come to mind, as far as, major sport celebs who received death threats upon the talk of leaving to go play for another town. I have already seen a sense of ownership by some gym members, coaches and owners about cheerleaders that I find disturbing when the child/parents have decided to go elsewhere to cheer.

#savethecheetahs !
Haha!

Carrie said:

This is going to take a village to solve and fix the problem.
Thoughts and ideas:

Event Producers: Backstage and in the warm up area, firm rules need to be in place that if you are not there warming up/ performing with a registered team then you have no business being backstage or in the warm up area. This needs to be and autograph free zone meaning "you cannot ask anyone for any type of photo or signing of any body part etc. Also, if your team is not in the warm up area than you are not in the warm up area. The warm up area is not a "backstage pass" at a concert.

Gym owners and coaches: If you have athletes on your team seeking photo's and autograph's then they need to have the proper prespective when asking for this and know when it is the "correct time and place" to ask for this.

If you are the coach/owner of a gym and you have athletes being hounded for photo's and autograph's you have every right to set boundaries and flat out say "no" to these people. This is your business and if this effects the product you put on the mat then again you have the absolute right to put boundaries out there and enforce them. Most of the athletes being stalked are minors and when they are in your care you have the responsibility to keep them safe.

Parents: Set firm boundaries on social networking sites with privacy settings etc. Explain to your "little stalkers" there is a time and place for everything and asking to get their shoe sign Day 2 at NCA is not the time. (Side note: who ruins a pair of $80 cheer shoes by getting some name signed on it?) Life is full of little disappointments and if they are told "no" then move on and recognize the athlete that said "no" has commitments to a team and needs to fulfill those first.

Maybe the PAC could help lead the way on this one?

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I think you need to add official cheer media to this. People like cheerupdates, industry news, inside cheer leading magazine etc if they all presented a united front with a unified and marketed message that "this is okay....this is NOT okay" you could take some of the heat off the kids when they do say, "no...now is not an appropriate time," I'm one of the people that thinks inside cheer leading is exploiting these kids (and contributing to the problem) in an effort to get the crazy people to buy more issues to plaster on their bedroom wall.

And am I the only person that thinks its bazaar to walk right up to a total stranger like you know them and expect pictures and autographs. I think that is what social media has done...when you've been Facebook friends or followers of these kids for a while, kids actually think they "are" friends or DO know them and those natural social boundaries are broken psychologically.

No different with all these newish fierce boarders texting ACEDAD all the time! What's up with that!?

kingston said:

Do you see yourself changing your gym policies to limit cheerlebrity causing exposure? No magazine articles, interviews, or what not?

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This, this, this! Gyms say they aren't promoting these kids but, they send them out on stage a few seconds before and a few seconds after everyone else blowing kisses and waving? That's not promoting?

We had a person at our gym and everyone knew she could have been a cheerlebrity, however, she was treated like every other athlete at the gym. She has left the gym to cheer for another gym with promise of "cheerlebrity", the gym/coaches/members were not hateful, wished her luck, and now the child is plastered on every cheer website, cheer magazine, has been called out on the news in a scandal, receives love/hate Twitter, etc. How we treat these kids at the gym truly matters as to how they are treated outside the gym.

HeatUniqueJ said:

That is really a difficult situation, maybe the only way to deal with that is not caring about the critique that might arise if coaches prohibit pictures ,autographs etc or at least try to regulate it to a certain extent
I mean at the end of the day it is about the sport and the team, and not about the ''Fans''
They might not be happy at first but eventually some day they will understand the reasons and realize that its not the coaches or athletes being arrogant but just focusing on what they are there for . I actually think the way you are trying to handle it right now is the right way.
I personally blame Social Media for the whole problem... IMO Facebook,Instagram,Youtube and Twitter had a tremendous influence on the whole Cheerlebrity Issue , well those platforms probably are the actual reason for it

It might actually help to talk to the kids about keeping their Facebook Accounts private and and only accepting friend requests from people they actually know and have talked to more then once. That would definitly help in terms of pictures being stolen and put on ''Fan Pages'' and all over the Internet.

I could go on for ages now but i don't want to miss the actual point of the discussion so i'll just stop now

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I'll add - NOT just the coach - but the parent - nothing wrong with a parent stepping in and being the bad guy here ----My daughter is 16 on a very high profile team that really talks to the kids about social media and I monitor her twitter and instagram personally - -She is by no means perfect in her choices, I have had MANY teachable moments regarding things I have seen on twitter, and not just around cheer - but around friends, parties, school drama, you name it...I have stopped her from going places I didnt think she should go and have been able to talk to her about why. I dont step into everything though because growing up means making mistakes...I do step in though when reputations or permanent consequences are on the line. I see some of her followers making mistakes, and when the consequences play out, I have conversations with my daughter about how the things said and done on twitter had a role to play with the situations - so she does see for real that some of this stuff can lead to being suspended from school (its happened) being caught drinking and kicked of sports team because of a picture (its happened) among other things - she knows she could change her password and I wouldnt be able to see anything she is doing or saying...but she doesnt because deep down I think she knows I am there to protect her...the coach isnt the only one to say no to FANS and the craziness...the parent has to as well. If the FANS want to blame someone for the "not right now" then they can blame the parent, since it is our job.

catlady said:

This, this, this! Gyms say they aren't promoting these kids but, they send them out on stage a few seconds before and a few seconds after everyone else blowing kisses and waving? That's not promoting?

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No, that's the kid expressing themselves.

I'm sorry, but I see a LOT of victim-blaming on here from a fair amount of people. As a person involved with another heavily victim-blaming culture, it's truly disheartening. It's SO easy to make the decision that everything someone does is 'asking for it', that they 'wanted the attention', 'they brought it upon themselves.' It's easy to look at this with a critical eye and say you would or wouldn't do something, but once you or your child is in that situation, having gone through the steps, who's to say you won't end up in the exact same spot? You're cheerleader of the month, Varsity says 'Hey you're pretty, come model for us!' People start noticing you at competitions, people start following you on twitter, people start hounding your facebook...it can EASILY escalate.

There are layers of problems:
1) We're dealing with teenagers who are growing up in VASTLY different circumstances than we have. So, adults, before you rant about walking to competitions five miles, in the snow, uphill, consider the lifestyle 'requirements' that are now en vogue . I know that YOU might not jump off a cliff if everyone was doing it, but consider teenage mentality and that some of what can be a problem is stuff they use OUTSIDE of cheer as well (instagram, facebook, twitter). Should we socially lock ourselves down because other people can't control themselves? No, but while certain things can curtail it, very little can cure it.
2) We have a national culture of celebrity. Kids currently rank being famous as more important than fitting in, which is a disturbing trend. I think fostering a healthy outlook of self-worth and self-acceptance both in the gym and out is a good way to keep such a mentality from turning into such obsession.
3) We need a united front of Coaches, Gym Owners, EPs, the PAC, etc to make certain unified decisions. EPs putting out notices about when/where it could be ok to approach an athlete. Coaches monitoring athletes and athlete-fan behavior. Imagine if coaches said that you could only approach an 'cheerlebrity' in warmups with a coach/gym owner present. Imagine how quick THAT behavior would change lol Having the PAC put out something for parents would help those parents who don't see anything wrong with this out-of-control behavior: they may not realize their child is the 24th that day to approach an athlete for an autograph. Gym owners going over 'standards of behavior at competitions,' which can include such behavior and what is acceptable.

It shouldn't be an issue at all because cheerlebrity is the dumbest thing I have ever heard and the worst trend to ever come out of all star cheerleading.

And then these same people who glorify normal human beings for being good at what they do, wonder why no one can take cheer seriously as a sport. Perhaps it is because they spend all their free time tweeting about some 14 year-old girl's abs when they should be in the gym practicing themselves. You only see this type of stuff in cheerleading. You never see it anywhere else. Ever see a rookie basketbally player stalk Kobe Bryant because he is "oh so good?" No. He wants to get on the court and beat him because that is his job.

Stop celebritizing kids who don't deserve it anymore than the rest of the hard working people on their time and go back to the gym, work on your skills, live your own life, and be proud of what type of athlete you have become.

Last year at Battle at the Beach we went down to watch Senior Elite. I was in shock at what happened after they left the stage. They were bombarded, bum rushed and drooled after. These fans were screaming & crying. As they are trying to watch the video of their performance people are pushing their way towards them, getting within inches of them. I would love to say this was a bunch of kids, but in most cases it was the parents pushing their kids to get closer. We were trying to get out and got caught up going against the crowd. My little CP was getting pushed all over the place as I tried to lead her away from the madness. I was ready to go to blows with some of these crazy parents! At that moment I thought, I NEVER want that for my child. It seriously beat all I'd ever seen.