Cheerleading Is A Sport

Sports have been around for as long as we know, but it wasn’t until the late 1800s that women were allowed to compete. Since the 1800s, women have begun to make a name for themselves in the world of athletics. Besides the basic sports like Wimbledon, otherwise known as tennis, women started a new era for sports. They created new sports and activities like cheerleading, field hockey, etc. Serena Williams, the number one nationally ranked female in tennis, has also made some history herself. She has won over 20 Grand Slam singles titles and several Olympic gold medals. On the other hand, cheerleading, classified as a sport by many and others as an activity, began in the mid-1900s. Cheerleading first started with the classic long sleeve and long

During the 2002 U.S. Open, Serena Williams came to play in an outfit described as “a body-clinging, faux leather, black cat-suit.” (Schultz). The reactions to this outfit ranged from admiration to disgust. This cat-suit was deemed inappropriate by various people including many tabloids, but it wasn’t necessarily the cat-suit itself that the media found controversial. Instead, it was rather the physique that the outfit provided. Although Williams ended up winning the 2002 U.S. Open, people were more focused on her appearance than her actual performance, changing the long standing tradition of

Cheerleading is already sexualized and has been for quite some time. This is why cheerleading has had difficulty being called a “real sport.” Though it 's hard to tell where cheerleading uniforms are headed, one thing is for certain: cheerleading uniforms will reflect the hotly debated topic of cheerleading being recognized as an organized sport. If it 's not a sport, cheerleading uniforms will continue on its path to resemble it 's NFL counter parts. If it does become a recognized sport, regulations will be required for schools and competitions; once again changing and shifting current designs. On the other hand, tennis has been, for the most part, conservative, as it was invented by rich white country-club members. Changing the “norms” comes as a straight shock to many people and this is why Serena Williams received much criticism. This brings up the whole issue of women having to be athletic and sexual at the same time. Many people lose focus on athletic abilities when a uniform becomes too “revealing.” And when Williams wore the “cat-suit” she was drawing attention to her sexuality. Thus, forcing people to reflect on her sexuality more so than her