Cheerleading in the 1980s and Today

Presenter: Abigail Hockett

Presenter Status: Undergraduate student

Academic Year: 20-21

Semester: Spring

Faculty Mentor: Anne-Louise Dierkes

Department: Art

Funding Source/Sponsor: SYRCE Symposium

Screenshot URL: https://drive.google.com/uc?id=1Mvny3L0iDn8jg8rQ9VXt2hueP09_cuo9

Abstract:
The 1980s was a very significant era for cheerleading, and more specifically cheerleading in college. We notice that although it began a predominantly male sport, it has shifted into a majorly feminized sport in the 80s. It went from general marginalization to more specifically marginalization from other female athletes who do not consider cheerleading to be a sport or competitive. We also notice the shift in the level of difficulty in stunts, jumps, tumbling, and overall routines. This produced much more eligibility to be recognized under TITLE IX, and caused the sport to grow in directions the athletes of the era chose. Sonoma State's cheerleading team is competitive, and although not funded by the school; we have the 80s to thank for even being able to have made the advances we have.