Is cheerleading a legitimate sport or not? I think it deserves genuine support

[TheQuirkyMaker]

Here:

Break dancing at the Olympics was a bit of a mistake, maybe. They could have chosen parkour instead.

Which is gym?

Cheerleading surprisingly waa originally a male thing, and there still are male cheer teams. Would you classify that differently?

Thinking about it, I'd argue ballet is an art/performance for both sexes. Gym a sport for both, but more of a performance for women.

Other than funding, does it matter?

Lots of training must take place in gymnastics gyms which are likely to recieve lottery funding.

There are so many activities available to children but lots of them start at 3.30 / 4.00 which is fine if you can get kids there and not be hindered by work and afterschool care.

TBH If Govement or sports bodies were going to put money into grass roots sports I'd rather it was swimming pools which can be used by young and old alike - your not likely to find many pensioners doing Cheer.

If the end result is for the purpose of entertaining the assembled multitude who have paid £££ for tickets to watch a performance of a named production in a theatre, then it has to be a performing art, doesn't it?

It is a contest, not a sport. It's judged. It's for the pleasure of the parents to see their kids dolled up and smiling, performing for them.
They don't play for anyone but the club owner. There's no civic hero stature and no professional league beyond a skill set contest.
The casual observer can only estimate who they believe is the winner of the contest; therefore, it's not a "game" where athletes compete head to head.
All judged athletic activities are contests, not sports. And it is an impressive athletic demonstration, don't get me wrong. It's just not a sport.
Parents will dump thousands and thousands of dollars into cheer sport annually. In the end, it's a fun activity for the kids and maybe worth doing. It's certainly an activity that 30 and 40-something moms will get a kick out of by living vicariously through their daughter.
Just know that there's no adult rec cheer league to speak of and not really scholastic opportunities in the way of sports.
The true winners of cheer "sport" are the club owners and they're making a fortune.
If that's your idea of a good investment for your child and your personal finances, go for it.
It's not a sport though.

They do but only to objectively measure a result. You either jumped highest or you didn't. You either put the shot the furthest or you didn't.
Anyone observing can easily determine the winner.
Cheer sport isn't like that.
I'm not saying it's not worth doing and it certainly is an impressive athletic performance that takes years and dedication to do well.
It's just not a sport. Who cares though? Lots of things that aren't sports are worth doing.

Agreed. I was an amateur gymnast way back in my youth, and I really enjoy and appreciate the phenomenal skills of competitive cheer partnerships that I watch on Instagram. Those young women have cores of iron!

Tumbling was a fairly new branch of gymnastics when I was in the gym, and now seeing complex twisting tumbles being landed on one hand of the support partner is mind-blowing!

Again, I think people have outdated perceptions of cheer, imagining it just being teams of girls jumping up and down with pom poms

The fact it requires great strength and fitness doesn’t make it a sport! Ballet is an art. Art is not lesser than sport. Quite the opposite in my view.

I would argue it's a sport, but it's a matter of opinion really, isn't it. Does a sport require physical fitness, or not? Does it need to be competitive, or not? Some things we consider sport are not particually physically demanding. Lots of people do sport for the fun of it without any sense of competition. Let's be honest, the argument of labelling certain things as "not a sport" is usually rooted in misogyny more than anything else.

Cheer is a physically demanding activity that can be undertaken competitively, so to my mind that makes it a sport.