Bring It On : Why do Americans have cheerleaders?

Why do Americans have cheerleaders?

Question speaks for itself.

No other country has them and I think this film went straight to DVD in most countries outside of the USA.

Just wondering if most Americans think cheerleading is necessary and AFAIK most people outside the USA think it's pointless and don't get it.

Re: Why do Americans have cheerleaders?

Because we're stupid and shallow like this piece of bitch movie.


Re: Why do Americans have cheerleaders?

It's just a fun thing to do. I was a cheerleader growing up and honestly, we hated cheering at the football games. It's wasn't about that. If we could, we would've skipped the games altogether.

The competitions are a lot of fun. You work really hard all year and then get to compete against a bunch of different cheerleading squads.

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Re: Why do Americans have cheerleaders?

Just out of curiosity did any guys do cheerleading at your school?

Or did anyone think it was sexist?

Re: Why do Americans have cheerleaders?

I thought it was shallow and pointless....i hope that answers your question.


Re: Why do Americans have cheerleaders?

Meh don't know honestly. I was friends with a few cheerleaders and they were nice. But I guess girls and guys do it because of the sport. My senior year of high school we had a male cheerleader and he cheered up until he graduated.

Re: Why do Americans have cheerleaders?

Is it really a "sport" though?

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Re: Why do Americans have cheerleaders?

Define sport and then compare it to the training, skills, and performance that cheerleaders do. I say yes it it. You have to be in top shape to perform and compete well. You have to practice. Cheering is not easy. If it was, everyone would and could do it.

Re: Why do Americans have cheerleaders?

Guys USED to around 1920s-30s, at colleges...

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Re: Why do Americans have cheerleaders?

Because it gives the mean girls in High School something to do to feel superior to others like the jocks but without having to be actual athletes?

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Re: Why do Americans have cheerleaders?

Not going to an American High School, I have no insight and my cousins couldn't help as they were sent to private school which didn't have them. I never got cheerleading and I'm not trying to be rude but any Americans I've met don't get it either!

It's constantly being portrayed as a "mean girl" thing though. I'm just surprised that's it's still in so many schools so far into the 21st century.

Re: Why do Americans have cheerleaders?

That's because cheerleaders are mean...and fat!


Re: Why do Americans have cheerleaders?


That's because cheerleaders are mean...and fat!



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Re: Why do Americans have cheerleaders?

damn right! i lost too many friends from getting hurt by cheerleaders. i myself got hurt and soon, my heart will completley break. till then, i will fight the good fight!


Re: Why do Americans have cheerleaders?


by Posh_babe » Fri Jun 14 2013 21:55:50
IMDb member since May 2007
Not going to an American High School, I have no insight and my cousins couldn't help as they were sent to private school which didn't have them. I never got cheerleading and I'm not trying to be rude but any Americans I've met don't get it either!

It's constantly being portrayed as a "mean girl" thing though. I'm just surprised that's it's still in so many schools so far into the 21st century.

I've only ever known one "mean" and "snobbish" cheerleader, and she wasn't all that attractive, was somewhat overweight, had braces, but for some reason was considered marginally "cute" by some of the males at school, and came from a fairly wealthy family. She didn't like nor was impressed with my person for whatever reason, and I could have cared less.

The rest of the cheerleaders were nice girls. That's a male perspective. Maybe other girls (non-cheerleaders) see them as being liked more by the males in the school than themselves, and have a kind of resentment.

It seems like a lot of girls don't like one another in the first place, and so I'm sure that's a factor.

The "mean cheerleader" is not a Hollywood invention, and based on a real stereotype, but it is overly used by film makers. When I was growing up I found most cheerleaders to be like Torrence in terms of attitude; very positive, and rarely did I come across that was like "Big Red", or what's her name from that "Mean Girls" movie.

Re: Why do Americans have cheerleaders?

I did cheerleading for 9yrs and a lot of ppl didn't even know until my senior year. It depends on where you cheer is where the difficulty level kicks in. It can be easy then you can do the harder cheering (which I did) Sadly cheerleading is looked at as snobby and for popularity and I wasn't even close to either. It was just in like every other sport.

Re: Why do Americans have cheerleaders?

Let me preface this by saying that I grew up less than 20 miles From San Francisco, CA. At my middle school, high school, and university we had cheerleaders, spiritleaders, danceleaders, and songleaders. Their purpose is to promote school spirit during games and school pep rallies, and serve as ambassadors for the school. I know this sounds cheesy, but administrations have to try something to combat the typical anomie of the average high school. As in this movie my high school football team sucked and the only reason anyone went to the games was for the cheer squad (well, and underage drinking), the basketball team was better, but still the halftime show was a big draw. Both my schools competed and they did alright.

For the record, we had male cheerleaders in high school and university. Not all cheerleaders are cliquey bitches, though some definitely were.

Technically cheerleading is not a recognized sport under Title IV (which, amongst other things, defines whether a learning institution receiving federal financial assistance provides equal opportunities for women in sports programs) primarily because there are no consistent rules for moves, etc... in routines even though there is heavy use of athletic abilities and also because competition is inconsistent (i.e., some schools just cheer games and spirit rallies and do not participate in direct inter-school competition).

Re: Why do Americans have cheerleaders?

Both my high school and my college had really bad cheerleaders.

Re: Why do Americans have cheerleaders?


Let me preface this by saying that I grew up less than 20 miles From San Francisco, CA. At my middle school, high school, and university we had cheerleaders, spiritleaders, danceleaders, and songleaders. Their purpose is to promote school spirit during games and school pep rallies, and serve as ambassadors for the school. I know this sounds cheesy, but administrations have to try something to combat the typical anomie of the average high school. As in this movie my high school football team sucked and the only reason anyone went to the games was for the cheer squad (well, and underage drinking), the basketball team was better, but still the halftime show was a big draw. Both my schools competed and they did alright.


Did they hold seances and commune with the dead?





For the record, we had male cheerleaders in high school and university. Not all cheerleaders are cliquey bitches, though some definitely were.

Technically cheerleading is not a recognized sport under Title IV (which, amongst other things, defines whether a learning institution receiving federal financial assistance provides equal opportunities for women in sports programs) primarily because there are no consistent rules for moves, etc... in routines even though there is heavy use of athletic abilities and also because competition is inconsistent (i.e., some schools just cheer games and spirit rallies and do not participate in direct inter-school competition).



Yes I've heard of Title IV. Equal number of sports scholarships to male and female athletes.

There was a court case at Quinnipiac University. The college wanted to take away the volleyball scholarships and give to them to a cheerleading team? The volleyball team sued and won. If they hadn't won, would that mean the girls (and boys) playing volleyball would be expelled if they couldn't afford to pay fees?

Re: Why do Americans have cheerleaders?


Did they hold seances and commune with the dead?


It would have been so much more interesting if they had!


Yes I've heard of Title IV. Equal number of sports scholarships to male and female athletes.

There was a court case at Quinnipiac University. The college wanted to take away the volleyball scholarships and give to them to a cheerleading team? The volleyball team sued and won. If they hadn't won, would that mean the girls (and boys) playing volleyball would be expelled if they couldn't afford to pay fees?



You and I both mean Title IX (I clearly wasn't paying attention when I wrote my original comment. Perhaps cheerleading movies rot the brain?). My apologies as I wasn't sure where you are from, so didn't want to assume you knew.

As for Quinnipiac, I don't know why they thought they could count cheerleaders when there are no unified collegiate competition standards and school have been warned for almost 30 years that cheerleading would not count as athletics for Title IX purposes. They didn't want to give the scholarship money to the cheerleading squad, the squad was self funded, they wanted to use it to support other men's athletic programs. It was only the women's team that was to be disbanded.

I don't think the jerks in administration would have "expelled" the women's volleyball team members who couldn't afford their fees without the scholarship money, they would have simply fallen off out of enrollment through attrition the same way as any other student that can't afford fees does... That said, I don't know what actually happened to those students since the court case took so long; I didn't really follow the story.

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Re: Why do Americans have cheerleaders?

I always assumed that the 2 major sports that have them - football and Basketball - have a lot of stoppages, so the cheerleading squad was used to keep the crowd involved, especially in the case of football.

Its interesting though that they don't have them in Baseball - wonder why?

Re: Why do Americans have cheerleaders?

Not all football teams have cheerleaders though. I can't think of any other team than the Chicago Bears offhand, but they used to have cheerleaders, and got rid of them somewhere down the line. They may be the only team that DOESN'T have them though.



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Re: Why do Americans have cheerleaders?

If you're having trouble getting people to come to your football games, putting scantily-clad young people out there to jump around may help. Sex sells, and good old Yankee ingenuity understood that.

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Re: Why do Americans have cheerleaders?


No other country has them


WHAT?????

Other countries do have cheerleaders. Please do a little research before posting such things.

Re: Why do Americans have cheerleaders?


@Stickman38
What countries?

I've lived in 4 countries in Europe and have never seen them at any sporting events, or any television sports broadcasts.

Re: Why do Americans have cheerleaders?

Do you think Europe is the only continent that has countries?

Re: Why do Americans have cheerleaders?


Do you think Europe is the only continent that has countries?


Where exactly are you from? Just wondering as to what other countries have them in schools, colleges are sporting events?

Re: Why do Americans have cheerleaders?

I am from the US but you can also find cheerleaders in Japan, Canada, Mexico, China and a long list of south american countries have them. It is a bigger thing in the US but yeah, other countries have them.

Re: Why do Americans have cheerleaders?


I am from the US but you can also find cheerleaders in Japan, Canada, Mexico, China and a long list of south american countries have them. It is a bigger thing in the US but yeah, other countries have them.


Ok so if you really really search you can find cheerleaders in those countries.

Re: Why do Americans have cheerleaders?

no, they are quite common in those countries. In other words, sports teams do have them.

Re: Why do Americans have cheerleaders?


no, they are quite common in those countries. In other words, sports teams do have them.


More of a novelty to be honest. It's like saying Riverdance is in every country.

Re: Why do Americans have cheerleaders?

I'm from the UK and my old school has them. They started bringing them in just after I left and now they perform at football, rugby, basket ball games etc. My sister went to the same school as I after I left and she told me about it and one of her friends was a cheerleader though I don't know if they competed.

I think my college had them but I'm not 100% sure! never was one to follow school sports teams lol

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Re: Why do Americans have cheerleaders?

Cheerleading is associated primarily with American-style football, and with basketball to a lesser degree. Other sports, not so much. You generally won't see cheerleaders at baseball games, tennis matches, and so forth. Well, you might see them as spectators, but they're unlikely to have the same sort of participatory role as you'd see them at a football game or basketball game.

Since the most popular sport outside of the USA is soccer, a sport that is rarely associated with cheerleaders, it's hardly surprising that most other countries don't really have cheerleading to any great degree.

As to it being pointless, I would say no more or less so than whatever sport they would be cheering for. Soccer isn't *NECESSARY*. Neither is American-style Football or any other sport.

Re: Why do Americans have cheerleaders?

Football is the superior American sport, or sport in general, because of cheerleading.

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Re: Why do Americans have cheerleaders?

American Football would be popular without cheerleaders. And why not call it something else if they are doing group acrobatics? The image of cheerleader is just there for T*ts & *ss.

Re: Why do Americans have cheerleaders?

I rather ask why not every country has cheerleaders?

I live in Europe and I never met cheerleaders nor have them in my school (or any school I know). It would had been so cool. I'm a male and I did sport and I wish we had cheerleaders around. Would had been nice at the time. Oh well...

This is something every country should have. :)

Re: Why do Americans have cheerleaders?

I also never got the point of cheerleading, although it has been "imported" in my country (Greece) by a couple of basketball teams. It was never quite popular here though.


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Re: Why do Americans have cheerleaders?


by Posh_babe » Wed May 29 2013 12:31:40 Flag ▼ | Reply |
IMDb member since May 2007
Question speaks for itself.

No other country has them and I think this film went straight to DVD in most countries outside of the USA.

Just wondering if most Americans think cheerleading is necessary and AFAIK most people outside the USA think it's pointless and don't get it.

Other countries now follow suit, but it is an American creation. How they were created I can only guess at, and wouldn't want to venture it here. But it used to be a male-female thing, and not just cute girls in skirts. This movie portrays a more traditional cheerleading squad typically found at more expensive (private) schools and private universities.

The truth of the matter is that it is now a sex thing. As a male athlete, and as a male who sits on the side, it's a PG-rated erotic dance. It's pretty much that simple.

Re: Why do Americans have cheerleaders?

Americans have cheerleaders because of the whole fanfare surrounding American football games, especially at the high school and college level. They have marching bands, school mascots, color guard (flag spinning), school "fight" songs and chants..as part of this football culture too.


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Re: Why do Americans have cheerleaders?

Lots of things aren't necessary: ballet, novels, sports, movies....

It's not quite true that no other country has them. There are cheerleading competitions in the UK, though I'm pretty sure it's really a fringy thing, and most Britons probably aren't even aware that it exists.

In any event, I don't quite get the relevance. Pretty much every country has some activities and behaviors that are unique to it. A country that didn't would be pretty sad, actually. It's what's called "having a culture."

Cheerleading squads fill three distinct functions, so far as I can tell, though often a single cheerleading squad doesn't fill all three at the same time:

- Being part of the pageantry and "show" at sporting events (primarily football, though also basketball, and - rarely - other sports). There's also a related function here that's typically present in high school cheerleading squads (though it seemed to be entirely absent in the movie): encouraging "school spirit" in between games in various ways.

- Participating in full-on competitions, as portrayed in the movie. This sort of cheerleading is really an athletic event akin to gymnastics.

- Providing a systematic method by which girls can identify who is unusually attractive and "popular."

Re: Why do Americans have cheerleaders?

Why do we have dancers? Why do we have athletes? I mean, who thinks of game where you throw a ball around, then put into a net, and then decides to make up rules to go along with it, like you need to bounce it up and down with one hand if you want to move with it? Suddenly you have the game of basketball.

Cheerleaders is a huge predominately USA-based "sport", designed to promote sport spirit and to draw in a crowd. Lately though, there has been a shift from the traditional pom-pom waving song-and-dance from a sideline of a football field to a much more athletic and competitive sport involving a combination of dance and gymnastics. While there it classified as a "sport technically, there is still a list of rules that a routine must follow based on the level of the team you are at. For example, a lot of the stunts and tumbles that you saw in Bring It On aren't allowed at the high school level.

I'm Australian and cheerleading is a fast-growing sport over here. I'm on my university team, and I love it. I used to do gymnastics and dance when I was a lot younger and cheer is the perfect combination of the two. we don't do cheering at sporting events because Australia doesn't do that, but we still train our asses off for competitions like the one you see in Bring It On. It's also great teamwork. Cheerleading is dangerous if you have no training, you're tossing girls into the air with only 3 people to catch you and it requires a lot of trust. At the gym my team trains at, a lot of parents take their kids out of gymnastics and put them into cheer because it is a team-based sport that still retains the gymnastic element. It's tough work, but it's great work and it's the best work out I've ever done. My abs and my biceps have never looked better :)

Re: Why do Americans have cheerleaders?

oops meant to reply to your post.

American Football would be popular without cheerleaders. And why not call it something else if they are doing group acrobatics? The image of cheerleader is just there for T*ts & *ss.

Re: Why do Americans have cheerleaders?

Cheerleaders never were originally just there for "T*ts"& *ss", just like pole dancing was never originally a stripper's thing.

As I commented in my original post, cheerleaders were designed to promote school/team spirit, and many of them were actually men! They did flips and tricks while waving banners and pom-poms to get the crowds excited. Today, it's now its own "sport" that has done away with the pom poms and has become what you see on Bring It On, a team based sport that shows stunts, tumbles, dances and jumps that complies with a set list of rules to follow. What you see on American Football is just a sad remnant of what a cheerleader usually was, however they still do essentially the same thing, dance and cheer to get the crowd excited about the team.

And the reason why it's not called group acrobatics is because it's not just acrobatics. If it was, then all the cheer routines would just be a series of tumbles and tosses. There is more to a cheer routine then just back flips and throwing people into the air. Also, there is already a thing called group acrobatics, or "acro". It's a gymnastics spin off that is literally just a small group doing a series of tumbling and also making pyramids by throwing people into the air. That's its own thing. And it IS different to cheerleading, because I used to do acro and what I did in acro was no where near what we do in cheer.


Re: Why do Americans have cheerleaders?

But why call it cheerleading at all if you do gymnastics and acro?

Also aren't the men just to lift the girls? I've seen some videos and the girls still outnumber guys, wear more skimpy outfits and dance more whereas the guys seem to do all the heavy lifting, stay in the background and do tumbles.

Re: Why do Americans have cheerleaders?

No, the men are there to be part of the team. They lift the girls because they're stronger, and the girls are lighter and more flexible in the air. You can have all-girl cheer teams where stronger girls also lift the more lighter girls into the air.

And it's called cheerleading because it is not just gymnastics and acro. As I mentioned in my above post, the rules and regulations for cheer, gym and acro are all different. Cheerleading combines tumbles, stunts, jumps and syncronised motions in the form of dances.

As for the outfits, by your logic dancers, gymnasts, swimmers and runners are all in skimpy outfits too. The reason why those uniforms are "skimpy" (by the way, midriff showing tops are illegal at a high school level, in the real world high schoolers where a full top with long sleeves but I give "Bring It On" a pass because hollywood) is so there is nothing in the way. Cheer uniforms are made from a tight, nylon/lyrca material to so there is free movement. Shorter skirts allow for easier leg movement, same reason why gymnasts wear leotards. The tight tops are also a safety thing too. If you have a loose, baggier type top, then a flyer's (that the person that gets thrown in the air) foot can get caught in a base's (the two people on the bottom holding the flyer up) top causing a fall or a sprained ankle. Male cheer uniforms are made from the same tight fitting material as well, they just wear long pants instead. But the male and female tops are exactly the same.

Re: Why do Americans have cheerleaders?

I think your question is kind of dumb. First of all, cheerleading is all over the world but not necessarily in every country and not to the extent as the USA. Secondly, why does it matter if something is relevant to one country and not other countries. You can ask why do Canadians love curling and the rest of the world isn't as interested. Why do the Japanese love Kabuki plays, why do the Chinese listen to peking opera, why do people in Bhutan train eagles, it goes on and on. It's called culture. American culture is just as real as any other country's culture. The only difference is American culture is not ethnic but rather a national culture. In the USA we call it the mainstream American culture but every ethnicity/sub group follows their own sub culture.

Cheerleading in sport events is different from cheerleading in competitive arenas. Most cheerleaders in professional sports in the USA actually dance 99% of the time. If you watch the laker girls or dallas cowboy cheerleaders they really for the post part are dancing. What is their purpose? They entertain the crowd during time outs and they hype the crowd as well during the game.

Professional competitive cheerleading is the gymnastic+dance variation. This is where girls get injured the most. (shown in the movie)

Cheerleaders in high school really take it as an extra curricular activity. Most of the teen movies portray cheerleaders forming some social hierarchies but in reality every school is different. I can't name one cheerleader or football player during my high school days because I didn't care. Movies make it seem that everyone wants to be like them but again that is not the case in most high schools. Usually that is more the case in areas that are homogeneous like the South with mostly Caucasian students and a small student population.

Lastly, Americans emphasize the concept of community belonging but not necessarily from an ethnic perspective. So these "rivalries" among high schools and cheerleaders intensifies one's high school identity and also makes things more exciting.

Re: Why do Americans have cheerleaders?


I think your question is kind of dumb. First of all, cheerleading is all over the world but not necessarily in every country and not to the extent as the USA.


I don't think the question is "dumb" but having cheerleaders is dumb. They are not all over the world - any African country? It's so sexist in this day and age.
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