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Cheerleading is part of the American identity and frequently used as a story device or plot on this site. But how much do those of us not actually involved really know about it. A new film claims to take the lid off a less than glamorous world of exploitation nastiness and the victims as always are women.
See attached link from the Guardian and see if you still want to write about cheerleading.
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/jan/26/a-womans-work-d...
Comments
The focus
Of this is on the professional cheerleaders. The way they have been historically treated is appalling.
What most people seem to write about are the young cheerleaders at the primary and secondary education levels. There may be some about university cheerleaders, but offhand I can't recall any.
At these levels it's a whole different ballgame. That's not to say it doesn't have its own share of scandal. Still, at that level the sport can be used relatively safely. Catfights are more likely.
"Life is not measured by the breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away.”
George Carlin
Name any organization
Let's start with the work factories or the railroads back in the eighteen hundreds in the U.S. Or you would like a little closer to present time? Exploiting the third world nations for their present day work factories, garment workers, Africa diamond mines, China imprisoned slave labor, and the list is endless. Human greed and human cruelty knows no bounds on anything humans touch. Sports is one segment of the population where anointed players become Gods of Worship. Those who manipulate those games and feed the desires of the masses for more are given control over thousands of lives.
The story is about professional cheerleaders. Sadly the cancer does contaminate colleges and high schools. Moms threatening or sabotaging other moms or cheerleaders so their own little darlings can get on the squad.
The bible has a lot of reference to the depravity of humanity. Cain V Able, Sodom and Gomorrah, God's chosen losing their way when blessed with power. Because everyone does it or it's always been that way is not an excuse. But humans being humans and those human failings, greed, lust, jealousy, power, among so many other things the human soul desires and fails to understand and handle means a continuous repeat of the same over and over and...,
Nothing was mine nor promised before I was born. Nothing is mine while I'm here. I use it and hold it in trust as nothing is coming with me when I leave again. "Mine" only pertains to the spiritual soul. Or for the gamers, their core. Live life the best one can and expect to make mistakes. We are after all, only human.
Hugs Angharad
Barb
Life is a gift, treasure it.
Oklahoma born and raised cowgirl
Please note
I didn't say there was no problems with primary and secondary school cheerleading, just that it's a different type of problem than what the pros experience. Just a quick look reveals two notable cases at the secondary school level.
One case, a 15/16 yr old killed her rival for a place on the team. Another well-known example in Texas, a mother tried to hire a hitman to kill her daughter's rival's mother. She reasoned that would distract the girl from doing well in the tryouts.
I just pointed out that there was less of this sort of thing than the pay issues facing the pros. Apples and oranges.
"Life is not measured by the breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away.”
George Carlin
Documentary
I watched this documentary(???) a few weeks ago.
I thought, at that time, that it was a solution looking for a problem.
The documentary centered around how the cheerleaders were "unpaid" workers.
That is nothing new. It has been my understanding that professional cheerleaders are largely unpaid -- but do quite well, if they work for fees at car dealerships, store openings, etc.
They're only exploited if they aren't taking advantage of the "exposure" they're given.
It reminds me of the old joke. "Doctor, it hurts when I do this." answer from doctor "Don't do that!" That cheerleader could have quit if she didn't like the arrangement.
In reality - most schools in our area have trouble fielding a cheerleading squad. The girls who once would have been cheerleaders are now on sports teams - thanks to Title IX.
My girlfriend in high school had a vertical leap that put me to shame, and I had the best vertical leap on the basketball team. She became a cheerleader because there were no girl's sports.
I'm sure there are traditional cheerleading situations that still exist with the horrible excesses (and pushy moms). But they're becoming an anachronism.
Jill
Angela Rasch (Jill M I)
I became a feminist when…
… for the first time I stopped from doing something I wanted to do because I was a woman! That was sailing and it was 'gentlemanly' thinking that I would be pleased to be saved from some hard and dangerous work but I'd paid to learn by 'doing' so wasn't going to be denied.
Maybe writers in BC can take up the challenge of thinking of other situations where their characters take up the feminist challenge.
Rhona McCloud
Cheerleading
I've written a few cheerleaders here and there, most of which I based off of experiences I had with a couple of friends who were cheerleaders in highschool. Well former childhood friends because by that point, we drifted apart. Regardless, I've sorta sugarcoated them myself actually. They've never really been the main focus of any story I've written. Though I will say, outside of my childhood friends, most of the cheerleaders I knew and interacted with in highschool were sweethearts. I'm sure there are the stereotypes but I never met them.