Context
The first concept of cheerleading was seen in the 1860s at Ivy League College sporting events. The first known cheer was chanted at Princeton University in 1884 when a student shouted, "Ray, Ray, Ray! Tiger, Tiger, Tiger! Sis, Sis, Sis! Boom, Boom, Boom! Aaaaah! Princeton, Princeton, Princeton!" When a Princeton graduate took the idea to the University of Minnesota, the evolution of cheer began. In 1989, Johnny Campbell, a student at U of M, began chanting to help the Minnesota football team to victory. Soon after, other student sections noticed the effectiveness of group chanting, and cheerleading began to grow across college campuses. As cheerleading grew, cheerleaders added elements seen today in modern cheer, such as megaphones, pom-poms, signs, motions, jumps, stunts, and tumbling, to excite the crowd even more (Lord).
Although cheerleading is predominantly female now, women were not allowed to participate in cheer until after the 1920s. Before then, cheer was only for men. From then on, women began to lead the evolution of cheerleading. While women were permitted on cheer teams, it was in World War II, and men went off to war,
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The original type of cheerleading such as sideline cheer is still admired today, even with All-Star and competitive cheerleading gaining popularity. From males chanting at prestigious sporting events, cheer now compiles strength, endurance, resilience, and hard work to tumble and stunt. Cheer has evolved into a true sport involving intense physical skill like any other sport. Cheer may not seem extremely popular, but over 3 million cheerleaders participate in All-Star, School cheer, Youth Rec, and other forms. Cheerleaders serve as advocates for schools and communities by creating school spirit. Sideline cheer is still seen in high school and college, where cheerleaders continue to rally and chant cheers toward a crowd