My favorite Title IX scam got blown out in U.S. District Court today, as a judge ruled that cheerleading is not a sport.
(Really?)
The sharpies at Quinnipiac College in Connecticut were hoping to eliminate volleyball and replace it with cheerleading, and then spend the money they saved on revenue-generating men’s sports.
Makes sense. Everybody wins except a tiny number of volleyball players and the blood relatives who attend their games.
But the ACLU, which apparently thinks female volleyball players have more rights to subsidized athletic endeavor than mostly female cheerleading squads, stepped in and saved the day for a tiny minority.
ACLU statement: “The women of the Quinnipiac volleyball team and their coach have done a great service for all women athletes. Their bravery and tenacity in pursuing this case has led to a milestone decision ensuring that academic institutions which receive federal financial assistance must uphold the spirit of Title IX.”
What’s amusing about Judge Stefan Underhill’s decision to block the move to replace volleyball with cheerleading was his flimsy conclusion that cheerleading was not a sport.
Judge Underhill:
“Specifically I hold that the University’s competitive cheerleading team does not qualify as a varsity sport for the purposes of Title IX and, therefore, its members may not be counted as athletic participants under the statute.
“The activity is still too underdeveloped and disorganized to be treated as offering genuine varsity athletic participation for students.”
That didn’t stop the Olympics from recently adopting the wacky winter sports that were essentially invented and made popular by ESPN’s X Games.
Under Title IX an activity is considered a sport if there are coaches, practices and competitions during a defined season, along with a governing organization.
So why did the judge ignore the fact that cheerleading does indeed fit that criteria - siding with the ACLU on the matter?
The real motivation of the judge in blocking the move was his claim that the school was manipulating sports teams rosters by underreporting male participants and overreporting female participants.
Thankfully, Quinnipiac may appeal the decision. Hopefully they’ll have the”bravery and tenacity” to defend the rights of not only cheerleaders, but those who would rather watch cheerleaders than small college women’s volleyball.
In other words, everyone.
6:41 pm on July 21st, 2010
As usual, Brooks, nice choices with the photos…
7:52 pm on July 21st, 2010
This form of cheerleading is more of a stunts and gymnastics team.
8:01 pm on July 21st, 2010
I want to sign up for baby making practice with her. The surgeon who did her ‘enhancements’ should be hailed as a god among men…
8:51 pm on July 21st, 2010
It’s all a big scam. There was an episode of Penn and Teller’s ‘Bullshit’ (yes, that’s a credible enough source for me) talking all about it this year.
Essentially its another instance of a billion dollar corporation fighting legislation because they stand to lose big $$$ if it would ever be deemed a sport. (Recognized sports go through a hell of a lot more scrutiny)
Synopsis:http://www.sho.com/site/ptbs/episodes.do?episodeid=136409&ep=801
12:50 am on July 22nd, 2010
Cheerleading is not a sport because there is no opposition or other group that they are competing against. No kind of scoring or timing is kept, either, which strikes me as another characteristic of sport.
Cheereleading and dance at college sporting events are expression, not sport.
5:47 am on July 22nd, 2010
Ron,
This is a case of a competative cheer team. All they do is compete. It is in fact exactly what you definition of a sport is.
This team doesn’t go to FB/BB games. That was the actual point of creating this type of team.
The issue is the word Cheerleading, once said, people draw an image to what they think it is.
All this ruling did was drive the wedge, you can’t be a sport and support other teams. You are making people decide, watch in 5 years things will be very different.
8:38 am on July 22nd, 2010
I’ve had the “What is a ‘Sport’” conversation many times and ultimately the decision, for me anyway, hinges on the satisfaction of two criteria.
First, is it an athletic competition? Second, is the winner determined by nonsubjective means?
The answers to both questions must be yes; otherwise the activitiy is either simply a competition or a game. Worthwhile endeavors yes, sports no.
So, using this definition the following are not sports: cheerleading, bodybuilding or other beauty pageants, figure skating, gymnastics, sychronized swimming, dancing, snow boarding, diving, or any thing else where the participants are judged the winner.
Things that are sports: Football, basketball, olypic wrestleing, competitive lumberjacking, archery, dodgeball, volleyball, soccer, racing of any form, Strongman competition, boxing, MMA fighting, baseball, shooting, etc.
Before you say that football and some of the other sports I listed have refs who judge things, rember that refs decide only if rules are followed. They don’t decide the winner. Even if the outcome of a game hinges on a ref’s call, it is the points that the players put on the board that determine the who wins.
9:28 am on July 22nd, 2010
You are a wise man ObiWan. Well stated.
9:33 am on July 22nd, 2010
Ron - I have a competition for you. See how fast you can dig a hole and bury your head in it!
This isnt regarding the sideline cheerleaders at other sports, jackass!
9:39 am on July 22nd, 2010
Ron,
I’m a parent of a competitive cheerleader. What you are picturing as cheerleading is totally different from what these kids do. Competitive Cheer has been around since the 70s (if not earlier) but really started getting organized and popular in the 80s.
Wikipedia does a reasonable job of describing it under their All Star Cheer section of their Competitive Cheerleading page:
There are a ton of clips on youtube of competitive cheer. For instance you can look at one labled “Cheer Athletics Wildcats NCA 2010 Day 2 ” to get a good idea. Otherwise just search for NCA Level 5 Cheer or just Level 5 Cheer and you will get a ton of hits.
These competitions are attended by hundreds of teams in huge venues with multiple floors going at the same time for different levels. There are thousands of people in attendance. This is a huge sport in the south.
You would not believe the level of athletic ability, strength and teamwork involved. These kids are chiseled athletes who practice as much as 5 days a week for hours on end.
Personally, I don’t like anything that is judged being called a sport but if you are going to call gymnastics a sport then there is no way that you can say that competitive cheer isn’t a sport.
- Vic
11:44 am on July 22nd, 2010
Is that girl from Univ of Iowa?
11:47 am on July 22nd, 2010
Forget the college, the problem with the decision could have further legal implications.
Every so often, somebody gets seriously hurt cheerleading because one of the cheerleaders messed up. Then somebody sues, and there difference in liability when you are playing a sport, as opposed to an activity. If cheerleading is not a sport, the cheerleaders have a higher risk of being held responsible for accidents that may happen.
1:15 pm on July 22nd, 2010
According to Obi Wan’s criterion, 1-A college football is not a sport either….that is an assessment of which I agree
1:45 pm on July 22nd, 2010
Sport or not, I am now a devout fan of the long-sleeve, spandex, turtle-neck half-shirt for female cheerleaders
2:09 pm on July 22nd, 2010
Cheerleading in all forms is a side-show… sorry.
2:43 pm on July 22nd, 2010
James,
Technically, all sports and entertainment is a side show……
2:50 pm on July 22nd, 2010
Actually this ruling sucks for men’s college athletics. Now they are either going to have to find other wmone’s “sports” to give scholarships to, or take away more mens’.
3:45 pm on July 22nd, 2010
would i love to study with her!
4:12 pm on July 22nd, 2010
you guys can talk about it all you want,what i wanna know is who is that bomb in the picture on top? i swear if im at the game and im in the front row i would be hounding that girl all game long. a phone no. a date after the game, anything just to get up close and personal with that babe.
4:29 pm on July 22nd, 2010
ObiWan, that was completely stupid. Are you trying to tell me that your “sports” aren’t decided by judges or officials? Do you know anything about boxing or wrestling?
Cooley, Division 1-A football isn’t a sport? WTF? What is then? And don’t tell me it’s because of the BCS because that is the dumbest reasoning you could possibly come up with. That has absolutely nothing to do with the actual “competition” or game being played.
10:55 pm on July 22nd, 2010
she looks pretty damn developed to me - oh yeah
9:56 am on July 23rd, 2010
Who is that cheeleader, which university or college is that from???
4:16 pm on July 23rd, 2010
Nobody knows who the cheerleader is? Damn.
6:20 pm on July 23rd, 2010
She is from Iowa..used to be a youtube video, but it has sadly been removed:
http://guyism.com/2009/01/busty-iowa-cheerleader.html
6:22 pm on July 23rd, 2010
I think it may be Stacy Weeter, university of Iowa dance team circa 2008
http://dai.ly/bHjt3V
7:32 pm on July 23rd, 2010
Obiwan is right. Refs = sports. Judges = a form of dance competition.
Title IX is a pile of crap. If I gave you a million high school males and a million high school females, who is going to dedicate more of their time to sports? How many males vs females dedicate themselves to sports enough to want and legitimately warrant a shot to play college sports? At least 20-1? Millions of males have zero shot at playing college sports in an effort to be fair to millions of females that frequently dedicate nowhere near the same energy towards sports as the men do. Don’t get me wrong - there are plenty of girls who dedicate their whole lives to sports. That behavior is far far more commonly found in males than females though.
2:03 am on July 24th, 2010
Ron, do you consider golf a sport?
You stated: “Cheerleading is not a sport because there is no opposition or other group that they are competing against. No kind of scoring or timing is kept, either, which strikes me as another characteristic of sport.”
In golf, one competes against themselves, not against other competition.
6:04 pm on July 26th, 2010
hey–those pictures are of a pom girl–they dance not tumble
6:23 pm on July 26th, 2010
STACEY WEETER YOU ARE THE BOMB, LETS GET TOGETHER AND DISCUSS HOW TO SAVE THE PLANET.PLEASE
6:27 pm on July 26th, 2010
STACEY SHOULD POSE IN BATHING SUIT OR PLAYBOY!
11:14 am on July 27th, 2010
Im in love!!!
6:58 pm on July 27th, 2010
Based on clues in the linked vid in a previous comment… the game she’s cheering at is Jan 29, 2009… Mich St at Iowa - where the Spartans won easily 71-56. She deserved better than that!
10:11 am on October 4th, 2010
It’s not money that is lacking in British football, but will, intelligence, culture, tactical understanding and a grand strategy aimed at producing world-beaters. It’s what the Dutch were doing then. And the result is years of highest quality sport and the wonder that they really could/should have picked up the highest trophies, but haven’t yet. And every Dutch fan knows they have the stuff to do it.