I realized something once I got to high school, though: that for the most part, the stereotypes about cheerleaders that are presented in movies and TV shows aren’t really fair.  Sure, girls (and guys!) who cheer are expected to act super perky while performing, but that doesn’t mean any of them are stupid.  In fact, a lot of the girls who cheered at my school went on to attend great colleges.  Walking through the halls of my high school, no one would have ever been able to pick out the cheerleaders from the masses.  They didn’t parade the hallways in their uniforms or spew cheers between classes.  They didn’t congregate by the captain’s locker – in fact, they really weren’t all friends, at least not in the clique-y way that we’ve come to associate with cheerleading squads.  And they certainly weren’t mean girls who loved to prey on non-cheerleaders.

Bring It On isn’t the only reason for the negative stereotypes of cheerleaders that seem to float all around America.  Ordinarily I’d hate to say anything bad about Glee, but the fact is, the show caters to the simple-minded view of cheerleaders.  By placing the fictional Cheerios in their flouncy pleated skirts episode after episode, Ryan Murphy strips these characters of their own identities.  I know this decision was intentional, meant to add to the satirical nature of the show, but I think some of the younger, more impressionable viewers could still take these messages to heart.  I mean, who could forget the story line about former loner Mercedes Jones soaring to popularity after joining the cheerleading squad?   How many young girls think they’ll achieve that kind of cheap it-girl status if they don a little skirt?

Last night I watched the premiere of the new CW show Hellcats, expecting to see the same ideas of cheerleaders resurface.  Of course, there was the requisite girl fight twenty minutes into the premiere, a hilariously physical confrontation between uber-cheerleader Savannah (Ashley Tisdale) and Missy…err, I mean Marti (Aly Michalka.)  There was also plenty of bitchiness and backstabbing,  (could we really expect anything else from The CW?) but the most enlightening part of the show came when the squeaky-clean, hyper-ambitious Savannah and her polar opposite Marty engaged in a good old-fashioned heart-to-heart.  Ultimately, I think the unlikely friendship between these two girls will become the heart of the show, and I only hope the creators continue to flesh this out, even amid all the cattiness that is sure to surround them.

I wonder if placing these cheerleaders in a college setting (as opposed to high school) might be the very thing that makes these characters more multi-dimensional.  High school is often shown as a place where only the elite can thrive, but the character of Marti, who is antithetical to the generalizations of most cheerleaders (an intelligent, intellectually ambitious girl who grew up in an unstable environment and favors a black over pink) is entirely believable as a well-adjusted college student.   If the show really allows us to see the cheer squad through her eyes, I think we’ll gradually see the stereotypes (which are still in place during the pilot episode, both in her eyes and ours) start to fall away.    Ashley Tisdale does a great job of rounding out her character – she gives genuine heart to a role that could have come off seeming like a cardboard cutout of a head cheerleader.   I hope the CW does with this show what it did for One Tree Hill so many years ago: show that a team is all about the underlying friendships it breeds, not constant competition or typical American perceptions of “jock culture.”

If Hellcats goes in the right direction, I could see it really changing people’s perceptions of cheerleaders.   And wouldn’t that be “Awesome! Oh, wow!  Like totally freak me out, I mean right on?”

There’s been big to-do recently over whether or not cheerleading counts as a sport and it all started when Quinnipiac decided to cut women’s volleyball in favor of a competitive cheerleading squad. Some of the volleyball players are suing the school saying that competitive cheerleading is “as much a sport as chess”… which is kinda a non-sequiter of an argument, but whatever. Whether you hated cheerleaders with a fiery vengeance or dedicated your life to being one, it’s time to cast your vote – cheerleading, sport or not?

On the pro-sport side, cheerleading isn’t easy; there’s lot’s of physical training involved, it requires both special skills and a major time commitment just like any other sport. What cheerleaders, at least the ones on competitive squads like the ones we’re talking about, do physically involves years of work with gymnastics plus strength and flexibility training – I mean heck, they lift girls up and throw each other around and do all kinds of impressive flippy things, it’s hard not to take that seriously. And in terms of the dedication it takes to be on a competitive college cheer squad, it’s easily on par with what, say, football or basketball players go through, so why shouldn’t it be a sport?

On the “not a sport” side, to be considered a sport under Title IX an activity has to have coaches, practices, competitions during a defined season, and a governing organization, plus competition must be its primary goal – not merely the support of other athletic teams. And while cheerleading does meet some of that criteria, there’s definitely some glaring holes. As far as I know, there’s not a defined cheer season nor is cheer set up as a primarily competitive sport; from what I always understood, a big part of being a cheerleader was sidelines cheering, which means the competition aspect is more of a secondary thing. Also, while I recognize the inherent challenges in cheer, there are plenty of other groups, like dance squads that are equally physically demanding but I wouldn’t call them a sport either…

What do you say guys? Is cheering a sport? Should it be? Or is this just the school’s attempt to meet Title IX standards on the cheap? Duke. It. Out.

Welcome back to

One of the fiercest college basketball rivalries calls the Bluegrass State home.  Perennial March Madness top seeds University of Kentucky and University of Louisville go head-to-head this week!

Quick Facts

Kentucky: Public research institution in Lexington, KY with 19,000 undergraduates. Founded 1865.
Louisville: Public research institution in Louisville, KY with 15,000 undergraduates. Founded 1798.

1. Basketball Record

Kentucky: 27 wins
Louisville: 14 wins

Three credits to: Kentucky

2. Mascot Matchup

Kentucky: UK students are known as the Wildcats, whose specific royal blue school color was chosen when a student ripped off his tie and offered it up for a Kentucky pep rally.
Louisville: The lucky student who dons the Cardinal Bird (chosen because of its designation as Kentucky’s state bird) costume had better be a gym rat: the getup weighs 50 pounds!

Three credits to: Louisville can really pull its weight in this category!

3. Fun Facts

Kentucky: Student paper The Kentucky Kernel was founded in 1915 and has been independent for 38 years! No university budget or mission to disrupt their journalism.
Louisville: It’s not just the Cards that are serious about their game, check out their crew! Cheerleading team the Ladybirds are seven-time national champions, with back-to-back titles in 2007 and 2008.

Three credits to:  Louisville. These ladies aren’t just pretty faces!

4. Ass-Kicking Alumni

Kentucky: Ashley Judd, Jim Leyritz
Louisville: Sue Grafton, Sen. Christopher Dodd (CT)

Three credits to:  Kentucky. Dodd’s on the outs and, well,  have you SEEN Double Jeopardy?

5. Acceptance Rate Agony

Kentucky: 78.8%
Louisville: 69.6%

Three credits to:  Louisville

And the diploma goes to: Louisville! While they may not have the edge in basketball–at least against Kentucky–the Cards take the cake as the all-around top rival.

"I shouldn't have eaten that 2nd hot dog..."

It’s College Game Day. Do you know what that means?

For most college guys out there, it means it’s the best day of the week and college football has arrived! It means tailgating, day drinking, cheerleaders, phenomenal food, and most importantly: field goals, sacks, tackles, and touchdowns.

There are a lot of girls who wake up on Game Day just as excited as the boys for the glory that is college football. These football girls know their team, their key players, their opponents, their weaknesses, and also, most likely, who the hottest players are.

Not one of these girls? Well, you can be. Football fanatic or not, here’s some tips every college girl should know to be prepared for game day.

Wear your team colors: The cardinal rule to football fans everywhere and the first step to supporting your team! Want be a football fashionista? Don’t pick up a cutsie pink version of your college t-shirt; rock your school colors in style. Most school stores carry stickers/face paint of your college letters and now even Victoria’s Secret has a whole college line!

ESPN is like Perez Hilton, But Cooler: Seriously, ESPN online is the home of college football. It’s complete with player bios, schedules, rankings, blogs, videos, and pictures (of all those hot wide receivers). You’ll always know the latest news about your team and impress the boys with your football smarts and stats. Plus, ESPN online has a college football blog that’s awesome (not as addicting and fabulous as CollegeCandy, of course, but close)!

Tailgate, tailgate, tailgate: Game day isn’t the same without traditional tailgate food like burgers, chips and guac (yum!), pre-game radio, and booze. Just a warning: pace yourself wisely. You want to be able to actually watch the game (unlike that one time I passed out before kickoff…).

Scream, Yell, or Yodle but Please Don’t Cheer: There is a cheerleading team for a reason, and unless you’re on it, don’t scream out cutesy rhyming cheers. Yelling at the refs for bad calls? Go for it. Yelling for your team to pick it up? Acceptable. High-fiving and screaming after a 75-yard run for a touchdown. Obviously. But rah-rahing to be aggressive, be be aggressive? No thanks.

Bring The Tailgate Into the Stadium: One of the perks about being a female while entering a college stadium? Security can’t pat down near your goods. Yes, they can check your purse to see if you tried to bring in the booze, but they can’t check a flask taped to your upper thigh or your binoculars, and definitely not your bra. Just sayin…

Wear Sunscreen: All that booze school spirit sometimes makes you forget that you’re spending a good 6 hours in the sun. Slather on the SPF before you leave the house so you don’t end up rocking raccoon eyes for the rest of the week.

If Everyone Else is Cheering…Cheer! Sometimes it’s hard to keep up with all the rules of football and that’s OK. Just pay attention, cheer when everyone else cheers and eventually you’ll figure it all out. Oh and if you’re little, be prepared to be tossed in the air.

Looks like President Bush has been playing some Olympics drinking games of his own.

The Chinese are mean!

Russia takes a break. Georgia disagrees.

I didn’t think it was possible, but Jake Gyllenhaal is lookin’...ew.

In memory of Isaac Hayes…a song. About the menstrual cycle.

Britney’s back, bitches.

Cheerleading - that sh*t is dangerous!

Where has all the porn for straight women gone?

Gossip Girl has been gone too long; how about a little fix?

It’s time to give tequila another shot (pun intended).

Bored at work? This may be the best game of all time.