Ok so the famous
cheerleading bill is not “important” enough for the SEC, who has “very important work to do in the next
two weeks, and that’s not one of them”, according to Republican state Sen. Florence Shapiro, the chair of the committee. Fair enough, but Edwards claims that the racy routines, which are as old as time are “a distraction that results in pregnancies, dropouts and the contraction of AIDS and herpes.” Strange accusations, because pregnancies, dropping out of school, and the contraction of sexually transmitted diseases are the result of having sex; now the routines are
interesting, but I hadn’t been aroused enough by the routines to find myself doing anything with the
cheerleaders or any other girl, when I was in high school or college.
This has to be more about the over-sexualization of our youth, than it is about any feelings that one conjures while watching a cheerleading routine, as many squads perhaps began using this type of routine to arouse and awaken the senses of dead crowds. Lets face it high school games can get a bit boring, and a racy routine, while soft porn in some sense, does make things a bit interesting. Jay Reding suggests that, in spirit of the occasion, cheerleaders chant, Give me a F! Give me a U! Wooooo! as unprofessional as that may be, it perhaps is the best illustration of those who are cheerleading enthusiasts, to the idea that Sexy Cheerleaders, are banned from doing what they do best. Cheerleaders dress sexy regardless of which routines they are doing, as the purpose they serve is not entirely different from that of flight attendants 40 years ago. We do not need to use sex to sell the game, although it does serve the purposes of those in the stands who are not paying attention to it, and do not want to.
There are always sexy jobs, and only a few hard-core purists are going to find joy in cheerleading routines that are so for the pure intrinsic value of the complexity of the nature of the routines, rather than for sex appeal. Al Edwards is going to continue to present his case to someone until he gets his bill passed, besides, anyone who is indifferent to what is going on, has “been somewhere with their head in the sand”. Interesting, because I was not that preoccupied with cheerleader’s routines then, and I doubt that I will be now. If the routines continue to be racy, enough to prevent my future daughters from participating in such positive, esteem-building extracurricular activities in the future is something I will have to find out about years from now.