Books

  • Kate Torgovnick (2009). Cheer!: Inside the Secret World of College Cheerleaders. New York: Gallery Books

  • Patrice Oppliger (2008). Girls Gone Skank: The Sexualization of Girls in American Culture. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company Inc.

  • Natalie Adams and Pamela Bettis (2003). Cheerleader! An American Icon. New York: Palgrave Press.

  • Pamela Grundy (2001). Learning to Win: Sports, Education and Social Change in Twentieth-century North Carolina. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press.

  • Mary Ellen Hanson (1995). Go! Fight! Win! Cheerleading in American Culture. Bowling Green, OH: Bowling Green University Press.

  • Susan Cahn (1994). Coming on Strong: Gender and Sexuality in Twentieth-Century Women’s Sports. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Book Chapters

  • Nancy Malcolm, Christina Gipson, Kristen Pirie, and Rachel Miller Wood (2021). “The Creation of Stunt Cheer: A Story of Innovation, Cheerleading and Gender Politics of Sport,” In Social Innovation in Sport, edited by Anne Tjonndal. London: Palgrave Macmillan.

  • Joshua Gamson and Laura Grindstaff (2018). “Gender Performance: Cheerleaders, Drag Kings, and The Rest of Us,” In The Routledge Handbook of Sport, Gender, and Sexuality (2nd ed.), edited by L. Grindstaff, M.-C.M. Lo, and J.R. Hall. London: Routledge.

  • Kate Norbury (2018). “Embodied Performances by Lesbian Cheerleaders and Dancers in Glee and Leading Ladies,” In The Embodied Child: Readings in Children’s Literature and Culture, edited by Roxanne Harde and Lydia Kokkola. New York: Routledge.

  • Cheryl Cooky (2018). “What’s New About Sporting Femininities? Female Athletes and the Sport-Media Industrial Complex.” In New Sporting Femininities. New Femininities in Digital, Physical, and Sporting Cultures, edited by K. Toffoletti, H. Thorpe, and J. Francombe-Webb. London: Palgrave Macmillan.

  • Michelle Liu Carriger (2017). “Cheering Ain’t for Show Y’all: Cheerleaders, Performative Uniforms, and Theatre Affect,” In School Plays, edited by Broderick D.V. Chow and Eoro Laine. London and New York: Routledge.

  • Jane, Emma A. (2015). “The Scapegoating of Cheerleading and Cheerleaders”, In Violence, Desire, and the Sacred Volume 2: René Girard and Sacrifice in Life, Love, and Literature, edited by Joel Hodge, Scott Cowdell & Chris Fleming. New York: Bloomsbury.

  • Pamela Bettis and Natalie Adams (2014). “Pain is Temporary; Pride is Forever: Interrogating the Body in Contemporary Cheerleading,” In The Routledge Handbook of Sport, Gender, and Sexuality, edited by E. Anderson and J. Hargreaves. London: Routledge.

  • Pamela Bettis and Natalie Adams (2006). “Liberties and Lipstick: The Paradox of Cheerleading as a Sport.” In Learning Culture through Sports: Exploring the Role of Sports in Society, edited by B. Lampman and S. Prettyman. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield Education.

  • Emma Tom (1997). “My Life as a Cheerleader.” In Carlton & United 1997 Best Australian Sports Writing & Photography, published by Deborah Callaghan. Sydney: Random House.

  • Gary Fine and Bruce Johnson (1992), “The Promiscuous Cheerleader: An Adolescent Male Belief Legend.” In Manufacturing Tales: Sex and Money in Contemporary Legends, edited by G. Fine. Knoxville: The University of Tennessee Press.

  • Laurel Davis (1990), “Male Cheerleaders and the Naturalization of Gender.” In Sport, Men, and the Gender Order, edited by M. Messner and D. Sabo. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics Books.

Journal Articles

  • Mary Kate Mclean (2024). “‘Cheer Is a Sport’: The NCAA, Title IX Compliance, and NIL,” Journal of Intellectual Property Law, 31(1): 112–137.

  • Lauren Hindman and Nefertiti A. Walker (2022). “Feminine and Sexy: A Feminist Critical Discourse Analysis of Gender Ideology and Professional Cheerleading,” Journal of Sport Management, 36(2): 130-144.

  • Allison B. Smith, Jennifer L. Gay, Eva V. Monsma, Shawn M. Arent, Mark A. Sarzynski, Dawn M. Emerson, and Toni M. Torres-McGehee (2022). "Investigation of Eating Disorder Risk and Body Image Dissatisfaction Among Female Competitive Cheerleaders," International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 19(4): 2196

  • Caitlyn M. Jarvis and Jessica R. Welch (2021). "‘The Year of the Cheerleader Lawsuits’: Paradoxical Sensemaking and Postfeminism in Reporting on Gender-Based Harassment," Communication, Culture and Critique 14(4): 622–638

  • Lauren C. Hindman and Nefertiti A. Walker (2021). “Feminine and sexy: A feminist critical discourse analysis of gender ideology and professional cheerleading,” Journal of Sport Management: 130-144.

  • Alexandra Zdunek (2020). “Who Knows the Difference between Competitive Cheerleading, Sideline Cheerleading, Acrobatics and Tumbling? Why This Distinction Is So Important for Title IX,” Marquette Sports Law Review, 31(1): 175–192.

  • Esther Priyadharshini and Amy Pressland (2018). “Doing Femininities and Masculinities in a ‘Feminized’ Sporting Arena: The Case of Mixed-Sex Cheerleading,” Sex Integration in Sport and Physical Culture: 124-138.

  • Mélissa Plaza, Julie Boiché, Lionel Brunel, and François Ruchaud (2017). “Sport = Male… But Not All Sports: Investigating the Gender Stereotypes of Sport Activities at the Explicit and Implicit Levels,” Sex Roles, 76: 202–217

  • Emma Jane (2017). “Is Debbie Does Dallas Dangerous? Representations of Cheerleading in Pornography and Some Possible Effects,” Feminist Media Studies, 17(2): 275.

  • Jessica Smartt Gullion (2016). “The Cheerleader : a Feminist Mom, her Pre-Teen Daughter, and the Spaces for Girls in American Football,” Continuum, 30(5): 542–546.

  • James Hefferan Jr. (2016). “A Sporting Chance: Biediger v. Quinnipiac University and What Constitutes a Sport for Purposes of Title IX,” Marquette Sports Law Review, 26(2): 583-671.

  • Chelsea Mary Elise Johnson (2015). “‘Just Because I Dance like a Ho I’m Not a Ho’: Cheerleading at the Intersection of Race, Class, and Gender,” Sociology of Sport Journal, 32(4): 377-394.

  • Janet S. Fink (2015). "Female Athletes, Women's Sport, and the Sport Media Commercial Complex: Have We Really “Come a Long Way, Baby”?" Sport Management Review, 18(3): 331–342

  • Eric Anderson and Rachael Bullingham (2015). “Openly Lesbian Team Sport Athletes in an Era of Decreasing Homohysteria,” International Review for the Sociology of Sport 50(6): 647-660.

  • Emma A. Jane (2014). “Beyond Antifandom: Cheerleading, Textual Hate, and New Media Ethics. International Journal of Cultural Studies, 17(2): 175–190.

  • Jacqueline R. Liguori (2014). “Sticking the Landing: How the Second Circuit’s Decision in Biediger v Quinnipiac Univ. Can Help Competitive Cheerleading Achieve “Sport” Status Under Title IX,” Jeffrey S. Moorad Sports Law Journal, 21(4): 153

  • Toni M. Torres-McGehee, Eva V. Monsma, Thomas P. Dompier, and Stefanie A. Washburn (2012). "Eating Disorder Risk and the Role of Clothing in Collegiate Cheerleaders' Body Images," Journal of Athletic Training 47(5): 541

  • Laura Grindstaff & Emily West (2011). “Hegemonic Masculinity on the Sidelines of Sport,” Sociology Compass, 5(10): 859-881.

  • Amy Moritz (2011). "Cheerleading: Not Just for the Sidelines Anymore," Sport in Society 14(5): 660-669.

  • Emma Tom (2010). “Flip Skirt Fatales: How Media Fetish Sidelines Cheerleaders,” PLATFORM: Journal of Media and Communication, Special Issue: ANZCA, April 2010: 52-70.

  • Laura Grindstaff and Emily West (2010). “Hands on Hips, Smiles on Lips!” Gender, Race, and the Performance of Spirit in Cheerleading,” Text and Performance Quarterly, 30(2): 143–162.

  • Laura Grindstaff and Emily West (2010). "Cheerleading and the Meaning of Spirit" Communication Currents.

  • Natalie Adams and Pamela Bettis (2009). “Alpha Girls and Cheerleading: Negotiating New Discourses with Old Practices,” Girlhood Studies, 2(1): 148-166.

  • Rebecca Boyce (2008). “Cheerleading in the Context of Title IX and Gendering in Sport. The Sport Journal, 11(3).

  • Eric Anderson (2008). “‘I Used to Think Women Were Week’: Orthodox Masculinity, Gender Segregation, and Sport,” Sociological Forum 23(2): 257-280.

  • Eric Anderson (2008). “’Being Masculine is not about Who You Sleep with…’: Heterosexual Athletes Contesting Masculinity and the One-Time Rule of Homosexuality,” Sex Roles, 58: 104-115.

  • Richard C Bell (2007). "A History of Women in Sport Prior to Title IX," The Sport Journal, 10(2)

  • Laura Grindstaff and Emily West (2006). “Cheerleading and the Gendered Politics of Sport,” Social Problems, 53(4): 500-518.

  • Margaret Farrar and Jamie Warner (2006) “Rah-Rah-Radical: The Radical Cheerleaders’ Challenge to the Public Sphere,” Politics & Gender, 2: 281-302.

  • Pamela Bettis and Natalie Adams (2006), “Short Skirts and Breast Juts: Cheerleading, Eroticism, and Schools,” Sex Education, 6(2): 121-133.

  • Laura Grindstaff (2005). “Hold That (Gender) Line! Cheerleading on ESPN,” Contexts, 4(3): 71–73.

  • Eric Anderson (2005). “Orthodox and Inclusive Masculinity: Competing Masculinities among Heterosexual Men in a Feminized Terrain,” Sociological Perspectives, 48: 337-335

  • Jeanne Vaccaro (2004). “Give Me an ‘F’: Radical Cheerleading and Feminist Performance.” e-misferica, Performance and Politics in the Americas, 1(1).

  • Natalie Adams and Pamela Bettis (2003), “Commanding the Room in Short Skirts: Cheering as the Embodiment of the Ideal Girl,” Gender & Society, 17: 73-91.

  • Natalie Adams and Pamela Bettis (2003). “Pump it Up: Athleticism and the New Cheerleader.” In F. Marcantonio (Compiler), Reading Women’s Lives. Pearson Custom Publishing.

  • Pamela Bettis and Natalie Adams (2003), “The Power of the Preps and a Cheerleading Equity Policy,” Sociology of Education, 76(2): 128-142.

  • Don Merten (1996), “Burnout as Cheerleader: The Cultural Basis for Prestige and Privilege in Junior High School.” Anthropology and Education 27: 51-70.

  •  Ken Woodmansee (1993). “Cheers:  Jeff Webb’s Multicolored World Wide Spirit Machine,” Memphis Business 3(3): 14-19

  • Pat Griffin (1992). “Changing the Game: Homophobia, Sexism, and Lesbians in Sport,” Quest 44: 252.

  • Douglas Foley (1990). “The Great American Football Ritual: Reproducing Race, Class, and Gender Inequality.” Sociology of Sport Journal 7: 111-135.

  • George Kurman (1986), “What Does Girls’ Cheerleading Communicate?” Journal of Popular Culture 20: 57-64.

  • Arturo Gonzales (1956). “The First College Cheer,” American Mercury 83: 101-104.

  • John Gach (1938). “The Case for and Against Girl Cheerleaders.” School Activities 9(7): 301-302.

    Dissertations and Theses

  • Lauren Nowosatka (2022). America’s Sweethearts? A Feminist Discourse Analysis of Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team. [Master’s Thesis, University of Maryland]

  • Robin M. Alvarez (2022). A Qualitative Presentation of How Competitive Cheerleaders Describe Coping with Adversity in the Sport. [PhD Dissertation, Capella University]

  • Ginger Bihn (2003). On The Sidelines: Collegiate Cheerleading and Organizational Discourses. [PhD Dissertation, Bowling Green State University]

  • Amanda Liane Steinberger (2000). The Impact of a Competitive Cheerleading Experience on the Development of Female Athletes. [Master’s Thesis, Simon Fraser University]

    Newspaper and Magazine Articles

  • David Gauvey Herbert (2024). How Cheerleading Became So Acrobatic, Dangerous and Popular. The New York Times.

  • Kiley Bouchard (2023). Why Clemson Cheer Feels Overlooked by Community and Athletics. The Tiger.

  • Daniel Libit (2023). Varsity Must Face Negligence Claims in Cheerleading Sex Abuse Suit. Sportico.

  • Katie Thornton (2023). NFL cheerleaders have spent years fighting for justice. Why don’t we take them seriously? The Guardian.

  • Cameron Schofner (2022). The Diversity & Challenges of the Rising Sport of Competitive Cheerleading. Insight by Balance Now.

  • Sarah Hepola (2022). Sex, Scandal, and Sisterhood: Fifty Years of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. Texas Monthly.

  • Jim Businski (2022). Carolina Panthers Hire NFL’s First Transgender Cheerleader.  OutSports.

  • Rachel Axon and Lindsay Schnell (2022). 50 Years After Title IX Passed, Most Top Colleges Deprive Female Athletes of Equal Opportunities. USA Today.

  • Daniel Villarreal (2022). These Openly Gay Men Just Made History by Becoming the NFL’s First-ever Male Cheerleaders. Hornet.

  • Jennifer Gerson (2022). The Complicated History of Cheerleading, Title IX and What it Means to be a Sport. The 19th.

  • Daniel Libit (2021). A Tangled Jeff Webb Weaves Cheerleading’s Olympic Dream. Sportico.

  • Will Linendoll (2020). Black Girls Cheer: How a Mom’s Social Media Group Sparked a Movement. GMA.

  • Mary Anderson (2020). Today’s All-American Cheerleaders are Proud Black LGBTQ Men. MIC.

  • Paige Skinner (2020). Black Cheerleaders are Calling for Change. Will the NFL Listen? Allure.

  • Daniel Connolly (2020). Cheer Empire: A For-Profit Company Built Competitive Cheer, Pay People Who Make its Rules. USA Today.

  • Amanda Mull (2020). Cheer Is Built on a Pyramid of Broken Bodies. The Atlantic.

  • Hank Stuever (2020). Netflix’s ‘Cheer’ is the Documentary that Hard-Working Cheerleaders Have Long Deserved. The Washington Post.

  • Margeaux Sippell (2020). ’Last Chance U’ Director on Cheerleaders in Netflix’s ‘Cheer’: Toughest Athletes I’ve Ever Filmed. The Wrap.

  • Hannah Blair (2020). A Decade of Growth: The Path to Emerging Sports Status. National Collegiate Acrobatics & Tumbling Association.

  • Maggie Vanoni (2019). A Sport of Their Own: How Acrobatics and Tumbling is Fighting for NCAA Recognition. The Daily Emerald.

  • Ken Foxworth (2019). Three Minneapolis Women Who Broke Cheerleading Color Barriers. Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder.

  • (2019). 14 Hours Training a Week; 38,000 Spectators, Homophobic Slurs: What It’s Really Like to Be a Male Cheerleader. Independent.

  • Christina Cauterucci. Bro Boom Bah: The Real Reason NFL Teams are Bringing on Male Cheerleaders. Slate.

  • Ken Belson (2018). No Sweatpants in Public: Inside the Rule Books for N.F.L. Cheerleaders. The New York Times.

  • Margery Eagan (2018). It’s Time to Say Goodbye to the NFL Cheerleaders. The Boston Globe.

  • Michelle Ruiz (2018). Sex on the Sidelines: How the N.F.L. Made a Game of Exploiting Cheerleaders. Vanity Fair.

  • Lauren Hirsch (2018). Bain to Acquire Varsity Brands, a Top Maker of Cheerleader Uniforms and School Spirit Items, for Roughly $2.5 Billion. CNBC.

  • Kayce Smith (2018). A Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader is Suing the Organization and, Hear Me Out, It’s Something We Should Get Behind. Barstool Sports.

  • A. J. Perez (2018). Ex-Cowboys Cheerleader Claims in Lawsuit She was Paid Fraction of What Mascot Earned. USA Today.

  • Gabriel Perna (2018). Varsity Brands Founder on the Big Business of Cheerleading. Chief Executive.

  •  Laura Vikmanis and Amy Sohn (2018). Little to Cheer About. The New York Times.

  • Jaime Schultz (2017). Cheerleading’s Peculiar Path to Potential Olympic Sport. The Conversation.

  • Kyle Smith (2016). Relax, It’s OK for Cheerleaders to Look Hot. New York Post.

  • Leif Reigstad (2015). Varsity Brands Own Cheerleading and Fights to Keep it from Becoming an Official Sport. Houston Press.

  • Sean Gregory (2012). Cheer Factor. Time.

  • Megan Abbot (2012). Looking Past the Smile and the Sheen. The New York Times.

  • Alyssa Roenigk (2014). Sorry, Cheerleading is not a Sport. ESPN.

  • Katie Thomas (2011). Born on the Sideline: Cheering Clamors to be a Sport. The New York Times.

  • (2011). UA Cheerleaders Disappointed They Won’t Get Championship Rings After Winning Nationals. AL.com.

  • (2010). Cheering Could Become NCAA Sport. ESPN.

  • John Strausbaugh (2000). “The Anti-Cheerleader,” New York Press, 30, 4-10.

  • Rick Reilly (1999). Sis! Boom! Bah! Humbug! Sports Illustrated.

  • Robin Abcarian (1995). C’mon, Girls—This is How It Goes: You Cheer, They Think. Los Angeles Times.

  • Peter Applebome (1984). A Texas Turns Cheerleading into Big Business. New York Times.

    Blogs

  • Lauren R. Nowosatka (2022). I will never be one of “America’s Sweethearts,” and thank my bedazzled stars. Physical Cultural Studies @ UMD

  • Matt Stoller (2020). The Coming Collapse of a Cheerleading Monopolist. BIG newsletter.

  • Matt Stoller (2020). Cheerleading, Monopolies and Sexual Predators. BIG newsletter.

  • Amira Rose Davis (2019) Black Cheerleaders and A Long History of Protest. AAIHS.

    Television, Movies, and More

  • Greg Whiteley. (Director). (2024). America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders [TV series]. Netflix.

  • Greg Whiteley. (2020–2022). Cheer [TV series]. Netflix.

  • CMT Productions. (2006–2021). Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team [TV series]. CMT.

  • Propagate Content. (2019). Cheerleader Generation [TV series]. Lifetime.

  • Nyier Abdou. (2017). The Twinkles: Chasing Perfection [Documentary film]. AwesomenessTV.

  • Corus Studios. (2016). Cheer Squad [TV series]. Apple TV.

  • AwesomenessTV. (2011–2019). Cheerleaders [YouTube series]. YouTube.

  • Variety Studios. (2006). Cheerleader Nation [TV series]. Lifetime.

  • Peyton Reed. (Director). (2000). Bring It On [Film]. Universal Pictures.

  • Jamie Babbit. (1999). But I'm a Cheerleader [Film]. Lions Gate Films.