Comments on: Smart dad, smart choice http://www.theoldschoollunch.com/2008/02/23/smart-dad-smart-choice/ Fri, 21 Nov 2008 19:41:12 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.4 by: admin http://www.theoldschoollunch.com/2008/02/23/smart-dad-smart-choice/#comment-726 Sun, 23 Mar 2008 23:20:16 +0000 http://www.theoldschoollunch.com/2008/02/23/smart-dad-smart-choice/#comment-726 Oh no doubt, the teamwork, physical fitness and camaraderie I imagine are just as intense as playing on a basketball or soccer team. And about 20 times more physically demanding than golf. But from what I know about cheerleading as a sport, as something that kids in high school and college do, it's not exclusively the competitive "Bring It On" aspect of cheerleading, that is, doing routines, competing against other cheer squads but also doing that while cheering on the men's (and women's) teams at the football game, the basketball game. From what I was able to gather at my high school, the cheerleading squad only went to the most popular games which were football and basketball. They sometimes made nice cards with candy in them for team spirit for some of the other sports like soccer and tennis, but what I saw for the most part was women cheerleaders cheering on the men's basketball and men's football team. There's a great example right now in the thick of the NBA and NCAA post-season. In the NBA, it's solely women cheerleaders. While the NCAA has a bit of a greater gender balance, I still mainly see scantily clad women doing cheer routines and some men thrown in there to do the other, I don't know what it's called, "moves" like hoisting folks up in the air, big old twists and the like in front of men's teams. I haven't seen a lot of women's NCAA games (as they almost show zero on the free channels) but it's hard to remember a time when they had cheerleaders cheering the Lady Vols or A&M's women's team. Oh no doubt, the teamwork, physical fitness and camaraderie I imagine are just as intense as playing on a basketball or soccer team. And about 20 times more physically demanding than golf. But from what I know about cheerleading as a sport, as something that kids in high school and college do, it’s not exclusively the competitive “Bring It On” aspect of cheerleading, that is, doing routines, competing against other cheer squads but also doing that while cheering on the men’s (and women’s) teams at the football game, the basketball game. From what I was able to gather at my high school, the cheerleading squad only went to the most popular games which were football and basketball. They sometimes made nice cards with candy in them for team spirit for some of the other sports like soccer and tennis, but what I saw for the most part was women cheerleaders cheering on the men’s basketball and men’s football team.

There’s a great example right now in the thick of the NBA and NCAA post-season. In the NBA, it’s solely women cheerleaders. While the NCAA has a bit of a greater gender balance, I still mainly see scantily clad women doing cheer routines and some men thrown in there to do the other, I don’t know what it’s called, “moves” like hoisting folks up in the air, big old twists and the like in front of men’s teams. I haven’t seen a lot of women’s NCAA games (as they almost show zero on the free channels) but it’s hard to remember a time when they had cheerleaders cheering the Lady Vols or A&M’s women’s team.

]]> by: Sara no H. http://www.theoldschoollunch.com/2008/02/23/smart-dad-smart-choice/#comment-681 Wed, 12 Mar 2008 19:16:55 +0000 http://www.theoldschoollunch.com/2008/02/23/smart-dad-smart-choice/#comment-681 Eh, I think it's way more of a sport as practiced competitively in high school and college, where offered, than it is "professionally" i.e. during football games. It's physically demanding and the farther along you go the tougher it gets. I agree that it's crap to sell young women the goal of cheering for men and men's sports as a professional job - but the sport of cheering, I don't mind so much. It's like dance or gymnastics, stuff like that: you learn to be part of a team, you keep yourself fit and you make good friends. The only thing I really dread about any of those arenas are the potential body issues that come up around weight etc. It's really hard to be the fat girl, or the odd-shape-out, in a troupe like that, especially as girls get older and start to internalise the "for the boys" part of the message. Sigh. Eh, I think it’s way more of a sport as practiced competitively in high school and college, where offered, than it is “professionally” i.e. during football games. It’s physically demanding and the farther along you go the tougher it gets.

I agree that it’s crap to sell young women the goal of cheering for men and men’s sports as a professional job - but the sport of cheering, I don’t mind so much. It’s like dance or gymnastics, stuff like that: you learn to be part of a team, you keep yourself fit and you make good friends.

The only thing I really dread about any of those arenas are the potential body issues that come up around weight etc. It’s really hard to be the fat girl, or the odd-shape-out, in a troupe like that, especially as girls get older and start to internalise the “for the boys” part of the message. Sigh.

]]>