The Globalization of... Cheerleading?
by Lauren Nemec
Whether it's German youth tuning into MTV, Chinese teens hanging out at their local McDonald's, Japanese kids playing baseball in the streets, or girls in the UK playing with Barbie and Bratz dolls, it's clear to see that globalization has brought aspects of American life to every corner of the globe. But I admit that I was a little surprised when I learned about the latest American cultural export: Cheerleading.
At the 2007 World Cheerleading Championships (held last month in Orlando, Florida), 38 teams from fifteen different countries competed for the gold medal. The competitors came from countries all over the world- Chile, Colombia, China, Australia, Scotland, New Zealand and Germany, to name a few. Though the American teams take home the majority of the medals each year, some of the foreign teams will become a force to be reckoned with in future competitions- namely the Chinese squads.
All this really shouldn't come as much of a surprise when you consider the influence cheerleading has on American culture- and how that culture is being packaged and sold like a McDonald's Happy Meal.
For example, cheerleading is a popular theme in many teen movies. The 2000 hit cheerleading movie "Bring it On" made about 25% of its $90 million box office sales overseas. According to Newsweek's article, "A World of Cheer", cheerleading's rise in popularity around the world is also a result of ESPN International's broadcasts of cheerleading competitions and the attractiveness and athleticism of famed NFL cheerleading squads.
What will come next? I'm hard-pressed to find an American product, service, or experience that can't be had around the world!
Whether it's German youth tuning into MTV, Chinese teens hanging out at their local McDonald's, Japanese kids playing baseball in the streets, or girls in the UK playing with Barbie and Bratz dolls, it's clear to see that globalization has brought aspects of American life to every corner of the globe. But I admit that I was a little surprised when I learned about the latest American cultural export: Cheerleading.
At the 2007 World Cheerleading Championships (held last month in Orlando, Florida), 38 teams from fifteen different countries competed for the gold medal. The competitors came from countries all over the world- Chile, Colombia, China, Australia, Scotland, New Zealand and Germany, to name a few. Though the American teams take home the majority of the medals each year, some of the foreign teams will become a force to be reckoned with in future competitions- namely the Chinese squads.
All this really shouldn't come as much of a surprise when you consider the influence cheerleading has on American culture- and how that culture is being packaged and sold like a McDonald's Happy Meal.
For example, cheerleading is a popular theme in many teen movies. The 2000 hit cheerleading movie "Bring it On" made about 25% of its $90 million box office sales overseas. According to Newsweek's article, "A World of Cheer", cheerleading's rise in popularity around the world is also a result of ESPN International's broadcasts of cheerleading competitions and the attractiveness and athleticism of famed NFL cheerleading squads.
What will come next? I'm hard-pressed to find an American product, service, or experience that can't be had around the world!
Labels: Culture, Globalization, Lauren Nemec
posted by Lauren Nemec at
8:55 AM
1 Comments:
It's interesting how Cheerleading has really emerged as a sport/activity unto itself.
Heck - back in high school we consistently had the top cheerleading team in the province. What made it amusing was we didn't even have a football team!
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