It became a high school sport in 1972. At that point, cheerleading became more athletic and challenging as coaches at cheerleading camps pushed the girls to try more acrobatic moves. In 1999, ESPN (the cable sports network) officially declared it a sport and began showing the national cheerleading competitions that were taking place around the country.As of the early 2000s, as many as 20 different high school organizations declare cheerleading as a sport.
It officially became a sport in 2003! However it still has not been officially declared a sport in the NCAA (college)....BUT YOU JUST WAIT BECAUSE COLLEGE CHEERLEADERS DO WAY MORE THAN ANY OTHER ATHLETES....
and watch the 2016 Olympics because it is officially competing in them ! http://wiki.answers.com/Q/In_what_year_did_Cheerleading_officially_become_a_sport "It's kind of like running an all-out sprint for two-and-half minutes," said Georgia Tech senior King Harrison, who played basketball and soccer in high school. "The only difference is you have to hold two 50-pound weights above your head."
So go ahead, tell Bangaoil that cheerleading isn't a sport. Tell her that the last year she spent downing Advil and bathing her knee in ice has been a waste. That putting off ACL surgery so she could help her UCLA team finish third at the United Spirit Association's Collegiate Nationals two weeks ago was meaningless
Forget that the seasons of high-profile male athletes Jason White, Willis McGahee and Aaron Boone crumbled to nothing when their ACLs shredded. Instead, just tell Bangaoil what you really think -- that she's not an athlete. That she's nothing more than a glorified sex object, there to smile, look pretty and entertain the men http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=drehs/040316 There's little doubt that cheerleading carries an inherent risk. All sports do; even sports like ping pong or golf carry the potential risk of injury. What