Basketball is a sport. Darts isn’t. Football’s a sport. And ballroom dancing, regardless of what the International Olympic Committee says, is certainly not. Track is a sport. And cheerleading isn’t.

Except at the University of Maryland.

In an effort to skirt Title IX regulations, Maryland upgraded its cheerleading squad to varsity status this year. The cheerleading squad has been given four scholarships this season, with the number increasing to 12 over the next few years. The women’s water polo team was also given eight scholarships, allowing the Maryland department of athletics to add 20 men’s scholarships.

‘The main reason we added it as a sport was Title IX compliance,’ Maryland Associate Athletics Director of Varsity Sports Dave Haglund said. ‘We’ve been in compliance since the early ’90s and with an increasing undergraduate female population, we had to make sure we would stay that way. Another result was that we’d be able to add scholarships to the men’s side.’

Haglund said that eight of Maryland’s 11 men’s sports do not use the full number of scholarship’s available to them because UM must meet Title IX requirements.

The moves’ success hinges upon Maryland’s ability to finagle with the definition of a sport.

Cheerleaders display impressive athleticism, intense preparation and incredible fitness. At Syracuse, male cheerleaders hoist their female counterparts in the air for a half-minute with one hand. Female cheerleaders possess an array of splits, twists and flips.

But cheerleading still isn’t a sport.

In 1975 the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights ruled that ‘drill teams, cheerleaders and the like’ could not be considered part of an athletic program in order to comply with Title IX. In 2000, the Office of Civil Rights, which enforces Title IX, wrote that to be considered a sport, the primary focus must be on competition, not on supporting other athletes.

To ensure that it dodged these issues, Maryland divided the cheerleading team into ‘spirit squad’ and ‘competitive cheer’ teams.

Members of the spirit squad receive help paying solely for books and will continue cheering on the sidelines of football and basketball games. Members of the competitive team benefit from the 12 scholarships and participate in competitions like ones in the movie ‘Bring it On,’ put on by the National Cheerleaders Association.

‘I haven’t heard anything personally about our decision,’ Haglund said. ‘But I’m sure there are people who disagree that it’s a sport.’

Still, the Office of Civil Rights won’t investigate unless someone complains about Maryland’s slick maneuvering and deceptive definitions. Cheerleading lacks a governing body and Maryland is the lone college with a team dedicated to competitions.

Despite how you feel about Title IX – perhaps, adding cheerleading could have saved Syracuse’s wrestling team from its demise in 2000 – Maryland’s exploiting a loophole that many think should be shut.

Chris Kennedy, the senior associate athletic director at Duke, said that if Maryland’s attempt works, it will become the easiest way for many schools to alleviate their Title IX problems. Cheerleading could cost club teams from NCAA-sanctioned sports a chance at varsity status.

Besides water polo and cheerleading, Maryland looked at promoting two other teams. Both women’s ice hockey and women’s rowing, which exist at the club level for Maryland and had requested varsity status in the past, were passed over in favor of cheerleading.

‘If we were to create a new sport for Title IX purposes – and I don’t foresee that – it would be something that already existed,’ Kennedy said. ‘It would be something the NCAA recognized, like softball.’

In basketball you swoop to the basket gracefully, laying the ball in. In football, you try to reach the end zone before an opponent can catch you. In track, you do anything – from personal mind games to humming heavy metal – to finish one step ahead of your opponent. And in cheerleading, at least in Maryland, you aim to stay one step ahead of the Office of Civil Rights.

Come to think of it, maybe cheerleading sounds like a sport after all.

Michigan (-3) at Iowa, 3:30 p.m., ABC

This Big Ten meeting is football in its most simplistic form. Michigan running back Chris Perry and Iowa running back Fred Russell will pound the ball at the opposing defense for the entire game. Both the Wolverines and Hawkeyes were beaten soundly in their only legitimate tests of the season. John Navarre’s arm offers a weapon, which one-dimensional Iowa lacks.

Pick: Michigan 31 Iowa 14

Kansas State (+6) at Texas, 3:30 p.m., ABC

Bill Snyder should have bought his star player’s some Isotoner gloves before the season. The hands that have taken care of Snyder’s Wildcats have been battered, beaten and broken. Ell Roberson returns from a broken hand just in time to face the Longhorns, but star running back Darren Sproles suffered a hand injury last weekend and his status is unknown. Texas wide receiver Roy Williams, meanwhile, has the best set of hands in the business.

Pick: Texas 28 Kansas State 13

Alabama (+11) at Georgia, 3:30 p.m., CBS

The only thing that keeps rolling for the Tide is its string of tough opponents. Alabama has faced the nation’s toughest schedule, losing to three ranked teams, including No. 1 Oklahoma. Don’t expect it to get better this week against Georgia. The only thing ‘Bama will do in this one is roll over for Georgia quarterback David Greene.

Pick: Georgia 35 Alabama 10

Clemson (+8) at Maryland, 3:30 p.m., ABC

Having half the cheerleading squad hasn’t impacted Maryland’s home performance. After starting 0-2 on the road, Maryland’s won three straight, including a 34-7 pasting of West Virginia at home. Clemson’s shown some bounce-back ability of its own, rebounding from a 30-0 beating at the hands of Georgia in its opener. Sophomore quarterback Charlie Whitehurst has thrown nine touchdowns his last three games. Look for his string of success to continue.

Pick: Clemson 24 Maryland 17

Mississippi (+12.5) at Florida, 12:30 p.m., No TV

Eli Manning’s brother, Peyton, and father, Archie, might do a better job on defense than his Mississippi teammates have this season, allowing 44 points to Memphis and 49 to Texas Tech. That’s a recipe for disaster, even against a Florida team that’s had a down year by its standards. Look for freshman phenom Chris Leak – who completed 20 of 35 passes with two touchdowns in his first start last week – to start cashing in on all that potential.

Florida 52 Mississippi 28

Published on October 1, 2003 at 12:00 pm