Quick answer: cheerleading began in the United States in the late 1800s as organised crowd leading at college sports events - originally an all-male activity - and gradually developed through the 20th century into both a sideline tradition and, later, the separate competitive sport known today as competitive or All Star cheer.
The Earliest Cheerleading
Organised crowd leading at American college football games is generally traced back to the late 19th century, with early "yell leaders" coordinating chants from the sidelines to rally crowds. In its earliest decades, this activity was performed almost entirely by men - see Who Invented Cheerleading? and Were the First Cheerleaders Men? for more.
Women Join Cheerleading
Women's participation in cheerleading grew significantly through the early-to-mid 20th century, and accelerated notably during the 1940s, when many male students were away during the Second World War. By the second half of the century, cheerleading in the United States had shifted to being predominantly performed by women, particularly at the school level. See When Did Women Start Cheerleading? for the fuller timeline.
The Rise of Organised Training and Camps
From the mid-20th century onward, cheerleading became more organised and technical, with dedicated training camps, organisations and competitions emerging to teach and standardise skills, jumps and motions. This period also saw the introduction of tools like the pom-pom, which became closely associated with cheer's visual identity.
From Sideline Support to Competitive Sport
For much of its history, cheerleading's primary role was supporting other sports from the sidelines. Over time, cheerleading increasingly split into two related but distinct traditions: sideline cheer, which continues that original supporting role, and competitive cheer, where the routine itself - not another sport - is the event being judged. See How Did Competitive Cheer Develop? for a deeper look at this shift.
The Growth of All Star Cheer
The rise of dedicated All Star gyms - private gyms whose teams exist purely to train and compete, unconnected to any school - accelerated the growth of competitive cheer from the late 20th century onward, helping to standardise levels, scoring and competition formats across the sport. See What Is All Star Cheer? for how these teams work today, and History of All Star Cheer for how the format developed.
A Global, Governed Sport
Competitive cheer has since grown into an international sport, with national and international governing bodies, world championship events, and growing recognition from international sporting organisations - a significant shift from its origins as informal crowd leading over a century ago. See History of the International Cheer Union and Cheerleading and Olympic Recognition for more on this global governance.
A Note on Dates and Sources
Precise founding dates, early milestones and "firsts" in cheerleading history are reported differently across sources. Where a specific date or claim matters to you, we recommend cross-checking it against your governing body's own historical materials or a dedicated historical source - see our sources page.