Generations to generations, people have argued about what defines an activity as a sport, where they create athletes who are individuals that pursue a passion in an activity they love and call a sport. Who are we to tell individuals what meets the criteria for their athleticism, passion, and desire to succeed in an activity that pertains to physical competition? There are people in the world who compete and train long days in the gym to be told that their hard-work doesn’t make them an athlete. The one mistake the world makes is defining an individual’s passion for something they believe is a sport and what makes them an athlete.
Through experiences, I can say I am sick -- physically and mentally -- of seeing people create arguments of what activities are considered to be a sport. We should notice more than the idea of their sport and notice how much passion they bring to an activity that society either depicts as a hobby or sport.
Today, in society, cheerleading is the best example of how a group of ambitious individuals show and put hard-work into something they are passionate about; such that, cheerleaders are individuals who dedicate their own time to practice daily, condition their bodies to physically hard exercises, and compete against the best in their division. Yet, society decides that is not enough to be considered a sport. Since, society decides by definition that cheerleading is not a sport, and then they also conclude that cheerleaders aren’t athletes.
It’s an underestimate to say cheerleaders aren’t athletes, because most cheerleaders train all year round. Some cheerleaders pick up extra activities to stay in shape, so when competition season comes around, they can put forth their best efforts. Athletes are individuals who compete, follow regulations created by officials for their activities, train physically on/off season, and dedicate their time to overcome every obstacle that stops them from continuing the passion that runs through them. Cheerleaders demonstrate everything an athlete should be known for, and they fit the criteria that was made by society and made by their own standards.
Society should stop and look at the work cheerleaders put in; they should see it’s more than an activity in fact it’s more than a sport. I only say this because sports are just activities that are drawn from people who have a passion to continue being physical in that so called activity we justify as a sport. It’s more than a sport; it’s about the passion that individuals put in every day.
I believe an activity is more than a sport, especially cheerleading because the amount of passion a cheerleader brings to their sport is incredible; their passion doesn’t stop them from the people who are bringing them down by their “it’s not a sport” comments or “you’re not an athlete” slurs. They continue to focus hard every day to perfect their skills, because of the driven passion they have for cheerleading.
It’s passion that should help determine if someone is an athlete. We draw upon the idea of passion because without it, what is a sport? Passion is important because it creates competition, the need to better your skills, and continue the activity you love. Athletes hold that component of passion for an activity because they love it. We need to realize that passion is the unbearable emotions that create athletes to strive.
So, before you create your opinion on cheerleading, whether it’s a sport or cheerleaders are athletes, remember that it’s passion that creates athletes. It’s a passion that builds athletes to pursue their physical activities.
