Does Volleyball Really Need Cheerleaders?

Cheerleaders are a vital part of pumping up the crowd in competitive team sports, but the exploitation of beach volleyball cheerleaders through professional and non-professional publications alike raises the question, "Does volleyball really need cheerleaders?"

Everyone has their own opinion of the role played by the bikini rockers that jazz up the crowd between points and matches. For some, it's all part of the game. Imagine the Dallas Cowboys without the Cowgirls cheering them on from the sidelines. Despite the controversy that their scanty outfits have raised among some critics of the football community, the Cowgirls are almost as much of an institution as the Cowboys themselves.

Beach volleyball cheerleaders are almost as much a part of the sport to many as the squads found on the sidelines at basketball and football games at all levels, from Pee-Wee to professional. The crowd loves them, dazzling them while the players are preparing the hit the sand all over again.

Some of the volleyball teams, however, are less than amused. The presence of the Personal Plus dance team at the beach volleyball competition in Athens met with disapproval from some of the women's teams. A member of the Australian women's team stated, "It's kind of disrespectful to the female players. I'm sure the male spectators love it, but I find it a little offensive."

Offensive? Not the fun, beach party atmosphere the team was going for, leading to the question of whether cheerleaders in bikinis belong at serious competition. Everyone has an opinion. Some members of the media have a less complimentary opinion, leading to headlines like "Babe A Day! Beach Volleyball Cheerleaders Burning Hot in Beijing" and "Bosoms, Beer and Volleyball!"-a disgrace to the sport and women who represent it.

Others, however, encourage support the crowd pleasing presence of cheerleaders on the sand, claiming it's all in good fun-exactly what these young women were going for when they stripped down to their suits and hit the court.

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