Cheerleading has changed a lot over the years and is no longer what people think it is. The cheerleader no longer waves pompoms and yells at the crowd (Tanner). It is becoming a physically athletic sport, with higher demands than many realize. Cheerleaders deserve the same credit as other athletes, but unfortunately they don't get the credit they deserve. What many Americans think of cheerleading is a stereotype. Cheerleading has become a sport, and not many people understand how. Cheerleading began with only males in 1898 and began accepting few females in the 1920s. Cheerleading teams only began to have many women in the 1940s. Many women began cheering then because so many men left to serve in World War II ("History of Cheerleaders"). The University of Oregon cheerleaders, started the popular trend of using flashcards to get the crown more involved. When cheerleading began, only cheerleaders led the cheers, but in 1923, somersaults and stunts became involved in cheerleading. By the early 1960s cheerleading was present in nearly every high school in the country ("History of Cheerleading"). The Universal Cheerleading Association, also known as UCA, was founded in 1974 by Jeff Webb, the UCA still plays a major role in cheerleading today. The Universal Cheerleading Association's main goal was to teach more advanced skills to cheerleaders. Just 13 years later, the American Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Administrators, also known as AACCA, was founded, AACCA's goal was to teach coaches how to train safely (History of Cheerleading). What most people think of as cheerleading is a bunch of cheerful girls with megaphones rallying their team to victory. The...... middle of the document......about.com/cs/health/a/athletes.htm>.Pennington, Bill. “As cheerleaders fly higher, so do the risks.” The New York Times. The New York Times, March 31, 2007. Web. December 8, 2013. .Quinn, Colleen. "Is cheerleading a sport? A Massachusetts bill could make it one." Sun (Lowell, Massachusetts). 20 June 2013: np SIRS Issues Researcher. Network. November 14, 2013. Pilot, Mandy. “The Dangers of Cheerleading.” The dangers of cheerleading. Np, nd Web. 08 December 2013. .Tanner, Lindsay. "Cheerleaders need sports safety rules, doctors say." Sun News. 22 October 2012: np SIRS Issues Researcher. Network. November 14, 2013. Westport, Luke Z. "Cheerleading is a sport." Teen ink. Np, nd Web. 09 December. 2013. .