The Difference Between Football and Basketball Cheers

Sideline cheerleading teams know that one of their most important responsibilities is to get the fans on their feet and making some noise during games! One of the ways that they do that is through fun, enthusiastic and original cheers! There are many resources to help a cheer squad find some ideas for cheers, but most every team is going to add their own spin to make it connect with their team. It’s important that the cheerleaders writing the cheers are familiar with football and basketball, and understand how each game should have its own type of cheer. The standard types of sideline cheers include hello cheers, universal cheers (these can be used anytime during a game to amp up spirit), defense cheers and offense cheers. Here’s a brief overview of some of the similarities, and some of the differences between sideline cheers for football and basketball. It’s always a great idea to talk to some of the football and basketball players at your school, and even some of the fans, to get more information. Similarities The goal for all sideline chants is to get the crowd going and boost the performance of the team. Cheers for both sports will reference offense and defense, but they will use different phrases for the chant. Many sideline chants will include a hometown reference or the name of the sports team. Cheerleaders keep their chants simple for many reasons: they have a lot of them to remember; it is easier for the crowd to follow; and it is easy to switch words and reuse for different sports. Sideline cheers and chants are typically short (1-4 lines), but are repeated several times – each time getting louder and prompting more crowd involvement. Common words for sideline cheers and chants: ball attack victory move score #1 defeat power yell fight win mighty team go! beat proud noise hustle Basketball Cheers Basketball cheers are performed indoors, on the sidelines of the court. Here are some common words that are inserted into basketball cheers: steal dribble court/ floor basket shoot hoop slam net pass Football Football cheers are performed outdoors, on the sidelines of the field. Here are some common words that are inserted into football cheers: field goal touchdown quarterback charge kick hustle