Cheerleading – Amateurish delight gone missing
Article by Raghuram Ekambaram

it is the scantily clad cheerleaders the TV camera’s catch up-close and personal (I hate this phrase, of nearly ageless vintage (an oxymoron)). I have already blogged twice, but both times on the inconsistencies in the format. This time it is going to be on a different aspect, cheerleading.

Though I hate to agree with ministers of Maharashtra, I do so when they say that this cheerleading stuff is alien to our culture. I hurry to add that my criticism is more nuanced and hence may hold some water (note that I have, by implication, pronounced invalid the arguments of the Maharashtra ministers).

It was in 1978 I even heard of this thing called cheerleading, at the first home game of the University of Kentucky Wildcats football game (for which we got free tickets). I was confused. Were they leading the crowd to cheer for the home team or cheering the team? After a while the issue got sorted out in my mind – they were leading the cheers of the crowd while providing entertainment. The latter part is the raison d’être of cheerleading. Cheerleaders are entertainers. This is my understanding.

Later on I learnt how deeply imbedded this concept of leading the cheer in the sports events is in the US. It does not start at the college level. It goes down to high school sports and indeed to even Little League events, if I am not mistaken. You can see toddlers tumbling (in itsy-bitsy-teeny-weeny-yellow-polka-dot-bikinis) with the hope of making it to the varsity cheerleading teams and there are national competitions (that you can espy on ESPN from time to time). The culture of cheerleading as entertainment is inbuilt in the society.

I will be the first one to admit that there is a lot of sexism in cheerleading, much of it overt like in the dresses. But, if you considered cheerleading as ersatz gymnastics this is not so obvious. Though in schools and colleges cheerleading squads (do they now have scholarships for cheerleading? I don’t know) have members of both the sexes, the focus is on the girls. Some of the big things the boys in the squad do are to throw the girls up in the air and catch them on their way down or anchor the pyramids. I must admit to the sense of appreciation that engulfs me when I see almost dare devilry acrobatics that these squads perform; this is no joke. But of what utility I do not know. In professional sports, cheerleading loses a dimension. It is almost merely pom-ponning and not much acrobatics, except doing a split on the floor/carpet, if that – like the Los Angeles Lakers girls.

Now come to IPL and you will see why cheerleading is alien to our culture. This piece is not about whether we should imbibe cheerleading in our culture. It is more about why is it alien. We do not see cheerleading in Ranji Trophy matches, not to speak of going down a level, to inter-collegiate competition, in any sport. Cheerleading has started professional, there is no amateurish delight – now it is merely skimpily clad women thrust upon us at IPL and no acrobatics to appreciate. What we have are merely blow dried and styled hair, bikinis/hot pants, plastic grin bearing highly made up faces and, of course, sexy bodies. What do we do? Catcalls.

The above is not to justify such behavior but to point out how this is almost the inevitable outcome of jumping phases in adopting cultural features. Cheerleading by itself may not be evil personified but the fact that it has not developed from the basics within the culture makes it alien. If you catch my drift, what I may be implying is bring on cheerleading as an amateurish activity (shorn of sexist elements) at school level, let it grow upon us slowly and we may see reduced instances of bawdy behavior directed at the cheerleaders at the IPL games. (A collateral benefit may be better trained gymnasts!). Do we take that long route (results not guaranteed) or take a short cut and ban cheerleading? I have no answers.

Finally, I do not know whether I am really agreeing with the Maharashtra ministers.

Do you want to comment on this article, then click here (on your mail subject please mention "Comment on Cricket Model Study"

- Top ^

Become an IPL Team Fan, Click here to Register
& chance to win match tickets or goodies...

Place your adv here
Contact: Shawnpady
Mobile: 91 98866 77071