Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/315828
Feature Time to treat cheerleading like a real sport? Bring it on! By Sherry Posnick-Goodwin NFL cheerleaders recently accused the Oakland Raiders of paying them less than minimum wage and not paying for their expenses. The two cheerleaders who filed the class-action lawsuit complained to the media that cheerleaders are shown little respect. Some cheerleading coaches think that what's happening at the professional level can be traced to high school practices. They say it's time for schools to give cheerleaders the respect they deserve — and time to treat cheerleading like a real sport. So has the time come to fight, fight, FIGHT? Some CTA members, in the words of the popular cheer movie, say yes, bring it on! P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y S C O T T B U S C H M A N They train hard, they bring pride to their schools, they win competitions. Cheerleaders are athletes and cheerleading is a sport, say CTA members. 50 M AY 2 0 1 4 Educator 05 May 2014 v1.6 int.indd 50 5/16/14 3:22 PM