The Sunday Read: ‘How Cheerleading Became So Acrobatic, Dangerous and Popular’
The Daily17 Nov 2024

The Sunday Read: ‘How Cheerleading Became So Acrobatic, Dangerous and Popular’

Nationwide, just over a million children, mostly girls, participate in cheer each year (some estimates are even higher), more than the number who play softball or lacrosse. And almost every part of that world is dominated by a single company: Varsity Spirit.

It’s hard to cheer at the youth, high school or collegiate level without putting money in the company’s pocket. Varsity operates summer camps where children learn to do stunts and perform; it hosts events where they compete; it sells pompoms they shake and uniforms they wear on the sidelines of high school and college football games.

Varsity’s market power has made the cheer world a paranoid place. In the reporting for this article, dozens of people spoke about the company in conspiratorial tones better suited to a spy thriller.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.


Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Det här avsnittet är hämtat från ett öppet RSS-flöde och publiceras inte av Podme. Det kan innehålla reklam.

Avsnitt(2995)

Chris Rock Has Been Thinking About Forgiveness

Chris Rock Has Been Thinking About Forgiveness

The comedian and filmmaker on what real friendship looks like, what keeps him up at night and his new movie, "Misty Green."Thoughts? Email us at theinterview@nytimes.comWatch our show on YouTube: yout...

3 Okt 1h 2min

The Firestorm Over a Rape Allegation at Cornell

The Firestorm Over a Rape Allegation at Cornell

An alleged campus sexual assault at Cornell University has gripped the country and ignited a national debate over consent.Debra Kamin, an investigative reporter for The New York Times, explains what w...

2 Okt 31min

Why Washington Is Trying to Rein In College Sports

Why Washington Is Trying to Rein In College Sports

In the five years since student athletes have been allowed to earn money, college sports have become a chaotic and murky marketplace where players can move from team to team chasing a payday.Stewart M...

1 Okt 29min

Inside the Devastating Hack of the F.B.I.

Inside the Devastating Hack of the F.B.I.

A little over a decade ago, after hackers broke into the U.S. government and stole the personnel records of millions of federal workers, officials vowed that it would never happen again. Something sim...

30 Sep 23min

Are Prediction Markets Gambling? A Lot Rides on the Answer.

Are Prediction Markets Gambling? A Lot Rides on the Answer.

Prediction markets such as Kalshi and Polymarket have gained huge popularity over the past year. These marketplaces allow you to wager on just about anything — whether it’s who will win a football gam...

29 Sep 26min

He Was Deported to a Country He’d Never Heard Of

He Was Deported to a Country He’d Never Heard Of

In its efforts to deport as many undocumented immigrants as possible, the Trump administration has increasingly relied on a highly controversial strategy: deporting people to countries they have no co...

28 Sep 27min

The Best TV Shows of the 21st Century

The Best TV Shows of the 21st Century

The turn of the century was the beginning of a new era in television: prestige TV for the masses. Today, television is where big stars and innovative creators go to marshal sizable budgets and tell me...

27 Sep 57min

Sylvester Stallone Hid His Struggles for Decades. Now He’s Coming Clean.

Sylvester Stallone Hid His Struggles for Decades. Now He’s Coming Clean.

The legendary actor on his disturbing childhood, his Hollywood missteps and the pain he caused to his loved ones, his body and himself.Thoughts? Email us at theinterview@nytimes.comWatch our show on Y...

26 Sep 1h 17min

Populärt inom Politik & nyheter

svenska-fall
aftonbladet-krim
fordomspodden
p3-krim
rss-krimstad
flashback-forever
aftonbladet-daily
spar
rss-vad-fan-hande
svd-ledarredaktionen
de-fyras-gang
politiken
rss-expressen-dok
rss-krimreportrarna
omni-podd
rss-sanning-konsekvens
en-runda-till
motiv
rss-flodet
kungligt