CHEER IS OFFICIALLY A SPORT. NOW WHAT?

Those of us who have been in the cheerleading world for any amount of time has probably faced criticism or at least the assumption that “cheer isn’t a sport.” I see many figures in cheerleading, spending so much of their time defending themselves as athletes.

So when the announcement came last week that the International Olympic Committee has given cheerleading full recognition as a sport, everyone in cheerleading was talking about it.

Not only does this announcement bring long-overdue recognition and legitimacy to our beloved sport, I think it could mean so much more.

Want an idea of what the sport might look like if it becomes an Olympic sport? Here’s the winning routine in the coed division from 2019.

IOC RECOGNITION BRINGS MORE PUBLIC AWARENESS

the Netflix documentary CHEER did more for cheerleading in the last couple of decades than almost anything, but this new status brings official credibility – and funding – to the sport. When cheer was given provisional status back in 2016, it qualified the sport to receive $25,000 per year in funding from the International Olympic Committee. It’s unclear how much funding the sport may receive now that they’re officially approved in the process, but no doubt there will be potential for more money through grants and other sources going forward.

CHEERLEADING MAY RECEIVE MORE MEDIA ATTENTION

As we’ve seen this week, nearly every meaningful media outlet has reported this news.

COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES MAY CREATE MORE OPPORTUNITIES FOR CHEER STUDENT-ATHLETES

While cheer is not an NCAA sport, I imagine they’re taking a harder look at this, which means that there may be an opportunity for scholarship money for college athletes; or at least more opportunities for college cheer athletes.

INCREASED POPULARITY COULD MEAN MORE ATHLETE RECRUITMENT ACROSS THE COUNTRY (AND THE WORLD!)

It’s possible (and my HOPE) that this status will attract more athletes looking for different and creative ways to express their athletic abilities. Maybe that football player who knows he has a season on the bench will consider using his muscle to be a base on the cheer team. DARE. TO. DREAM. PEOPLE.

MORE LEGITIMACY MIGHT MEAN MORE CLARITY

Cheerleading as a whole has been under scrutiny – especially by parents – for its seemingly obscure way of scoring, ranking, and overall subjectiveness. They’ve already come out with a more structured scoring system this season, and I can only imagine that cheer will become more organized and calculated, now that it will need to stay in keeping with the rules of the IOC and keeping its status.

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And last, but certainly the most important to so many of our athletes and cheer moms, maybe the haters will FINALLY stop saying that cheer isn’t a sport.

Want an idea of what cheer might look like if it makes it into the big games? Here’s a video of the 2019 winning routine from the coed division: