Is Cheerleading A Sport???

Arguments have started over whether or not universities can consider cheerleading a sport. Judge Stefan Underhill ruled that Quinnipiac University violated the law when it pulled funding from its women's volleyball team to support a competitive cheerleading squad. In his ruiling Judge Underhill wrote "I conclude as a matter of law that Quinnipiac University discriminated on the basis of sex during the 2009-10 academic years by failing to provide equal athletic participation opportunities for women." The volleyball team was very upset and actually sued the school, saying that redirecting money intended for women sports only and giving it to a cheerleading squad violated Title IX. Now, I know you're probably thinking,"this is ridiculous and what is this Title IX??" Well, Title IX is a civil rights legistlation that mandates men and women's athletic program to recieve equal funding. So the volleyball team was pretty much saying that cheerleading is not a sport so it shouldn't be included in the equal funding. The school said that modern competitive cheerleading is a sport and therefore it should count the squad members as female athletes. But the Judge went on to say.....

         "Specifically, I hold that the University's competitive cheerleading team does not qualify as a varsity sport for the purposes of Title IX and, therefore, its members may not be counted as athletic participants under the statute," Underhill wrote in his decision.
         "Competitive cheer may, sometime in the future qualify as a sport under Title IX; today, however the activity is too underdeveloped and disorganized to be treated as offering genuine varsity athletic opportunities for students,"

Okay, so I completely disagree with this ruiling, I think cheerleading should be classified as a sport. Now some people feel the same way but are afraid that it will take away from other sports funding. So I don't think the problem is the judge, or the University but rather Title IX itself. I agree with some of it but not all of it, it should be updated or revised. It says it must meet specific criteria to be considered a sport under Title IX. It must have coaches, practices, competitions during a defined season and a governing organization and it must have competition as its primary goal -- not merely the support of other athletic teams. These things are understandable but cheerleading is so much more than just "supporting other teams" but there is competition invovled. I mean have these people not seen Bring It On 1, 2 and 3!! Okay so even if they haven't seen the movies and don't want to classify cheerleading as a sport, cheerleading still deserves proper funding. I mean, what makes football or basketball more "athletic" than cheerleading anyway????

Sources:
http://abcnews.go.com/US/judge-cheerleading-sport-quinnipiac-university-squad-title-ix/story?id=11219913
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/07/21/federal-court-rules-cheerleading-sport/