Cheer-leading has, for a very long time, not been considered a sport. It is female-dominated, flashy, and overall not what you would think of as ‘sporty.’

However, it has come a long way from just cheering on the football boys after they win a game. Cheer-leading in it’s whole is actually a combination of gymnastics, a recognized sport, and dance. Competition cheer, a type of cheer leading where coaches come up with a routine, have their athletes learn it, and eventually have them perform against other teams in front of judges for points, is an incredibly competitive and intense version of the sport.

Both men and women can compete in cheer, and discriminating against a sport because it’s female-dominated is simply unfair. Cheerleaders, male and female, deserve respect, and cheer-leading as a whole deserves recognition as a competition sport by all sports fans.

Because of the intense practice, strength training, and dedication that cheerleaders put into their sport, it is safe to say that they deserve the same respect that we give football, baseball, soccer, and lacrosse players.