Cheerleading
Few archetypes so exemplify every stereotype of women in modern culture as that of the cheerleader. An uneasy juxtaposition of clean-cut athlete, ultra-feminine bubble-headed socialite, skilled dancer, and buxom slut, the cheerleader is at the same time admired and ridiculed, lusted after and legitimized by everyone from junior high school girls to male sports fans. Though cheerleading began as an all-male domain, and there are still male cheerleaders, it is for girls that the role of cheerleader is a rite of passage, whether to be coveted or scorned. Public figures as widely diverse as Gloria Steinem, John Connally, and Paula Abdul spent part of their early years urging the crowd to cheer for their athletic team.
Cheerleading as we know it began in November 1898 at a University of Minnesota football game, when an enthusiastic student named Johnny Campbell jumped up to yell:
Rah, Rah, Rah
Sku-u-mah
Hoorah, hoorah
Varsity, varsity
Minn-e-so-ta!
The idea caught on, and in the early 1900s at Texas A&M, freshmen, who were not allowed to bring dates to athletic events, styled themselves as yell leaders, with special sweaters and mega-phones. They became so popular, especially with women, that soon the juniors and seniors took the role away from the freshmen.
This page contains 201 words.
Cheerleading article
Read the rest of this article.
This article contains 1,718 words
(approx. 6 pages at 300 words per page).
Order our Cheerleading Article
