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Encyclopedia of Adolescence pp 1–3Cite as

Cheerleading

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Overview

Cheerleading is an organized sporting activity that originated from cheering for sports teams but that increasingly has become a competitive sport itself. The combination of gymnastics, cheering, choreography and costuming historically has been dominated by adolescent and young adult females. Although the presence of males in cheerleading squads continues to grow, cheerleading continues to be criticized for encouraging sexualization of girls, as well as encouraging a specific, racially- and economically-charged portrait of feminitity. Despite these criticisms, research recently has explored how the sport actually encourages self-empowerment along axes of gender, race, and sexuality through teambuilding as well self-efficacy. Research at the intersection of cheerleading’s storied past with its dynamic present has flourished in recent decades. The nuances of the activity that far exceed stereotypic conceptions continue to have clear implications for adolescents who choose to...

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References

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Indiana University, 302 Sycamore Hall, Bloomington, IN, 47405, USA

    Roger J. R. Levesque

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  1. Roger J. R. Levesque
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Correspondence to Roger J. R. Levesque .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, USA

    Roger J.R. Levesque

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© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

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Levesque, R.J.R. (2016). Cheerleading. In: Levesque, R. (eds) Encyclopedia of Adolescence. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-32132-5_758-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-32132-5_758-2

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-32132-5

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