‘Cheer’ is an American sport television documentary airing on Netflix and follows the nationally-ranked Navarro College Bulldogs Cheer Team from Corsicana, Texas.
Unlike most college sports, cheerleading has no professional league, so the National Cheerleading Championship in Daytona Beach, Florida is the highest event where cheerleaders can compete. The series displays the team’s build up to this competition.
The show is centered around cheerleaders Gabi Buttler, Jerry Harris, Morgan Simianer, Lexi Brumback, and La’Darius Marshall, along with their coach Monica Aldama. They come from diverse backgrounds but come together to perform a two-minute and 30 second routine once a year.
Gabi is a “cheer-lebrity,” meaning she is famous for her cheering abilities. Jerry is going through a tough time as losing his mother to cancer. Morgan is living with her grandparents after her birth parents leave. Lexi is going through her own mental health struggles. La’Darius is coping with a bad home life. Monica is the coach who helps them through all of their struggles, making them love the sport of cheer along the way. Without her, most of them say they would have gone down the wrong path.
The show reveals the strength and tears put into this underestimated sport. Concussions, injuries, and team talks pave the way to their success. However, they are not the only team going through these challenges; their rival school Trinity Valley is working just as hard.
With the two schools only being a few miles apart, Trinity Vally gets most of the cheerleaders that do not make Navarro’s team. However, no matter the talent of the athletes, it depends on the coach who will make the team successful or not.
Rotten Tomatoes gave the show a 95% saying, “with an inspirational troupe of teens and willingness to engage in the tougher trials facing the sport today, Cheer perfectly captures the highs and lows of what it takes to be a cheerleader.”
This show has given the cheer community the respect they deserve, showing that cheer is a real sport and that cheerleaders work just as hard as other athletes.