ITV4 "dancers" on DFL cricket coverage - please email to complain: [email protected]

[niksat]

am i the only one that thinks that showing young girls in minimal clothing "dancing" nearly every time a 4 is hit during the ITV4 cricket coverage during the day and evening is wrong. it is surely objectifying them and teaching any children (boys and girls alike) that are watching that this is what is expected of girls for them to be "liked". in a way, it's more harmful than lads mags as it is being shown as if it's the norm, whereas a lads mag is specifically targeted.

if anyone else thinks this is a very bad example to youngsters, please email itv on:
[email protected]

the more people that raise the issue with them, the more likely they are to take notice!

[TiggyD]

They are cheerleaders. They lead the cheering.

They are not "dancing". They are dancing.

They're not wearing minimal clothing. Some of them are wearing leggings.

[SardineQueen]

I haven't seen it. How old are they. Is it "sexy" type dancing or what?

It does sound a little odd, to say the least. I caught one of the new style snooker comps a while back and was pissed off to see that they have introduced the players being flanked by scantily clad young women so if they have done the same with cricket that's just really irritating.

[SardineQueen]

Have you got a link.

Do men feel they have to "reclaim" sport at the moment or something? It's ridiculous.

[niksat]

none of the ones i've seen (and with hubby and two sons being cricket mad it's on a lot!) are wearing leggings - they have all been in skin tight t-shirts (some with bits cut out at the waist) and tiny skintight panties! and the dancing is not cheerleading type dancing, it's much more suggestive than that. there are other cheerleaders on other cricket coverage (20-20's and one day matches), and some of them have had knee length shorts/jogger type trousers on, so it may be those you have seen. those ones also have the pom poms like us cheerleaders and dance in a much more normal way. i'm not complaining about those ones.

i don't have a link, but it's on ITV4 so you can go to the ITV website, and i've put the email to email ITV on the first message in this thread and also in the title.

[grimbletart]

I watch quite a bit of cricket and in many of the internationals the cheerleaders are male and female, which is an improvement - I think - or not - maybe?

[niksat]

should have mentioned that the 20-20's and one day matches are on sky, not on ITV4.

the girls look very young to me, but wouldn't like to guess ages.

[lisaro]

I'm not threatened by them.

[niksat]

the slightly annoying thing i've noticed about the internationals is that the girls are usually in shorts and skimpy tops while the boys are in long trousers and baggy t-shirts. i'm not a fan of flaunting either sex, but at least it should be done equally if it's being done. i've also noticed that although they've started out with both boys and girls, by the end of the tournament it's usually only just girls, and you also never have the camera taking a close up shot of the boys - only the girls - wonder why that is ?.........

[niksat]

it's not a case of being threatened by them, it's a case of not wanting young boys and girls given the idea that this is what a womans worth is.

[KRITIQ]

Bully for you lisaro, but that's not the point here!

I didn't realise that cheerleading was a tradition in cricket. I didn't realise it was traditional for any British sports. In America, you generally only have cheerleaders for American football and basketball, but not other sports like baseball (closest comparison to cricket), golf or track and field.

[TiggyD]

It' not really sexy dancing. They wouldn't get away with that in India. But when you put things in speech marks they look rude. They are not "dancing", they are dancing not particularly sexily in clothes that are not all that sexy. Little or no cleavage, no glimpse of pants, etc.

[niksat]

i think a lot of women don't realise it's creeping in over here as you would only know if you sit and watch the cricket, which lets face it, less women than men do. it's not really so much cheerleading as dancing tho - i think they call them cheerleaders to make it more acceptable.

[KRITIQ]

Okay, there IS a tradition of cheerleading in the US, where I grew up. Not saying it's a good thing as such, but at least there is an historical and cultural connection.

I have noticed there that the costumes and routines of cheerleaders in high school and even grade school (about age 10 - 14) have become more sexually explicit in the past 10 years. You do get some boy cheerleaders, but that's more often at college level. When I was at college (university here), there was an even mix of men and women cheerleaders and they wore "functional" uniforms in college colours. The men's outfits haven't changed, but the women's look more and more like burlesque attire now.

Cheerleaders in the NFL (that's the top, professional league of American Football,) have traditionally been more sexualised in their attire and routines. Feminists in the 70's weren't exactly thrilled about that. However, cheerleading for grade school, high school and university was more about gymnastics, non-sexual dance routines and competitions between cheerleading squads. The fact that the focus has shifted seriously towards sexualisation and objectification even for the children involved, isn't that just a teensy weensy bit of an issue?

And, if it's being imported here, isn't that just a tad worrying?

[niksat]

tiggyd, please watch the matches on ITV4 and you will see what i mean. rude isn't a bad word for what they are doing.

i was shocked at first because it was india and i didn't think they would allow it, but you will see what i mean. the clothes they are wearing are skintight and they are only in little panties (like bikini bottoms) and the dancing that i've seen is all done in a way to show themselves off. granted it's not the girating that you get in music videos, but it's obviously intended purely for titilation!

[TiggyD]

I've watched lots of matches. I can't remember seeing anyone in anything that could be described as panties. There are short shorts about, but nothing compared with beach volleyball.

(Apologies if that should have been "compared to")

[southeastastra]

cheerleading for cricket? that's quite funny

[messyisthenewtidy]

I've always felt a bit re. the whole cheerleading thing. On the one hand I think it's pretty cool as it is seen by many as a sport in its own right, a display of gymnastic prowess, etc.

On the other hand, the cheerleaders are usually sexualized by the costumes they are required to wear, and the whole idea of girls on the sidelines cheering men on when it doesn't happen vice versa anywhere near to the same extent is annoying to say the least.

I'm sure a lot of girls who would otherwise be interested in becoming a cheerleader because they like gymnastics are put off by the skimpiness/sexiness of the costumes they would have to wear.

[SardineQueen]

I feel the same as you, messy.

I guess that the cheerleading thing became popular in the US as potentially you would be performing in front of a big audience? Which wouldn't be so likely to happen if it were the women doing gymnastics without a load of basketball or whatever going on around it.

[catgirl1976]

Laughing at the attempt to "sex up" snooker mentioned upthread

That's just desparate :)