is defined as ‘all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim at expressing or improving physical fitness and mental well-being, forming social relationships or obtaining results in competition at all levels. . Does cheerleading have the qualities to be recognised as a sport? According to the Federal Court in US, 2016, cheerleading does not yet have the organisation and rules to authorise recognition as a sport. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found that competitive cheerleading does not yet meet the standards of a varsity sport under Title IX, the 1972 federal law that mandates equal opportunities for men and women in education and athletics. However, Cheerleading is defined as routines involving organised chanting where members of the team perform several jumps, dances and athletic skills, in order to entertain spectators and gain an enthusiastic response from audience at an event. Shouldn’t the construction of a physical routine, involving many tactical and practiced sets of intense skills, in a competitive form be classified as a sport? This essay will primarily critically evaluate the benefits and ill effects of cheerleading as a sport, why it has not been legalised as sport in United Kingdom and how it needs to be presented in order to categorise as a legal sport.

Briefly, the history of cheerleading an activity began in the 1800s, when cheerleading initiated as a male only sport and participants of the team were often referred to as ‘rooter kings’ and ‘yell leaders’. After the 1930s hit, girls and woman began pushing for inclusion. After demographic changes to the sport due to World War II, cheerleading transformed from a physical activity to a social one. After the inclusion of women within the team, professional teams observed that the sexuality attached to women being cheerleaders boosted entertainment value and economic value. Moreover, by the mid-1970s, cheerleading was an estimated 95% all girls and women. The difficulties leading to the recognition of cheerleading as a sport has been debated since the Education Amendment Acts 1972, Title IX. In 1975, the Office of Civil Rights resolved that cheerleading was an “extracurricular activity,” not a sport. Those involved within the developing “spirit industry,” who pursued expanding and gaining profit from the activity, made it more athletic by encouraging the use of acrobatic stunts and tumbling. Jeff Webb, a former collegiate cheerleader who, in 1974, founded the Universal Cheerleaders Association and the Varsity Spirit Corporation. In 1980, Varsity held the first high school cheerleading championship, which ESPN broadcast in 1983. By the 1990s, cheerleaders were athletes, and Varsity was big business. Over the year cheerleading has continued to gain popularity internationally, especially within the Chine, Columbia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. In 2007 The Cheerleading World opened up to foreign teams, where an asto