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ESPN's
Outside the Lines will examine issues surrounding Cheerleading,
including the debate whether it is a "sport" or an "activity," serious
injuries, and stereotyping of cheerleaders of both genders, in a one-hour
Cheerleading: Controversy and Competition Tuesday, Nov. 5 at 10
p.m. ET. It will re-air November 6 at 2 p.m. on ESPN.
Cheerleading
has expanded from pom-poms and pep rallies into big business -- an estimated
half-billion dollar industry. In addition to college cheerleaders who
joke they practice more than their football teams, there are also independent
cheerleading groups not affiliated with schools, which compete nationally.
Some high schools offer cheerleading as a credited course and 225 colleges
and junior colleges offer full and partial scholarships.
Outside
the Lines - Cheerleading: Controversy and Competition will
also touch on the history of cheerleading; cheerleading becoming part
of American culture (cheerleaders in commercials and Saturday Night Live
skits); the recent release of cheerleading movies; and celebrity cheerleaders
(Ashley Judd, Halle Berry, Steve Martin, Meryl Streep, Cameron Diaz, Kirsten
Dunst, Sela Ward, Sandra Bullock).
Segments
in Outside the Lines - Cheerleading: Controversy and Competition,
hosted by Bob Ley, include:
LSU CHEERLEADERS
- BEHIND THE SCENES
A behind-the-scenes look at the training, time, commitment and determination
it takes to be a college cheerleader on one of the nation's premiere college
squads during a fall football week. - Mike Greenberg
DANGEROUS
MOVES
Cheerleading is one of the most dangerous sports/activities - The Consumer
Product Safety Commission reports nearly 25,000 cheerleading injuries
required emergency room care in 2001. This segment focuses on the University
of Nebraska cheerleading squad which is no longer allowed to perform aerial
maneuvers after one of its cheerleaders was seriously injured six years
ago. OTL also speaks with Dale Baldwin, a University of Kentucky
cheerleader paralyzed after performing a stunt in 1986, and the sister
of Janis Thompson, a North Dakota State University cheerleader killed
doing a stunt in 1986. -- Shelley Smith
STEREOTYPING
OTL will look at stereotyping in cheerleading and how cheerleaders
deal with it, focusing on Lewisville High in Texas, one of the top co-ed
high school cheerleading teams in the country. -- Bob Ley
CHEERLEADING
IS BIG BUSINESS
OTL will look at how cheerleading has grown into a big business.
Companies now teach cheerleading moves, make cheer supplies (pom-poms,
shoes, clothing, megaphones, hair ribbons, etc.), run cheerleading camps
and televised competitions. - Bob Ley
POM-POM
GATE
OTL will look at how a judging scandal at Newport Harbor High (Newport
Beach, Calif.) has torn apart the community. The judging and selection
process was questioned causing the school to change its mind twice resulting
in controversy upsetting cheerleaders and parents, destroying friendships
and causing the coach to be fired. -- Steve Delsohn
NFL CHEERLEADERS
EAGLES CHEERLEADERS VS NFL TEAMS - More than 100 Philadelphia Eagles cheerleaders
filed a lawsuit this year against 29 NFL teams (all but the Eagles and
Jaguars) claiming players spied on them in their locker room through holes
in the visitor's locker room from 1983-2002. This year an all new squad
of Eagles cheerleaders released the first cheerleader lingerie calendar.
ORIGINAL
DALLAS COWBOY CHEERLEADERS - The first cheerleading group to be marketed,
celebrated the 30th reunion of the original 1972 squad earlier this season.
RAIDERETTES
- This piece looks at what it takes to make an NFL cheerleading squad,
including the anxiety and emotions surrounding the tryouts. - Bob Ley
(all three parts)
CHEERLEADING
2002
OTL will examine the state of cheerleading in 2002. What used to
be just about women supporting men's sports has become increasingly co-ed
and competitive. The number of high school cheerleaders has more than
tripled to more than 94,000 in the past eight years. The top high school
and college teams now work year-round towards competing in national competitions.
The new focus on cheerleading begs the question of whether or not it should
be considered a sport. - Bob Ley
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