At some point in your life, you’ve probably participated in an athletic activity. During your high

school years, playing sports is very common, and it looks good for your college reputation. Today, there

are many different sports in which you can become an athlete. There are football players, soccer players,

baseball players, lacrosse players… and cheerleaders. What?!? You don’t believe cheerleaders count as

actual athletes? After reading this, maybe you will.

If cheerleading isn’t an athletic activity, it would be a waste of time to make cheerleaders have to

sign athletic agreements. Wouldn’t that make them athletes? Cheerleaders don’t just jump around and yell

at the crowd in cutesy little uniforms. They work hard, just like any other athlete. Those entire amazing,

daredevil jumps and flips are indeed cool to look at, but they require hours of practice to perfect. It’s just

like football players practicing the perfect run, or baseball players working on their home-runs. When it

starts raining outside, and the football players are still playing while the crowd is running for dry shelter,

the cheerleaders are still out with the players. They don’t run and hide. They remain and cheer, because

they’re athletes. Cheerleaders also have competitions, just like tournaments or meets, at which they

compete with other cheerleaders and improve their skills. Also, if cheerleaders aren’t athletes, why do

tons of people receive athletic scholarships for cheerleading at colleges? Only sports players can receive

athletic scholarships.

Cheerleaders aren’t quite that different than the rest of the athletes in the world. They all work

hard and are dedicated to what they do. Isn’t that what makes a good athlete? Maybe you still doubt the

cheerleaders in the world and refuse to give them their rightful title of ‘athlete.’ Maybe you have been

open and considerate, and you now believe cheerleaders are, after all, athletes. It’s okay to believe it.