Reader Discretion Advised

[bburke1]

After careful consideration, I can’t help but point out the irony Ive found in cheerleading. The other week I registered and after my first post I got negative feedback, from comments such as “seriously?” “umm is this appropriate?” and other remarks where I could see multiple fingers snapping at me through my computer screen. Admittedly, my question sparked controversy but it started out by complimenting both people of whom the subject was referring to. Thank you to the one person who had enough intellect to see the intent of the question and answered it without the Oh So FiErCe sarcasm, disapproval, etc that so many think they need to have on a cheerleading message board. *Finger snap.* From that one person who answered the question, I learned information that I previously did not know..which is the point of a message board, am I correct? Share ideas, gain information... I learned something new that I hadn’t known before, and I also learned the irony of this sport comes in too many ways to count. And by the way, later my account got deleted (I did contact an admin asking how accounts were deleted, but not directly requesting mine to be)…coincidence? Doubt it

With that said, the irony: Aren’t cheerleaders the ones who will shout until they’re blue in the face to defend the athleticism and right to be recognized as an official sport? Aren’t cheerleaders the ones who have those ..clever.. shirts saying things such as “wimps lift weight, cheerleaders lift people”? Aren’t cheerleaders the ones who get fired up and respond to ESPN articles about cheerleading with complete disapproval, scolding the author for skewing the information and fulfilling stereotypes set by the public?

……Yet we must walk on eggshells on a message board about the sport. Do you think on sports message boards for basketball or football there’s a parent admin waiting to take down controversial posts that might cause drama or hurt feelings? Nope. “They’re just kids,” you might argue. What about recruiting and scouting boards whose subject are high school players, where they brutally pick apart their talent skill by skill saying whos better, who’s not, who deserves to play for what team, etc.? They have fans who are disgusted by certain prospective players and make it extremely clear they would never want that athlete to play for their college team.. Fans who beg to see player A over player B on the team they love because player B is garbage and unworthy of wearing that jersey. Are those athletes not just kids too?

Not to mention, my post was actually about COACHES. It’s common sense there’s going to be controversy about coaches…especially when it comes to rivalry teams. Coach K vs Roy Williams… enough said. I assure you, coaches know the position they’re in and the controversy and challenges they face. So when comparing “cheer IQs,” as I put it, of coaches on a message board, forgive me for underestimating my audience and failing to realize everyone would see it as a personality war rather than a topic designed to stimulate conversation about their roles in the industry, overall “historical” successes, if you will, etc.

Back to the athletes.. so many “cheerlebrities” absolutely revel in the spotlight, tweeting things such as “omg soo many friend requests after competitions!” and “When your a celebrity, it's adios realityyyyy people think your cool, no matter what you do just cause your on tv<3” while at BATC. I don’t fault them for this, who doesn’t love a little recognition? But as soon as something is said on these forums that may bruise their ego, people are ready to see heads roll. I know every athlete has fans who jump to their defense, but the point is other sports realize they cannot avoid controversy or feel the need to tip toe around feelings.

There are forums in other sports where the topic will be as straightforward as “who’s the stronger point guard, PlayerA or PlayerB?” People come forward and make their case with facts and figures, links to videos, memorable game moments. It’s not meant to “cause drama” but meant to actually get opinions and feedback. Sure, there are always those who need to find a better hobby and demonstrate it by stating something as dumb as “PLAYER A SUCKS!!!!” But there are also those who are mature and knowledgeable in the information they bring. Can you imagine if someone asked a question as straightforward as that on one of these forums? “Who’s the stronger tumbler?” “Who is the better point flyer?” HA! Heads really would roll.

The same goes when videos cut out areas where a team messes up, but the athletes argue they’re “only human.” We get that you’re only human…so why are you the ones trying to keep up appearances of perfection by editing out flaws in your routine? In other sports, videos are made specifically making fun of athletes..showing them air ball or make mistakes in slow motion, etc. Even sports networks show crucial flaws in their highlights…its part of the being in the public light. ESPN sportscenter will replay a last second missed shot that could have been a game winner over and over. Sports networks show not only the reaction of the winning teams, but the heartbreaking faces of the losing team get a little camera time too. Can you imagine if there was a cheerleading version of that which showed a stunt falling repetitively at Worlds? Or zooms in on faces of athletes who just had their championship dreams shattered for that season? The cheerleading world would be up in arms. Recognition sheds both negative and positive light on anything. Let’s be honest, if cheerleading got the amount of national attention like other sports do, few would be able to handle the negativity without getting their spanks in wad.

My point is simple: toughen up. Many people in this sport need to develop a thick skin or stop complaining when others stereotype cheerleaders as prissy people with no right to be recognized as athletes in the same category as other sports. I wholeheartedly agree that cheerleading should get more respect and recognition, but it’s up to those in the industry to treat it that way as well. Like I said, recognition sheds light on the negative and positive. If you want the sport to evolve in a way that gets the respect it deserves, make peace with the previous fact…and let it.

You may disagree with me, but I hope if you think objectively about the points I made you’ll see the perspective I offer. To those who are about to jump down my throat for this post, or furthermore to the admin who may remove this… thank you for further adding to the irony.

 

[Nothanks]

while i agree with you on 99% of this, it also has to be remembered that, while these kids are indeed "celebrity status" in the cheer world, almost all of them are still minors under the age of 18. some incredibly younger. All of those athletes on TV for other sports (or, at least an overwhelming majority) are AT LEAST 18, and have developed a much larger sense of maturity and security as to who they are, their ability to perform in their respected sport and understand the amount of importance and "duty" that a lot of fans of that sport and athlete place on them.
At 14 years old, which some of the kids we talk about are even younger still, being reminded over and over again that you screwed up when your team, your/their dream was on the line, is a lot of pressure that would kill an 8th grader--their self-consciousness would most likely go through the roof, and they would feel like they weren't good enough. In the pro's, the people we see are most likely at least 20. Not only that, but I'm pretty sure most everyone would agree that when we were younger, adding people and friends online makes you cool, and having more people makes you feel so special. The older you get, the more you know about the risks of fans/"stalkers"/privacy and having your own life.

 

[MissBee]

while i agree with you on 99% of this, it also has to be remembered that, while these kids are indeed "celebrity status" in the cheer world, almost all of them are still minors under the age of 18. some incredibly younger. All of those athletes on TV for other sports (or, at least an overwhelming majority) are AT LEAST 18, and have developed a much larger sense of maturity and security as to who they are, their ability to perform in their respected sport and understand the amount of importance and "duty" that a lot of fans of that sport and athlete place on them.
At 14 years old, which some of the kids we talk about are even younger still, being reminded over and over again that you screwed up when your team, your/their dream was on the line, is a lot of pressure that would kill an 8th grader--their self-consciousness would most likely go through the roof, and they would feel like they weren't good enough. In the pro's, the people we see are most likely at least 20. Not only that, but I'm pretty sure most everyone would agree that when we were younger, adding people and friends online makes you cool, and having more people makes you feel so special. The older you get, the more you know about the risks of fans/"stalkers"/privacy and having your own life.

Elite level gymnasts competing internationally (Olympics and Worlds) are as young as 16. That doesn't stop fans from picking apart their routines and skill set, criticizing the cut of their leotard or commenting on fluctuations in weight.

 

[Nothanks]

Elite level gymnasts competing internationally (Olympics and Worlds) are as young as 16. That doesn't stop fans from picking apart their routines and skill set, criticizing the cut of their leotard or commenting on fluctuations in weight.

yes, there are some sports that have young competitors, but no where near as young as some "cheerlebrities". i just think that with some of those girls being as young as they are, and the option to continue within the sport or not should keep us from critiquing them on the same level as we do professional athletes. these girls didn't sign a contract and are ONLY (unless they have crazed parents pushing them) doing it because they want to--not because they signed into it or are making millions of dollars. us doing that to a little 12 or 13 or 14 year old kid is going to make the sport not fun for them anymore.

 

[newcheerdad]

Having subscribed to Rivals and Scout for years, the question of whether high school athletes (even highly visible ones) should be subject to the same scrutiny as college or professional athletes has always been a major topic on recruiting boards.

 

[MissBee]

yes, there are some sports that have young competitors, but no where near as young as some "cheerlebrities". i just think that with some of those girls being as young as they are, and the option to continue within the sport or not should keep us from critiquing them on the same level as we do professional athletes. these girls didn't sign a contract and are ONLY (unless they have crazed parents pushing them) doing it because they want to--not because they signed into it or are making millions of dollars. us doing that to a little 12 or 13 or 14 year old kid is going to make the sport not fun for them anymore.

I hope you don't think that elite gymnasts are professional, making money. They aren't. Most parents of elites have to take out second mortgages to pay for their child's expenses. The only competitions that they don't pay for are international ones where they are representing usa gymnastics on team usa. The rest is all them. Even the $300 leotards that are worn once.

 

[Nothanks]

I hope you don't think that elite gymnasts are professional, making money. They aren't. Most parents of elites have to take out second mortgages to pay for their child's expenses. The only competitions that they don't pay for are international ones where they are representing usa gymnastics on team usa. The rest is all them. Even the $300 leotards that are worn once.

They don't make money for competitions, but some elite gymnasts make money through sponsors. and gymnastics is kind of the exception to the point I was making. I'm referring to professional athletes in soccer, basketball, baseball, football, etc.

 

[Nothanks]

very few gymnasts, yes, but i don't know if any cheerleader individually makes any money off of sponsorships.

 

[MissBee]

Those "sponsorships" barely make a dent in costs. most pass up to keep ncaa eligibility in tact. the ones in the GK catalogs, many djust to do, no money. you can't compare professional football players to cheer, they're adults. compare cheer to gymnastics or figure skating or even tennis.

 

[HeatJamie]

I understand that most sports pick apart the athletes and coaches, but why not try to protect our under age athletes feelings if we can. I know your post was about coaches ( is what I took from your post on here) and supringsly we do tend to have thicker skin. Was it the coaches replying to you in a snappy way? Or athletes that may be fond of these coaches. Please try to remember that some of these coaches are young athletes idols and they are going to protect them as if you attacked them because they just dont understand. Back to my point though I feel like we are saying other sports pick on young athletes why shouldnt we...well back to the saying do two wrongs make a right? Shouldnt we try and let these kids be athletes without being picked apart on a public forum. If our sport isnt doing this and seems protective of starting to do it then Sorry but I say GREAT! .... I dont feel like you recieved appropriate responses though and apologize for that, maybe try a different forum like the coaches forum where younger athletes arent the dominate repliers.

 

[Nothanks]

even comparing to tennis, tennis players make a lot of money.

but this wasn't about the amount of money being made by the athlete that allows them to be criticized. it's about the age and level of maturity and sense of responsibility of playing well that is possessed by the older athletes that we do pick apart. they can handle it on a much larger scale than a 13 year old.

 

[Momof1now]

Has anyone ever watched the Little League Baseball playoffs? Some of those commentators are brutal and those are just kids they are talking about.

 

[bburke1]

I would like to point out that I wasn't making the argument that other sports pick on their athletes so it's okay for us to... I was making the point that other sports pick on their athletes so we need to realize it's going to happen to cheerleaders too.

As far as the age argument, i think several points have been made on here that shed light on the fact that in other sports there are very young athletes that get criticism as well. I am in no way saying "hey, it's okay to be condescending to athletes." I'm simply saying "hey, it's going to happen so.. as frank as it is, get over it."

Also.. I might be wrong here (someone educate me on this if I am) but it seems that most of the public criticism in this sport is geared to the older athletes anyways. By that I mean most negative feedback and controversy on youtube videos or message boards are towards older athletes. (Could be wrong- I only really watch junior and senior level teams online but I would assume there are very few Mini teams out there that get negative feedback at the same caliber as the older teams.)

Being a competitor in any sport means you're going to face pressure and criticism. That's part of being a competitor... The good comes with the bad..and it just seems that any "bad" in this sport is handled very poorly.

By the way, Shannon Miller was 15 in the 1992 Olympics.

 

[bburke1]

I understand that most sports pick apart the athletes and coaches, but why not try to protect our under age athletes feelings if we can. I know your post was about coaches ( is what I took from your post on here) and supringsly we do tend to have thicker skin. Was it the coaches replying to you in a snappy way? Or athletes that may be fond of these coaches. Please try to remember that some of these coaches are young athletes idols and they are going to protect them as if you attacked them because they just dont understand. Back to my point though I feel like we are saying other sports pick on young athletes why shouldnt we...well back to the saying do two wrongs make a right? Shouldnt we try and let these kids be athletes without being picked apart on a public forum. If our sport isnt doing this and seems protective of starting to do it then Sorry but I say GREAT! .... I dont feel like you recieved appropriate responses though and apologize for that, maybe try a different forum like the coaches forum where younger athletes arent the dominate repliers.

I doubt any of the few responses I received were from younger athletes... my question was as point blank as who do you think has the higher cheer IQ ___ or ___? Followed by a statement such as "both of these people are extremely talented in this industry not only in coaching but as far as the ability to conduct it as a business as well. Based on their history in the industry.... etc etc." Disapproval ensued and the post was removed.

Sure, you can let the kids be athletes without being picked apart on a public forum. But then don't expect to make a very valid argument that cheerleading should be recognized on the same level as other sports. Maybe so in athleticism, but a sport as a whole is comprised of more than that...

 

[HeatJamie]

It is comprised of more then that, much more then that. As far as I am concerned cheerleading is still a far way from that we do not have one governing body of rules and regulations. Judging Sheets and scoring change with every company and competition. Now as for your responses I had stated that I didnt feel like you recieved appropriate responses and was just trying to maybe shed some light that it could have been those coaches athletes making rude comments or feeling like it was an unfair thread. Im not sure. I agree that it was a valid question and that you were not making light of criticizing athletes. But as another comment cheer is sometimes very personal to coaches for example- I make a dance section that I think is awesome work my butt of teaching it and get the score sheet or hear another coach say they didnt like it ouch! I still get that personal attack feeling (not justified I know) But I think this is unique with "sports" like dance and any other personalizied choreography.