Andre J. Carter

The World Cup

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by

Andre
in

As I sit here and watch the World Cup I can’t help but wonder what can be learned from this event and soccer, in general, that can be applied to the competitive Cheerleading and Dance industry. The first thing I notice is the game of soccer is an easy concept, which is probably why it’s the most popular sport in the World. Competitive Cheerleading and Dance are not. There are many participants and parents that don’t really understand it, and even a few coaches that don’t understand it well enough. I can’t help but wonder what we can do to simplify it.

Second, it’s easy to tell who’s winning and who won a soccer match. Can we say this about our industry? Scoring, with or without a standardized score sheet, is complicated and sometimes just bad. Although I’m not yet a fan of a universal scoring system, mainly because I have yet to see one that I want to be stuck with at every competition, it is inevitable that we will have one in the future.

Finally, the passion of the fans is unmatched. What can we do to get more Cheerleading and Dance fans and make them as passionate about our activity as so many people are about soccer. We have many participants that are passionate, but how do we get people that have never participate to become fans and participants?

Andre

P.S. For World Cup 2014 in Brazil/Brasil, can we avoid cheer drama that takes me away from the games? Please tell me that is not too much to ask.

Comments

8 responses to “The World Cup”

  1. Evergreen Avatar
    Evergreen

    The main reason soccer (or football) is so popular is that it is inexpensive. Even in the poorest areas of the world, they have a soccer ball (made out of the stomach of an animal, dried and filled with grass or leaves)…a group of kids basically play "keep away" with the home made ball. Everyone plays. Cheerleading is super expensive ($400 for a uniform, $150 a month tuition, $125 per competition entry fee plus the travel/food/lodging expenses). Cheerleading and golf are sports for the elite. Soccer and basketball are accessible to all-rich or poor.

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  2. Evergreen Avatar
    Evergreen

    The main reason soccer (or football) is so popular is that it is inexpensive. Even in the poorest areas of the world, they have a soccer ball (made out of the stomach of an animal, dried and filled with grass or leaves)…a group of kids basically play "keep away" with the home made ball. Everyone plays. Cheerleading is super expensive ($400 for a uniform, $150 a month tuition, $125 per competition entry fee plus the travel/food/lodging expenses). Cheerleading and golf are sports for the elite. Soccer and basketball are accessible to all-rich or poor.

    Like

    Reply
  3. Evergreen Avatar
    Evergreen

    The main reason soccer (or football) is so popular is that it is inexpensive. Even in the poorest areas of the world, they have a soccer ball (made out of the stomach of an animal, dried and filled with grass or leaves)…a group of kids basically play "keep away" with the home made ball. Everyone plays. Cheerleading is super expensive ($400 for a uniform, $150 a month tuition, $125 per competition entry fee plus the travel/food/lodging expenses). Cheerleading and golf are sports for the elite. Soccer and basketball are accessible to all-rich or poor.

    Like

    Reply
  4. Evergreen Avatar
    Evergreen

    The main reason soccer (or football) is so popular is that it is inexpensive. Even in the poorest areas of the world, they have a soccer ball (made out of the stomach of an animal, dried and filled with grass or leaves)…a group of kids basically play "keep away" with the home made ball. Everyone plays. Cheerleading is super expensive ($400 for a uniform, $150 a month tuition, $125 per competition entry fee plus the travel/food/lodging expenses). Cheerleading and golf are sports for the elite. Soccer and basketball are accessible to all-rich or poor.

    Like

    Reply
  5. Andre Avatar
    Andre

    I think the cost of soccer is a major factor and it was mentioned in one of my drafts. I went with simplicity because to me it better points out a difference betweenvsoccer and other sports, such as volleyball, that can also be "played" with a homemade ball? What do you think we can and should learn from soccer, other than we need to get our costs down?

    Like

    Reply
  6. Andre Avatar
    Andre

    I think the cost of soccer is a major factor and it was mentioned in one of my drafts. I went with simplicity because to me it better points out a difference betweenvsoccer and other sports, such as volleyball, that can also be "played" with a homemade ball? What do you think we can and should learn from soccer, other than we need to get our costs down?

    Like

    Reply
  7. Andre Avatar
    Andre

    I think the cost of soccer is a major factor and it was mentioned in one of my drafts. I went with simplicity because to me it better points out a difference betweenvsoccer and other sports, such as volleyball, that can also be "played" with a homemade ball? What do you think we can and should learn from soccer, other than we need to get our costs down?

    Like

    Reply
  8. Andre Avatar
    Andre

    I think the cost of soccer is a major factor and it was mentioned in one of my drafts. I went with simplicity because to me it better points out a difference betweenvsoccer and other sports, such as volleyball, that can also be "played" with a homemade ball? What do you think we can and should learn from soccer, other than we need to get our costs down?

    Like

    Reply

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