Quick answer: yes. Organised cheerleading in the United States began in the late 1800s as an all-male activity, performed by college men appointed to lead crowd chants at football games. Women were largely absent from cheerleading in its first few decades.
Why Cheerleading Started as a Men's Activity
In the era organised cheerleading began, American college sports culture - and college attendance generally - was dominated by men. Leading a football crowd was viewed as a visible, prestigious student role, similar in status to other student leadership positions of the time, which is part of why it was initially filled exclusively by men.
How Long This Lasted
For roughly the first few decades of organised cheerleading's history, from the late 1800s through the early 20th century, the activity remained overwhelmingly male. Women's participation began in small numbers in some places by the 1920s, but it was far from the norm.
What Changed the Balance
The most significant shift toward women's participation is generally linked to the 1940s, when large numbers of male college students were away during the Second World War, opening space for women to take on cheerleading roles in far greater numbers. See When Did Women Start Cheerleading? for more detail on this shift and what followed it.
Why This Surprises People Today
Because cheerleading today, particularly in its sideline and school forms, is strongly associated with women, its all-male origins often come as a genuine surprise - a useful reminder that the sport's image has changed dramatically over more than a century of history.
A Note on Dates and Sources
As with much of early cheerleading history, precise figures and dates for this transition vary between sources. Where precision matters to you, we recommend cross-checking against a dedicated historical source - see our sources page.