Last updated: Mar 30, 2023
Cheerleading is an extremely popular sport worldwide and has existed for over a century. Read on to learn more about the history of cheerleading, including key dates and facts surrounding the evolution of the sport.
Table of Contents
- Which Country Started Cheerleading?
- Inventor of Cheerleading
- When Was Cheerleading Established?
- When Did Cheerleading Become Popular?
- Countries Where Cheerleading Is Most Popular
- Cheerleading History Key Facts and Timeline
- FAQ
Which Country Started Cheerleading?
Cheerleading began in the mid-19thcentury in Great Britain but later moved to the United States shortly after its creation.Cheerleading has become a staple of sporting events throughout the country being the most popular in collegiate athletics as well as throughout youth sports leagues.
Even though cheerleading has become popularly known as a women’s sport, cheerleading actually started with cheering male fans at a collegiate sporting event. After this first sporting event, many colleges liked the idea and adopted it for their athletic programs. The National Cheerleaders Association (NCA) was the first cheerleading association in the United States and was established in order to help people improve on their cheerleading skills and spread the love of the sport more throughout the country.
Inventor of Cheerleading
The invention of the sport of cheerleading has been credited to many Yale University students that began cheering from the crowd during football games. The school liked when the students would do this and created a cheerleading squad in order to have the cheering at each of their games.
The unofficial “grandfather of cheerleading” is Lawrence "Herkie" Herkimer, whostarted the National Cheerleaders Association (NCA) while at Southern Methodist University. There have been annual cheerleading camps held there since 1948, totalling twenty thousand attendees since its inaugural camp. In 1953, Herkimer created the Cheerleading Supply Company and patented the pompom and continued to take cheerleading to even greater heights.
When Was Cheerleading Established?
Cheerleading was established in the 1860s in Great Britain but became a very popularized sport when it reached the United States in the 1880s by cheering Yale students. In 1898, a Princeton University graduate, Thomas Peebles, brought cheerleading to the University of Minnesota with the idea of chanting to a crowd of spectators. He continued to lead organized cheers during their poor football season and is considered the first cheerleader.
Johnny Campbell later became known as the first leader of the cheer team with the Golden Gophers. It was not until many years later that women became involved with the sport they are believed to run today. The sport was mostly composed of a select few male students that would simply start cheers for the spectators at games. There were not as many movements and routines that there are today but rather just chants and cheers that were created by these “cheerleaders.”
When Did Cheerleading Become Popular?
Cheerleading became very popular in the United States near the 1960s.The sport was an up and coming sport in the beginning of the 20thcentury but really took off once the 1960s were reached. By the 1960s, almost every high school and college had a cheerleading squad.
Shortly after this, cheerleading broke into the National Football League with the Cowboys debuting the first NFL cheerleading squad during the 1972-73 season. After the Cowboys reached their first Super Bowl, it forever changed cheerleading as a viable profession.
Countries Where Cheerleading Is Most Popular
Cheerleading has developed as one of the most popular sports in the United States. There are national competitions for both high school and college athletes. There have also been many cheerleaders that have competed in other sports such as gymnastics in the Olympics. Cheerleading has spread throughout the rest of the world and has become popular elsewhere. The other countries that cheerleading is popular in are:
- Australia
- Canada
- Mexico
- China
- Colombia
- Japan
- New Zealand
- United Kingdom
Cheerleading History Key Facts and Timeline
- 1860: Students start cheering for their favorite players in Great Britain.
- 1884: The sport entered the United States.
- 1898: Johnny Campbell became the first cheerleader at the University of Minnesota when he led an organized cheer at a Minnesota vs Princeton football game.
- 1903: Students at the University of Minnesota created the first cheer fraternity called Gamma Sigma.
- 1923: Women are first allowed to participate in cheerleading.
- 1945: Women were usually the ones leading the cheers and the cheer teams due to World War II.
- 1960: Cheerleading was a part of almost every high school and college.
- 1972: Competitive cheerleading took off with the passing of the Title IX rule.
- 1978: The first competitive cheerleading competition was aired on TV by CBS.
- 2003: A national council was formed to offer safety workshops to athletes that wanted them.
- 2019: Napoleon Jinnies and Quinton Peron become the first male Super Bowl cheerleaders.
FAQ
Who invented cheerleading?
Modern cheerleading was invented by Yale students in the late 1880s. In order to foster school spirit at football games, the school allowed an official cheerleading squad to form and perform at home games. Lawrence Herkimer is also credited as an inventor of cheerleading, because he started the National Cheerleading Association (NCA), founded the first collegiate cheer camp, and patented the pompom.
Pages Related to History Of Cheerleading
As someone deeply immersed in the world of cheerleading, my expertise spans various facets of this sport, including its history, evolution, and global impact. I've studied the origins of cheerleading extensively, delving into its roots in Great Britain in the 19th century before it gained momentum in the United States in the late 1800s. Cheerleading initially began with male fans cheering at collegiate sporting events, eventually evolving into an organized activity adopted by various colleges.
The pivotal role played by Yale University students in establishing the formal structure of cheerleading cannot be overstated. The creation of an official cheerleading squad at Yale marked a turning point, leading to the sport's widespread popularity across educational institutions. Lawrence "Herkie" Herkimer's contributions, particularly through the establishment of the National Cheerleaders Association (NCA) and the patenting of the pompom, significantly shaped the trajectory of cheerleading, facilitating its growth and standardization.
The timeline of cheerleading's development is crucial in understanding its evolution. From the establishment of organized cheers in the 1860s to the involvement of women in the sport, exemplified by the formation of the first cheer fraternity, Gamma Sigma, at the University of Minnesota in 1903, the sport has undergone significant transformations.
Cheerleading experienced a surge in popularity around the 1960s, becoming a ubiquitous presence in high schools and colleges across the United States. This rise in prominence continued into the 1970s, marked by significant milestones such as the introduction of competitive cheerleading, the entry of cheerleading into the National Football League with the Dallas Cowboys' squad in 1972-73, and the airing of the first competitive cheerleading competition on TV by CBS in 1978.
Moreover, I'm well-versed in the global reach of cheerleading, recognizing its popularity not only in the United States but also in countries such as Australia, Canada, Mexico, China, Colombia, Japan, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.
The rich history of cheerleading is punctuated by key moments, including the progression of cheerleading as an integral part of school spirit, its adaptation to changing societal dynamics such as World War II, and landmark events like the inclusion of men as Super Bowl cheerleaders in 2019.
The sport's evolution has been accompanied by regulatory measures aimed at enhancing safety, such as the formation of national councils to offer safety workshops for athletes.
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