{"product_id":"the-cheer-reader-natalie-g-adams-9781477334577","title":"The Cheer Reader: Inside an American Institution","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eWide-ranging essays on cheerleading, from the pep rally to the NFL sidelines to All-Star competitions, and why it matters.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCheer is deeply associated with a wholesome, simple Americana. Yet this often clichéd image belies its complex history and current status as a global industry made up of diverse participants and forms. Indeed, cheerleading--its culture, controversies, and evolution--has always offered a revealing lens on race, class, gender, and sexuality in American society..\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCheerleading was born in 1869 as a diversion for Ivy League men. \u003ci\u003eThe Cheer Reader\u003c\/i\u003e collects fourteen wide-ranging essays on what happened next and why it matters: how cheer became feminized, sexualized, professionalized, even radicalized. Contributors examine the role of cheer in the Civil Rights Movement, a landmark student free-speech case, and the emergence of competitive-only and queer cheer teams. Other essays consider cheer's quest for sport legitimacy, social media \"cheerlebrities\" and eating disorders, and the working conditions of NFL and NBA cheerleaders. Amid these tensions between empowerment and objectification, cheer is only getting more popular, with some seven million participants worldwide. \u003ci\u003eThe Cheer Reader\u003c\/i\u003e is a nuanced account of the activity they share and what it means today.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Natalie G. Adams\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1477334572\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781477334577\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e University of Texas Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 10\/06\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 272\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback","brand":"Natalie G. Adams","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":48997525782783,"sku":"9781477334577","price":34.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-cheer-reader-natalie-g-adams-9781477334577","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}