The History of Cheerleading
Ada Dillday
Ada Dillday
Cheerleading did not really become popular or a sport until late 1800’s when Great Britain started the trend of cheering and chanting in unison at sports games, but the first official cheer wasn’t performed until 1884 at Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey. A kid in Princeton audience brought to Minnesota of making up cheers for each different specific game. This specific kid took it upon himself to lead and teach these chants during a football game. Another individual made a group and formed it to where the group would do the chants and get the crown pumped up for the games.
Many people think cheerleading is a girls sport and mean for girls wearing the short skirts and crop tops with too much makeup and chanting for a sport. That is actually not the case the sport was in fact started by a group of men. It was not called a “cheerleading squad” it was called a “yell squad” composed of six males. These men lead chants are football and basketball games to get the crowd involved and get the players more adrenaline. The “sport” was dominated by men girls were not part of the sport.
Girls started to join cheerleading in 1923 when men left to fight in World War 2 and girls then took it over. The girls were not allowed to compete in competition but they were permitted to be apart of the yell squad. Once women took over, cheerleading began to incorporate tumbling, stunting and props like the megaphone, and members of the squad were usually voted in by their classmates, which downplayed the importance of earning one’s spot through skill. The girls wore ankle length skirts and really big hot sweaters. The girls now a day wear short skirts and crop tops.
Around the world now cheerleading is at its highest peak it ever has been from cheering on sports teams to having a competition squad competition and coming home with the gold and being world champion. Squads are all over the world called “all star” which is no sponsored or cheer for a sport. These individuals boys and girls come together to perform the hardest and most contact skills they can come up with. From just being a group of guys hyping up a crowd for a certain sport to now mixture of guys and girls competing in one for the most hardest sports.
Many people think cheerleading is a girls sport and mean for girls wearing the short skirts and crop tops with too much makeup and chanting for a sport. That is actually not the case the sport was in fact started by a group of men. It was not called a “cheerleading squad” it was called a “yell squad” composed of six males. These men lead chants are football and basketball games to get the crowd involved and get the players more adrenaline. The “sport” was dominated by men girls were not part of the sport.
Girls started to join cheerleading in 1923 when men left to fight in World War 2 and girls then took it over. The girls were not allowed to compete in competition but they were permitted to be apart of the yell squad. Once women took over, cheerleading began to incorporate tumbling, stunting and props like the megaphone, and members of the squad were usually voted in by their classmates, which downplayed the importance of earning one’s spot through skill. The girls wore ankle length skirts and really big hot sweaters. The girls now a day wear short skirts and crop tops.
Around the world now cheerleading is at its highest peak it ever has been from cheering on sports teams to having a competition squad competition and coming home with the gold and being world champion. Squads are all over the world called “all star” which is no sponsored or cheer for a sport. These individuals boys and girls come together to perform the hardest and most contact skills they can come up with. From just being a group of guys hyping up a crowd for a certain sport to now mixture of guys and girls competing in one for the most hardest sports.