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Cheerleading, Monopolies and Sexual Predators

mattstoller.substack.com

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Re: Cheerleading, Monopolies and Sexual Predators

#11

Post by seretogis »

takbw4234 wrote: post #4

Daily reminder that any young female-driven competitive venture (fashion, sports, academics, acting in the movie industry) is filled to the brim with sexual predators: coaches, judges, trainers, consultants, marketers, agents and so on. Do not ever put your daughter in a situation where she can be pressured by older men to do what they want in order to advance. She doesn't need a gold medal or be world famous, she ne…

The problem isn't the daughter pursuing their interests, the problem is those men being sexually predatory. The solution isn't to blame the victim and try to shelter them from "men will be men", it's to fix the cultural acceptance of sexually predatory behavior toward women.

Re: Cheerleading, Monopolies and Sexual Predators

#12

Post by jancsika »

blippage wrote: post #5

I'm from the UK, so I don't understand how some things work in the US. We don't have cheerleaders in the UK, because what's the point anyway? I was working under the assumption that cheerleaders were just a bunch of teenage girls doing dancing at a sports game. I never realised it was big business.

> I was working under the assumption that cheerleaders were just a bunch of teenage girls doing dancing at a sports game.

That's part of what they do. The other part is competing on a high level based on the athleticism and (I'm guessing) choreography of a given teams presentation. Similar to gymnastics but usually with a team and different genre of music.

There was an article posted recently to HN titled "Cheerleading, Monopolies and Sexual Predators" that gives some details about just how competitive cheerleading is, as well as the problems to the safety and security of its participants due to the monopoly power of a single company.

Re: Cheerleading, Monopolies and Sexual Predators

#13

Post by boomboomsubban »

blippage wrote: post #5

I'm from the UK, so I don't understand how some things work in the US. We don't have cheerleaders in the UK, because what's the point anyway? I was working under the assumption that cheerleaders were just a bunch of teenage girls doing dancing at a sports game. I never realised it was big business.

>We don't have cheerleaders in the UK, because what's the point anyway?

Don't football clubs have fan groups that meet up and plan the chants that will be uses during a match? That is roughly what the "classic" cheerleaders (like George W. Bush) do. At some point this also developed into an independent sport, which is like a team gymnastics routine.

Re: Cheerleading, Monopolies and Sexual Predators

#14

Post by opwieurposiu »

takbw4234 wrote: post #4

Daily reminder that any young female-driven competitive venture (fashion, sports, academics, acting in the movie industry) is filled to the brim with sexual predators: coaches, judges, trainers, consultants, marketers, agents and so on. Do not ever put your daughter in a situation where she can be pressured by older men to do what they want in order to advance. She doesn't need a gold medal or be world famous, she ne…

My daughter is only two, not sure what I will do when the time comes to discuss this stuff. I need some way to make her understand that her sexuality is a valuable thing, and she should demand a high price for it. Ideally a marriage and a house.

Re: Cheerleading, Monopolies and Sexual Predators

#15

Post by hackeraccount »

takbw4234 wrote: post #4

Daily reminder that any young female-driven competitive venture (fashion, sports, academics, acting in the movie industry) is filled to the brim with sexual predators: coaches, judges, trainers, consultants, marketers, agents and so on. Do not ever put your daughter in a situation where she can be pressured by older men to do what they want in order to advance. She doesn't need a gold medal or be world famous, she ne…

I understand what you're getting at but surely there's a better solution. I don't want my daughter afraid to potentially be in that situation. I want her to be able to act in a way that would make me proud if she was.

I want her to be in a bad situation of any sort even less than I'd like myself to be in one but I'm not going act unreasonably cautious at the expense of something wonderful. I don't want her to do that either.

Re: Cheerleading, Monopolies and Sexual Predators

#16

Post by takbw4234 »

seretogis wrote: post #11
takbw4234 wrote: post #4

Daily reminder that any young female-driven competitive venture (fashion, sports, academics, acting in the movie industry) is filled to the brim with sexual predators: coaches, judges, trainers, consultants, marketers, agents and so on. Do not ever put your daughter in a situation where she can be pressured by older men to do what they want in order to advance. She doesn't need a gold medal or be world famous, she ne…

The problem isn't the daughter pursuing their interests, the problem is those men being sexually predatory. The solution isn't to blame the victim and try to shelter them from "men will be men", it's to fix the cultural acceptance of sexually predatory behavior toward women.

> The solution (...) [i]s to fix the cultural acceptance of sexually predatory behavior toward women

No, sorry, you're taking the wrong angle here. There's no wide ranging cultural acceptance of sexually predatory behavior, that's why they're called sexual predators and not sex-positive mentors.

And they're attracted like flies to shit to positions of power in these kind of institutions. Please do shelter the victims if you can, and warn them all they're setting themselves up for this kind of abuse.

And yeah, jail the bastards who do act on it, of course. I might as well say that if that's not clear already. But there is a legion behind the ones that get caught vying for those spots for the very same reasons.

Re: Cheerleading, Monopolies and Sexual Predators

#17

Post by starkred »

> I don’t know how much Varsity was involved here, but I suspect, at the very least, that Varsity execs were turning a blind eye to what was happening.

As far as I can tell this is the sum up of his assertion that Varsity is responsible for sexual predators in cheerleading. Everything else is about Varsity having a monopoly on cheerleading and monopolies are bad - both of which are arguably true but I think dodges the question of why sports like this are full of sexual predators, who is actively allowing this, and how can they be stopped.

Sexual predictors aren't going to go away if monopolies are busted up. I think conflating the two is more about headline grabbing than a serious examination of a real problem.

Re: Cheerleading, Monopolies and Sexual Predators

#18

Post by theonemind »

blippage wrote: post #5

I'm from the UK, so I don't understand how some things work in the US. We don't have cheerleaders in the UK, because what's the point anyway? I was working under the assumption that cheerleaders were just a bunch of teenage girls doing dancing at a sports game. I never realised it was big business.

I think Americans have crazy in their DNA. It mostly got (re)populated by people who sailed crossed an ocean to start with nothing in the new world, usually for religious freedom, sometimes for opportunity, selecting for risk-takers and other cross-linked characteristics.

I'm American, by the way.

Re: Cheerleading, Monopolies and Sexual Predators

#19

Post by falcolas »

opwieurposiu wrote: post #14
takbw4234 wrote: post #4

Daily reminder that any young female-driven competitive venture (fashion, sports, academics, acting in the movie industry) is filled to the brim with sexual predators: coaches, judges, trainers, consultants, marketers, agents and so on. Do not ever put your daughter in a situation where she can be pressured by older men to do what they want in order to advance. She doesn't need a gold medal or be world famous, she ne…

My daughter is only two, not sure what I will do when the time comes to discuss this stuff. I need some way to make her understand that her sexuality is a valuable thing, and she should demand a high price for it. Ideally a marriage and a house.

By putting a price on her sexuality, you'll be harming her as much as any other rando who offers to pay her for the same.

EDIT: this has been on my mind, and perhaps it deserves more commentary.

By putting a price on her sexuality, it establishes the precedent that her body and her intimacy are commodities to be sold. That if someone comes along with the right price (a bag of candy, $1000, a promise of protection), it's OK - if not expected - that she takes the payment in exchange for her body.

Re: Cheerleading, Monopolies and Sexual Predators

#20

Post by falcolas »

takbw4234 wrote: post #16
seretogis wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem isn't the daughter pursuing their interests, the problem is those men being sexually predatory. The solution isn't to blame the victim and try to shelter them from "men will be men", it's to fix the cultural acceptance of sexually predatory behavior toward women.

> The solution (...) [i]s to fix the cultural acceptance of sexually predatory behavior toward women No, sorry, you're taking the wrong angle here. There's no wide ranging cultural acceptance of sexually predatory behavior, that's why they're called sexual predators and not sex-positive mentors. And they're attracted like flies to shit to positions of power in these kind of institutions. Please do shelter the victims…

> There's no wide ranging cultural acceptance of sexually predatory behavior

Were that the case, there wouldn't be these kinds of cases where entire swaths of predators are being shielded (or ignored). It may not be openly discussed or acknowledged, but as they say, actions speak louder than words.

And, fwiw, there are female sexual predators as well; best to not ignore them.

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