⏳ Origins and Evolution: Cheerleading began in the late 19th century as an all-male activity to support college sports teams. Women joined the scene in the 1920s, and cheerleading transformed into a dynamic performance art combining gymnastics, dance, and elaborate stunts.

Cheerleading dates to the 1860s, in Great Britain, and entered the US in the 1880s. Although women currently dominate the field, cheerleading was begun by men. Princeton University, in 1884, got the idea that crowd chanting at football games would boost school spirit so they came up with a catchy cheer.

Cheerleading was established in the 1860s in Great Britain, but became a very popularized sport when it reached the United States in the 1880s by cheering Princeton students. In 1898, a Princeton University graduate, Thomas Peebles, brought cheerleading to the University of Minnesota with the idea of chanting to a crowd of spectators.