[wildrover]

No it's just a glorified dance.

[Lunch_Box]

The men seem to like it. Why not!?

[py0alb]

Ah, this old chestnut.

Either you have strict criteria about what does and does not constitute a sport or else it becomes a meaningless term. If cheerleading somehow qualifies as a sport, then there are very few activities out there that do not.

[nevergohalfpace]

If chess is a sport, then monopoly should be a sport. If monopoly is a sport, cheerleading should be a sport

[py0alb]

(Original post by nevergohalfpace)
If chess is a sport, then monopoly should be a sport. If monopoly is a sport, cheerleading should be a sport

Chess is not a sport.

If Stephen Hawking could win a game of it, then it is not a sport.

[nevergohalfpace]

(Original post by py0alb)
Chess is not a sport.

If Stephen Hawking could win a game of it, then it is not a sport.

http://en.olympic.cn/sports/events/2...5/1666475.html
"Chess today is a recognized sport of the International Olympic Committee"
its my home country's national sport according to every encyclopedia i have read:L i hate it but sadly it is a sport..

[py0alb]

(Original post by nevergohalfpace)
http://en.olympic.cn/sports/events/2...5/1666475.html
"Chess today is a recognized sport of the International Olympic Committee"
its my home country's national sport according to every encyclopedia i have read:L i hate it but sadly it is a sport..

The IOP makes decisions based on politics, not logic. They are not the ultimate authority on what is and isn't a sport. Frankly, they can say what they like, but chess is not a sport.

For a rigorous definition of sport, you need a set of criteria that a certain activity has to include. Most people would agree that sport needs to include:
a) an element of physical skill
b) direct, strategic competition between two or more sets of opponents
c) predetermined rules with an objective means of deciding the winner


Chess fails on a) (no physical skill). Cheerleading fails on b) (not directly strategic) and c) (not objective)

[Marlo Stanfield]

regardless or not whether cheerleading is a sport, its participants are likely to be fit and healthy. the same probably cannot be said for many of the people simply posting 'nah', who comically at the same time have some sort of superior mindset.

[nevergohalfpace]

(Original post by py0alb)
The IOP makes decisions based on politics, not logic. They are not the ultimate authority on what is and isn't a sport. Frankly, they can say what they like, but chess is not a sport.

For a rigorous definition of sport, you need a set of criteria that a certain activity has to include. Most people would agree that sport needs to include:
a) an element of physical skill
b) direct, strategic competition between two or more sets of opponents
c) predetermined rules with an objective means of deciding the winner


Chess fails on a) (no physical skill). Cheerleading fails on b) (not directly strategic) and c) (not objective)

a)Need to be athletic, if your doing flips etc. whatever they do
b)Choreography can be strategic i guess
c)objective = to win contests by making least amount of mistakes.

[Hopple]

(Original post by nevergohalfpace)
a)Need to be athletic, if your doing flips etc. whatever they do
b)Choreography can be strategic i guess
c)objective = to win contests by making least amount of mistakes.

Not b, you need to have direct influence on your opponent's performance and they need to have direct influence on yours. You could have the two performance going on at the same time or months apart and you'd get the same performances (injuries aside etc).

[py0alb]

(Original post by nevergohalfpace)
a)Need to be athletic, if your doing flips etc. whatever they do
b)Choreography can be strategic i guess
c)objective = to win contests by making least amount of mistakes.

Choreography is not directly strategic: ie your choreography is not designed to beat another opponents specific style of choreography in the same way as a 3-5-2 formation is designed specifically to have an advantage over a 4-4-2 formation.

I meant objective as in not subjective. ie no judges required to decide who wins, a clear and unambiguous points scoring system.

[Chumbaniya]

It's a demanding physical activity that's done competitively. I don't see what's not sporting about that. It does involve judges decisions rather than clear rules on who wins, so it's on the same level as things like gymnastics, snowboarding half-pipe and diving, rather than things like football or cycling where the criteria for victory are actually built unambiguously into the rules, but I don't think that's a particularly relevant dividing line on what is and isn't a sport.

(Original post by Pinkool14)
Well...if it's not in the Olympics, then it's not?

Wow, I never realised Rugby wasn't a sport.

[py0alb]

its worth pointing out that just because something isn't a sport doesn't denegrate it in any way. Battle of the bands clearly isn't a sport but its still awesome. Its just that sport has to have a specific set of characteristics otherwise the word becomes synonymous with some generic words like "activity" and we might as well stop using it.

[geetar]

Yeah, it can be classed as a sport, I guess.

[nevergohalfpace]

(Original post by py0alb)
Choreography is not directly strategic: ie your choreography is not designed to beat another opponents specific style of choreography in the same way as a 3-5-2 formation is designed specifically to have an advantage over a 4-4-2 formation.

I meant objective as in not subjective. ie no judges required to decide who wins, a clear and unambiguous points scoring system.

So trampoling isn a sport either or ice skating ? They both are very similar to cheerleading. Basically choreography + judges.

[py0alb]

(Original post by nevergohalfpace)
So trampoling isn a sport either or ice skating ? They both are very similar to cheerleading. Basically choreography + judges.

You have to draw the line somewhere. If some subjectively judged artistic performances are designated as sports, then all subjective judged artistic performances must be sports, up to and including x-factor, the turner prize, britains got talent, and "who has the jiggliest boobies in Norfolk".

[GabrielleT]

What a lot of you are missing is that there are two types of cheerleading. There's the half-time pompom waving that's just dance (which some may argue is a sport, some may argue it isn't) and there is "power" or "all star" cheerleading. All Star cheerleading is not associated with any other sport - these teams do not support a football team, and most of them don't even own pompoms. Their only goal is to create a routine with elements of jumps, tumbling (gymnastics), dance, and stunting, that lasts 2.30 mins, and that is judged against other people's routines. Believe me, nowhere on the score sheets is there any mention of makeup or general prettiness. The focus is on sharpness, creativity, difficulty level and synchronization, much like gymnastics. Having competed at the USASF cheerleading world championship, I can tell you that not all of these girls are pretty. Most of them are fit but it's the result of training at least 4-5 times a week, not silly aesthetic selection criteria!
In Canada and the US, most girls who are hospitalized because of sports-related injuries are cheerleaders. It's also the sport in which the most people die.
Oh and also, a lot of people tend to forget that a lot of boys are cheerleaders. In the "large coed" teams, usually it's half the team. A lot of really strong hockey or football players become cheerleaders for the massive macho ego boost it gives them to be able to lift a girl on one hand...

So please, don't make nasty generalizing comments about "cheerleaders being fit girls in skimpy skirts looking for attention." Because it's certainly not a generalized truth.

[Gabbar_Singh]

Wel maybe it iz or maybe it isn't bt thing iz it shunt b bout whether its classed as a sport or not but if its enjoyed by th persons participatin innit ya get me

[Starfish101]

(Original post by nevergohalfpace)
So trampoling isn a sport either or ice skating ? They both are very similar to cheerleading. Basically choreography + judges.

I'd class ice skating and trampolining more as arts rather then sports, just like how most martial arts are classed as arts rather than sports.