Whenever you go to a sporting event, regardless of sport or level, fans love to cheer on their favorite teams. This has been the case since sporting events were held, but the organized cheers (or cheerleaders) date back to 1898. Thomas Peebles brought cheers to the University of Minnesota from Princeton University, but student Johnny Campbell took it on and led to the crowd in the organized shout of “Rah, Rah, Rah! Sku-u-mar! Hoo-Rah! Hoo-Rah! Varsity! Varsity! Minn-e-so-tah!” His leadership of the applause at the game merited an article in the November 12, 1898 issue of the “Ariel,” which said that Campbell and the others leading the crowd in cheers “would see to it that everyone left the park today without breathless and voiceless. “Shortly after this game, an organized team was formed at the University of Minnesota consisting of six male students.
With the turn of the century, cheerleading as an organized activity or sport began to expand. In 1903 the first cheerleading fraternity, Gamma Sigma, was formed. In the 1920s, women began to actively participate in cheerleading, because until around 1923 cheerleaders were only men. When women joined the ranks of cheerleaders, elements such as megaphones and acrobatic or gymnastic movements were added to the routines. The pompom (what some might consider the ultimate symbol of a cheerleader) was invented by Fred Gastoff in 1965.
The National Cheerleading Association (or NCA) was formed in 1948 by Lawrence “Herkie” Herkimer, a former cheerleader at Southern Methodist University. She formed this association to hold cheerleading clinics, and the first clinic (held in 1949) consisted of 52 participating women. He also formed Cheerleading Supply Company in 1953, which sold skirts and sweaters for cheerleading teams and groups.
During the 1970s, cheerleaders gained momentum, a very glamorous momentum, when the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders became a trademarked group that revealed blue and white uniforms and graceful dance moves. Professional soccer teams weren’t the only ones with cheer squads; Other sports such as basketball, baseball, and hockey realized the popularity of cheerleaders and created their own cheer squads.
In 1978, the first College Cheerleading Championship aired on CBS television, when competition between cheerleading squads began to grow. In the 1980s, the ESPN cable sports network began broadcasting the National High School Cheerleading Competition. As the popularity and love of the activity grew, so did the difficulty and complexity of the routines. Along with the increase in the degree of difficulty of the routines came concerns for the safety of the participants. Most cheerleading organizations have adopted universal safety standards to help ensure the safety of participants and decrease the number of injuries sustained.
In today’s society, cheerleaders are a huge part of American culture. There are movies that have made cheerleading popular (such as the Bring it On film series). Reality shows have featured cheerleaders (“Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders make the team” and WE television reality show “Cheerleader Nation”). Serious fans can find cheerleading video games for the Nintendo and Wii entertainment systems. Many of today’s most popular figures were former cheerleaders, including President George W. Bush, Madonna, Paula Abdul, and Vanna White.
Cheerleading remains very popular, with thousands of young men and women attending camps and clinics to learn the latest cheerleading routines and skills. It is estimated that 97% of the people involved in organized cheerleading today are women, but at the university level the level of participation of men and women is equal.