Cheerleading is more than pom-poms, short skirts, and bows. Bill Pennington, an award-winning journalist, sportswriter, and author, articulates the need for aggressive training and a strengthening of regulations to minimize the number student-athletes injured subsequently to cheer activities. Pennington’s article, “As Cheerleaders Soar Higher, So does the Danger”, first published on March 31, 2007, in The New York Times. Incorporated in the article he describes cheer in this way, “For decades, they stood by safe and smiling, a fixture on America’s sidelines” (Pennington). This article appeared in the sports section of The New York Times and the distribution to readers included print as well as the internet. Although this newspaper targets the …show more content…
“As Cheerleaders Soar Higher, So Does the Danger,” connects the danger involved in cheering and the drastic changes occurring over time. However, the author’s purpose is not to cast blame but to bring awareness of an existing problem. Although Pennington explores the dangers in cheerleading, he also scrutinizes possible causes. Supporting theories with personal statements from injured cheerleaders and notable authorities in the sports field creates a convincing article. The author is effective in showing the seriousness of the problem as he utilizes pathos to appeal to emotions. Today’s cheerleading maneuvers, according to Pennington, are “. . . turning cheerleaders into daredevils” (Pennington). Pennington’s perspective of how the sport has continued to maintain its sense of glamor while knee braces and ice bags are as common as mascara appeals to the emotions of the reader. However, Pennington shifts his thoughts to the fact more than four million participants cheer at different levels. The author suggests “. . . cheerleaders now commonly do tricks atop pyramids or are tossed 20 feet in the air to perform flips and twists” (Pennington). The Cheerleaders quoted by Pennington, focus on how accidents occurred and the cumulative results. In essence, by inserting personal injury stories, the author has appealed to his reader’s sympathy and compassion. Throughout this article credibility and appeals to ethos are consistently strong as Pennington builds and supplements his article with credible examples. Using an intelligent and familiar tone, while incorporating common language allows Pennington to develop greater and added reliable
Are young children putting their health and even their lives at risk if they partake in the sport of football? Some claim that the American sport is far too dangerous and the risk of concussions and injuries far outway the pros of the physical sport, while others insist that technological improvements and new regulations have made the sport safer. Jonathan Zimmerman, a professor of history and education at New York University, argues in his paper, “We Must Stop Risking the Health of Young Football Players,” that football is a sport that is too dangerous for the youth. He states his belief that technological improvements in helmets and changes in the rules of the sport have had little effect on reducing injuries and that nothing has worked.
The author covers the most prevalent groups and events relating to football. Some of them are pep rallies, marching band, cheerleaders / pep squads, spectators / ex-players, and the brains / farm kids / nobodies. The pep rally is a school-wide event,
While getting all this training cheerleaders get injured yet they don’t stop cheerleading because they don’t want to let their team down or they don’t want to ruin the routine. Doctors try to point out the fact that cheerleaders get hurt as much any other sport. Sometimes their injuries are worse than those of football players. In the article Is cheerleading a sport? The American medical association think so. Dr Samantha says “Cheerleading is a leading cause of catastrophic injury in female athlete at the high school and college level” (Rose). She is saying that Cheerleaders get hurt just like in any other sport. Some of the cheerleaders won’t even know they’re hurt or they’ll know but they won’t go to the doctors. they won’t stop competing until the competition is over. Cheerleaders don’t use any kind of protection unlike many of the other sports. So if they fall while trying to do a dangerous move they could get seriously hurt. These cheerleaders challenge the limit of their body to do all the maneuvers that they have to do. Knowing these, people still believe cheerleading is not a sport. Even when cheerleaders risk getting injured to be able to
Last year, during one of my high school’s football games, a couple of students approached my friend and I. “Why do we need cheerleaders?”, “Don’t you think you guys are sort of distracting the football players?”, were the questions directed towards us. Because of my timid freshman self, I was unable to answer their question at the time. Why exactly did Cheerleaders matter? As the year went on, I couldn’t help but notice the drastic effects the
A study has found and proven that as a result of the amount of contact activity involved with cheerleading, “two thirds of very serious sports injuries suffered by girls in the United States” (Global Issues in Context). This inevitably highlights the rigors and risks cheerleaders endure as a result of their participation. In effect of cheerleading not being recognized as a sport and cheerleaders not being recognized as athletes, there is little awareness and support for the injuries cheerleaders encounter. Furthermore, according to the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, “cheerleading is also among the top 20 sports with highest rate of head injuries” (Huffington Post). These head injuries include but are not limited to skull fractures, cervical spine injuries, brain injury, concussions, paralysis, and in severe cases, death. Nonetheless, as a result of cheerleading lacking recognition, injuries are typically underestimated despite their severity. It is important to consider the exertion a cheerleader must put in when completing a stunt. Being tossed or held in the air is the flyer who is then supported by two bases and a back spot. Despite being held up by a minimum of four people, one wrong move can result in the stunt collapsing, which can sometimes result in injury to both the
Mozes, Alan. "As Cheerleading Evolves, Injuries Mount." US News. U.S.News & World Report, 28 June 2013. Web. 08 Dec. 2013.
... that is not what this argument is supposed to state. It’s almost like he was trying to freak people out about the sport with the story about the plastic surgery. Every sport has injuries, it doesn’t matter what it is. We see it all the time, whether it be cheerleading, football, basketball, hockey, figure skating, soccer, it really doesn’t matter, it happens with practically every sport. Even though this injury sounds awful and happened with cheerleading, that doesn’t mean that it happens to every cheerleader. The chances of this happening are very slim. So, to write this story in his article really wasn’t necessary. This essay should have included more evidence to back all the arguments up, and it didn’t. It was very offensive toward a number of targeted groups, and was more an essay about Reilly’s personal opinion, rather than the claim he was trying to make.
The best leadership accomplishment that demonstrates my potential to make significant contributions to the campus community and broader society is cheerleading. Cheerleading has made a huge impact on my life and has created many opportunities for me. It has paved the way for my high school career. Cheerleading provided me with opportunities to lead, volunteer, perform and show the athletic ability of our squad.
If conventional ideas of “toughness” are allowed to be celebrated in our society, then it should be no surprise that athletes continue not to speak up about their injuries. If we make athletes feel ashamed of being weak, they’ll be more likely to struggle with mental health issues and long-term physical issues. I’m sure that the Dusseldorf Panthers chose to use this advertisement because it works for their purposes, but the fact that it works says a lot about what society values. In this case, the advertisement shows that society values sport and entertainment over the players. When we justify putting a person in danger of being permanently injured for our own entertainment, the idea of what’s “tough” has gone too far. It’s time to find a new way to encourage allegiance to a sport team, one that doesn’t risk the health of the people playing for
In the text, Sis! Boom! Bah! Humbug!, the argument of whether or not cheerleading should be a sport and giving them scholarships is presented. One example of this argument is when a buddy of Rick Reilly’s twin daughters both get hurt because of a simple human pyramid. As stated in the text, “A buddy of mine has twin daughters, both cheerleaders. At the end of last school year one needed plastic surgery on her cheek after another girl's teeth went through it during a pyramid collapse; the other broke her hand and finger. They're not cheering anymore.” (Reilly) Another example of where the argument is present in the text is when they make a good point about giving the cheerleaders scholarships. In the text it states, “Do you realize colleges
“‘Athletics last for such a short period of time. It ends for people. But while it lasts, it creates this make-believe world where normal rules don’t apply. We build this false atmosphere. When it’s over and the harsh reality sets in, that’s the real joke we play on people’” (Bissinger xiv). “Friday Night Lights” shows the darker side of high school football. Players are taught to play games to win, and thats all that matters. Football players are put under a tremendous amount of pressure, almost enough to be considered unfair. Even though football is a “team sport”, pressure on individual players is unnecessary. Some players have the burden of the team, the city, their family, and their future, resting on their shoulders. These players are put under pressure that is physically and emotionally damaging, not to mention future ruining.
Although it has been said that cheerleading is not a sport , it is one of the most highest causes for concussions. According to a policy statement in 2012 by the American Academy of Pediatrics , cheerleading has been alleged for about 66 percent of all catastrophic injuries for girls at the high school level over the past 25 years ( Salamon 3). Another reason that it is important for cheerleaders to be precautious of head traumas is because studies have shown that when compared men and women playing the same sport, it is found that female rates of concussion are greatly higher than those for males (Levine 1). Although it is not a collision sport, cheerleaders are definitely practicing some risky skills that
Across numerous sports in the world, helmets are a staple of safety. Assumed to be a benefit, most athletes do not consider the risks of a helmet; both mental and physical risks. Society tells us that no matter what; a helmet will be safer than being exposed to harmful elements. There is also the idea that helmets are beneficial, but the way athletes use them causes more injuries than if a helmet had not been used at all. This culture, using your helmet as a tool, encourages more risky behavior for helmet wearers. Adventure writer and pilot, Lane Wallace argues that football culture is to blame for current helmet use, and that helmets are beneficial in her article “Do Sports Helmets Help or Hurt?” In his article “Disposable Heroes”, Neurologist David Weisman reasons that the worst helmets might be a better solution than better helmets.
The Saegertown Football Cheerleaders were in for a challenge. With only 4 veteran members and 10 new members, the older members had to work harder than before to teach the cheers, dances, and stunts to the newer members.
Washington, Tim. "Cheerleaders Are Risking Serious Injury and Death to Support Their Teams." The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group, 04 Oct. 2008. Web. .