Men in cheer is a very controversial topic among both cheerleaders and spectators, but why? According to USA Cheer, the activity was started by a male college student from Minnesota and was a male-dominated sport until World War II. So why is there such a large decline of boys in cheering, especially at the high school level? Whether it’s from boys getting made fun of by their male peers for even considering joining or simply not trying at all out of fear. Well, a lot of the controversy comes from a misunderstanding of what cheerleading even is; most think it’s just standing on the sidelines doing an occasional “dance.” But in reality, it’s a very demanding sport, both mentally and physically. Not to mention how competitive it is, whether competing against 14 teams for a State Championship or trying out just to cheer on the sidelines. This all often comes with hardly any support or recognition.

     This leads to male cheerleaders being bullied, made fun of, or mocked for even trying out. Pushing more away each year, most don’t wanna be the first participant to step up. But Landon Davis, a current 8th grader at Vernon Middle School (VMS) and the only male cheerleader on the VMS team in several years, chose to be that person. Being the only boy means always standing out, and not always in a good way. Davis said, “It’s hard because I do different motions and things than everyone else, so I can’t just copy the person in front of me.” He isn’t letting any discrimination or setbacks stop him from continuing. Davis plans to continue once he’s at the high school, which he will be accompanied by his older sophomore sister, Taylor Davis, who is currently a cheerleader on the high school’s team.

    While the high school’s cheerleaders expressed their excitement for a new side of their team to be highlighted by having more male cheerleaders, hopefully coming soon, some have expressed concerns about favoritism from coaches with only a couple of male cheerleaders. Some of the team have also shared that it will be very different since most of them have only ever cheered with other girls, and don’t know what to expect since the season hasn’t started. At the same time, they don’t want any male teammates to feel left out, since it is a primarily female team. 

     The competition cheer coach, Lanie Dunne, has been coaching for 31 years and has led all the cheer teams at one point or another, as well as a few other sports. During this time, she has had many male cheerleaders and knows that men can be and are successful when it comes to cheering. Dunne said, “It can be life-changing for anyone. I had a former male cheerleader who went on to cheer in college, teach camps for UCA, travel the world for cheer, and now owns his own cheer gym.” This is a great example of men being successful in the sport. Dunne also said, “When they are in high school, it’s not seen as the cool thing to do. When they get to college, it is different. I would like the mindset to change so that anyone can do whatever sport or activity they want without criticism.” At a high school level, there are a lot fewer male cheerleaders, but once in college, over 50% of them are males, according to Grady News Source. 

     There are many boys in show choir, musicals, plays, and even color guard, who all get support and praise; they should have that same mindset. Anyone should be allowed to do whatever activity they please, whether football or cheer. Both require mental and physical strength, meaning that if one chooses to try out, they should not face discrimination or mockery. If one’s interested, they should go for it.