Is Cheerleading a Sport...part 2

Is Cheerleading a Sport...part 2

Before I start writing, I want to say thank you to all of you who posted. There were several really good points made and a couple of the made me really think (I especially like the boxing comparison). I have decided that the only way to answer the comments is to post them as a new posting and I will respond to each one. I will post the comments and address them in the order they were posted. So here goes...

"Agreed, not to mention it takes no real talent to cheerlead. It's isn't a gift that someone can hone in on and develop to improve."
I am glad this person agreed with me, however, I can not agree with them. Cheerleading takes a great deal of talent. If you do not believe me, watch one of the competitions and then go try to perform 1 minute of one of the routines. Make no mistake about it, I am not discounting the amount of hard work or effort that goes into it,but just because it takes talent and hard work, does not make it a sport.
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"I have to disagree with this post for this reason, Sport is defined on Dictionary.com as an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature. That being the definition, we have to agree that Cheer-leading, Hunting, Fishing,Figure Skating, gymnastics, etc.. are all qualified as sports, by it's definition.

As for the idea of it being watched by judges who then give a score, if we say that is a reason for cheer-leading, etc.. to not be a sport, then we must also rule out boxing as a sport. Unless there is a KO, or TKO, the decision goes to the referee or to the JUDGES SCORE CARDS. The fact is, the things you mentioned as not being sports, all take some skill or physical prowess and are competitive among their respective participants. That in and of itself makes them a sport."

This is my favorite of all of the comments. They do not agree with me, and it is a very well thought out statement. I only hope they will read these comments and offer more thoughts. The views that were expressed really made me think. However, I think they are wrong for a couple of reasons. 1. I am not concerned with dictionary.com because that is so vague. Using that definition me jumping on a trampoline on one leg is a sport as long as I am competing against a specific amount of time. Am I involved in a sport if I am standing still shooting baskets by myself from a foul line? Of course not. What about charades...a skill, a competitive setting, and some physical prowess...NOT A SPORT THOUGH! I realize that dictionary.com says that is the definition of a sport, however, that is why I defined a sport for us. Again, a sport is any athletic activity, whether team or individual, where you can beat another person by your own merit.
As far as the comments on boxing (GREAT POINT...REALLY MADE ME THINK!) As I look at the definition of a sport again, I thought of this important fact...THE OBJECT OF A BOXING MATCH IS FOR ONE FIGHTER TO KNOCK THE OTHER ONE OUT IN A GIVEN TIME. Yes they do go to judges score cards after the fight, but that is because neither man could knock the other one out. They controlled that. Yes, they use judges, but they CAN STILL CONTROL that. In cheerleading, skating, gymnastics and other events the judges control that TOTALLY! You can not have any control over what happens after you perform. That is the difference.
AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR THE COMMENTS AND i WOULD LOVE TO KNOW WHO YOU ARE!
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"Whether that be the dictionary.com definition or not, as I stand on the bank of a creek and cast pieces of hotdog attached to a string out into the water, hoping that by chance (not by skill or physical prowess) a fish decides that it is hungry, I am not playing a sport any more than I am when I sit in my office and throw wads of paper at my trashcan...Yet there it appears on ESPN2..."

Good point, I see no need to add to this.
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"This all stems from some Liberal judge who says its not a sport. Well you do train hard. Have you seen the ones that try to cheer. You know the ones, That fat kid and the 40 year old washed up moms. These are the ones the first comment was refering to. The Girls/boys that work hard and train day in and day out. They are the ones that make it the sport. well that judge would say abortion is not murder but it is just that. I know that is to the extreme but, you get the point. There are probably hundreds of cases where rulings are made that are wrong and I think this is one of those cases."
This post is almost confusing. It seems like they want to throw off on the judge. I don't know, I can not speak knowledgeably about this judge or his voting record. So those comments, I will not even acknowledge. However, the fact that some of these girls train hard makes it a sport. COME ON SIR, IS THAT THE BEST YOU HAVE? The 14 year old kid who is in his basement working out is training hard, but is that a sport? The person preparing to get up and go to work and drop their kids off at the day care and then go learn a new job train hard, but is that a sport? OF COURSE NOT. As for this judge saying abortion is or is not murder again, I do not know. However, I can agree with a man on one subject and not on another. I am glad you believe abortion to be murder...YOU ARE 100% RIGHT! However, I don't know what that has to do with cheerleading.
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"Casual fishing, I agree is not a sport, but trying to land the biggest fish takes skill and know how and a bit of physical ability. to say differently shows your ignorance of the sport."
Wow! You came on MY BLOG AND CALLED ME IGNORANT & YET WERE NOT SMART ENOUGH TO DEFEND YOUR POINT OF VIEW!!! This has to be some kind of PUNK'D episode or something. First off, READ THE BLOG!!! It takes more than physical ability and know how to make it a sport! Is cooling a sport? Takes ability and know how? Is hopping on one leg a sport...It takes physical ability and know how. Please feel free to respond with some actual facts, other wise, just admit it...I AM RIGHT AND YOU ARE WRONG!!!
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"So would you then contend that if I were to share my "bait" with a friend, that it then qualifies as a sport? If this is the case, then you must also contend that when a basketball team practices, they are not engaging in a sport, since there is no team that they are competing against."
Question...if an ant were to grow big wings and fly to China, would that be a sport? That is about as pointless as bait sharing. I will give you a basketball practice, baseball practice is not a sport. If they break off into some kind of competitive situation, it becomes a sport, because remember, to be a sport you have to be able to beat a person or a team by your own merit.

Again thanks to all of you. I hope to hear more soon.

Until Next Time...