MARCH MADNESS!

ITS THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN! MARCH MADNESS! wHO DO YOU THINK WILL WIN THIS YEAR? OHIO STATE? KANSAS? KENTUCKY (OF COURSE). OR WILL JIMMER FREDETTE OF BYU BRING THE COUGARS THEIR FIRST NATIONAL TITLE?

I would like to see your brakets. Here are my brackets.
http://games.espn.go.com/tcmen/en/entry?entryID=1751693
http://games.espn.go.com/tcmen/en/entry?entryID=1750597
 my wild card upset picks are Utah State, Georgia, and Richmond
Also, here is this year's version of Barack-etology (although i disagree with some of his picks). http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/tournament/2011/news/story?id=6222176

Cheerleading debate

Before all those cheerleaders out there jump to conclusions and savagely bludgeon me to death, I will provide an easily debatable opinion. (Therefore I will value your opinions as long as they aren't rediculous or obscene. Also, please refrain from using logical fallacies to prove recidulous things like basketball or football is not a sport. Thank You) and now i will begin..
Any athlete at our school knew that a man named George Henshaw came and presented us with oppurtunities for athletes in sports to earn scholarships. As soon as the doors were opened, thousands of student-athletes flooded into the auditorium and so did the cheerleaders. After several comments (i would not comment on who said them) about cheerleading and that it isn't a sport, the question arose in my mind. Is cheerleading really a sport?
Here is my take on it..
Although it takes some strength, athleticism and coordination, i deem it not a sport and here is why:

1. I cannot see any strategy when it comes to cheerleading.
1. Although there is a 'routine', i can't call it a sport. Dancing and Ballet have routines and so does gymnastics. dancing and ballet are not sports, but that doesn't mean that they are not strenuous.(gymnastics is a sport by the way). Also, gymnastics has other events like balance beam and several other events that i could see as sports. These olympic events call for dexterity, balance, and sheer strength. Sorry Ladies, cheerleaders could not do what gymnasts do. As in football or basketball, these sports adapted plays in which the team looks for ways to outsmart and outstrategize the other team. In cheerleading, its based on how well your team looks in the routine.
2. Cheerleading has too much basis on how they 'look'
1. of all the major sports, coaches will usually tell you its not how you look but how you perform. In cheerleading, the better you look, the better you score (at least i think so). Also, you would not see Michael Jordan, Peyton Manning, or even Jackie Joyner-Kersee (olympic gold medalist) putting on make-up or worrying about how they look before their athletic event.
3. Usually, Cheerleaders stand on the sidelines (except in the case of competitive cheerleading)
1. It is very hard to consider something a sport when you are cheering another sport in the time being. As much as i appreciate support, i would not consider it a full blown sport as difficult as it may seem.
4. The definition of Cheerleader doesn't advocate it being a sport.
1. the definition is a person who leads spectators in traditional or formal cheering, especially at a pep rally or athletic event.
5.  the Quinnipiac ruling
1. In the Quinnipiac case in which cheerleading was brought in to replace the women's volleyball team and was overruled because it broke Title 9 (which states Discrimination based on sex including sexual harassment is illegal under state and federal laws. Discrimination based on sexual orientation is prohibited under state law.). This case was renown for stating that cheerleading was not a sport that could replace the women's volleyball team. This ruling ended up advocating against cheerleading because it was 'underdeveloped' and considered more of a 'performing art'
6. The cheerleading competitions use too much dancing and music.
1. In order to get a clear picture and research thoroughly, i watched a video of several competitions. i came to the conclusion that each one incorporated dancing and some sort of music. Both of these things show off the artsy and visual side of the routine rather than the athleticism or skill.
1. And Finally....
7. I don't see the skills or prowess needed to cheerlead.
1.  football, basketball, baseball, volleyball, track & field, gymnastics, Hockey, Swimming and Diving, etc. all these sports, in order to succeed, you have to have adept skills that are naturally given or attained through grueling work. As well as these skills, you need the strategy to utilize these skills and you have to adapt to your team as well as the other. In the argument of cheerleading being a sport, i see more dancing and less athleticism. I see more flips and visuals and not skills that have to be attained. I hear more music and chants rather than playcalls or startegies.

in Cheerleading's defense....

• it is a physically demanding activity
• you can get hurt doing it (but that doesn't mean it is a sport)
• It is arduous and takes alot of effort (but so do alot of other things)
• Not everyone can do it (well at least i would fail at it because i do not have a single flexible muscle in my body)
• It is very coordinated

NOTICE: This is just a blog of my opinions. I do not wish to incite anyone that is an advocate of cheerleading being a sport. I do this for a grade and it was brought up recently. I do not intend to hurt anyone's feelings and i would not appreciate an obscene or distasteful rebuke. Although a thorough explanation on how it is a sport is acceptable and highly recommended.

Here is a link to which video i watched to further prove my thesis:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5eg5Ly8EQ0