Editing Cheerleading (section)

===1980s to present===
[[File:Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders perform aboard USS Bainbridge (CGN-25), in 1983 (6370287).jpg|thumb|The [[Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders]] performing in the USO show "America and Her Music" on the deck of the nuclear-powered guided missile cruiser {{USS|Bainbridge|CGN-25}} in 1983]]
[[File:Defense.gov News Photo 041203-D-2987S-025.jpg|thumb|Then [[United States Secretary of Defense|U.S. Defense Secretary]] [[Donald Rumsfeld]] posing with [[Army Black Knights]] cheerleaders in December 2004]]
The 1980s saw the beginning of modern cheerleading, adding difficult [[stunt]] sequences and [[gymnastics]] into routines. All-star teams, or those not affiliated with a school, popped up, and eventually led to the creation of the [[U.S. All Star Federation]] (USASF). ESPN first broadcast the National High School Cheerleading Competition nationwide in 1983.

By 1981, a total of seventeen Nation Football League teams had their own cheerleaders. The only teams without NFL cheerleaders at this time were New Orleans, New York, Detroit, Cleveland, Denver, Minnesota, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, and San Diego. Professional cheerleading eventually spread to soccer and basketball teams as well.<ref name="Hanson, Mary Ellen 1995, p. 55" />

Cheerleading organizations such as the American Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Advisors (AACCA), founded in 1987, started applying universal safety standards to decrease the number of injuries and prevent dangerous stunts, pyramids, and tumbling passes from being included in the cheerleading routines.<ref name="AACCA">{{cite web | title=About the AACCA | url=http://www.aacca.org/about.asp | archive-url=https://archive.today/20061206110741/http://www.aacca.org/about.asp | archive-date=2006-12-06 | access-date=2007-01-11 | url-status=dead }}</ref> In 2003, the National Council for Spirit Safety and Education (NCSSE) was formed to offer safety training for youth, school, all-star, and college coaches. The [[NCAA]] now requires college cheer coaches to successfully complete a nationally recognized safety-training program.

Even with its athletic and competitive development, cheerleading at the school level has retained its ties to its spirit leading traditions. Cheerleaders are quite often seen as ambassadors for their schools, and leaders among the student body. At the college level, cheerleaders are often invited to help at university fundraisers and events.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.varsity.com/event/1147/fundraising_ideas_cheerleading|title=Being a Cheerleader – Fundraising|website=Varsity.com|access-date=19 November 2017|archive-date=1 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201044339/https://www.varsity.com/event/1147/fundraising_ideas_cheerleading|url-status=live}}</ref>

Debuting in 2003, the "Marlin Mermaids" gained national exposure, and have influenced other MLB teams to develop their own cheer/dance squads.<ref>Christine Farina and Courtney A. Clark, ''Complete Guide to Cheerleading: All the Tips, Tricks, and Inspiration''  (Beverly MA: Voyageur, 2011), 12. {{ISBN|9781610602105}}</ref>

In 2005, overall statistics show around 97% of all modern cheerleading participants are female, although at the collegiate level, cheerleading is co-ed with about 50% of participants being male.<ref name="popwarner" /> Modern male cheerleaders' stunts focus less on flexibility and more on tumbling, flips, pikes, and handstands. These depend on strong legs and strong core strength.<ref name=":1" />

In 2019, [[Napoleon Jinnies]] and [[Quinton Peron]] became the first male cheerleaders in the history of the [[National Football League|NFL]] to perform at the [[Super Bowl]].<ref>{{Cite news|title=2 NFL Male LA Rams Cheerleaders Will Make Football History in Super Bowl Game : NPR|newspaper=NPR.org|url=https://www.npr.org/2019/02/03/691058231/two-rams-cheerleaders-set-to-be-first-men-in-nfl-history-to-perform-at-the-super|url-status=live|access-date=2021-04-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210114115533/https://www.npr.org/2019/02/03/691058231/two-rams-cheerleaders-set-to-be-first-men-in-nfl-history-to-perform-at-the-super|archive-date=2021-01-14}}</ref>