Netflix’s Cheer And Their Cheer-lebrities’ Rise To Fame

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If you haven't heard of Netflix's Cheer, you may start to recognize its popularity, as this docuseries has created quite the buzz. With the show’s enormous popularity and amount of viewership along with the characters’ quick rise to fame, you can imagine the kind of attention the sport, gym and cheerleaders are receiving. With this comes brand deals and press. Between practice, competitions, injuries, and being a regular student, and now adding PR into the mix, some of these athletes have been thrown into fame at a level that they never would have thought could happen.

With all of that being said, it is not completely new to all of these athletes. Some of which have been in the limelight for quite some time within their industry and are somewhat used to the added pressure of being a focal point. In this blog, Hollywood Branded will discuss Cheer-lebrities, how they’ve become relevant in this industry as well as the partnerships that Netflix’s Cheer as brought to them as an extension of their already-had fame.

Cheerleading: More Than A Sport

There’s always been the question… is cheerleading a sport? For some, people think that the world of cheerleading is just a group of people tasked with bringing energy on the sidelines of an actual sport such as football, basketball, etc. Now, I may be biased as a previous competitive cheerleader of 10 years, but others most definitely see it as a sport composed of multi-talented athletes with immense endurance and technique with an incredible sense of community. Since Netflix’s Cheer season 1 premiere in January 2020 and now season 2 releasing January 2022, it has changed some minds and portrayed a new view of the sport, as “the show has shed light on the 2 Billion Dollar industry.” Viewers and athletes all over the world may finally understand what the world of competitive cheerleading is actually like. Not to mention, it’s changed the lives of the athletes on the team.

Cheer-lebrities

Ever heard of ‘em? Well, get ready to have your mind blown. Obviously there are people in every industry that are fan favorites, but in the world of competitive cheerleading, those are what you call “Cheer-lebrities” and everyone knows everything about them. They're athletes, influencers, YouTubers; they’re exactly what it sounds like. They're cheerleaders-turned-celebrities. Signing autographs at competitions, coming out with cheerleading clothing lines, doing meet and greets at events — all because they are outstanding performers and all-around athletes. Now, let’s not pretend like this is an easy role to get. These athletes are well-known because they are simply the best. Being a good tumbler, stunter, dancer, jumper, performer, just doesn’t cut it. You have to be extraordinary. So with that, comes the fame, and some of these Navarro cheerleaders from Netflix’s Cheer have had that fame for years.

A perfect example of this type of talent is All-Star cheerleading alum and now ex-Navarro cheerleader, Gabi Butler. Gabi has been cheering on the largest and most well known teams since the start of her cheer career in 2006. With two World Championships under her belt, a popular reality web series called Cheerleaders (among other web series appearances), a few large brand and endorsement deals, and much more, Gabi Butler has become a household name in the cheerleading industry. However, because of the show, Cheer, her fame has expanded into so much more.

Credit: Popsugar

In the past two years, since the season premiere, athletes like Gabi have connected with brands of all kinds, from Shein to Savage X Fenty. They have been on talk shows like The Ellen Degeneres Show, starred in a few commercials, and been featured in numerous articles and publications.

On Ellen

As mentioned, after the show aired, a few members of the Cheer cast  performed their 2021 national championship winning routine on The Ellen Degeneres Show, followed by a fun interview with Ellen. They explained the intricacies of the sport and what it’s like to be “cheer famous." At the end of the segment, Shutterfly gave the Navarro cheer team $20,000 to allocate towards future championships. At this point, these athletes, their coach, and the show became such a talking point, that everyone wanted a piece of them.

Dancing With Drama

Navarro cheerleading coach, Monica Aldama was asked to be on Season 29 of Dancing With The Stars. Her time on the show proved to be quite an issue with her athletes as she was away during a challenging time for the team (spoiler alert), and yet, it provided even more awareness to the show than ever before. They say all press is good press, however, Aldama may beg to differ. After placing 10^th, she returned back to Corsicana, Texas with her team and continued filming Season 2 of Cheer. The authenticity, controversy, and drama from this season has continued to garner new audiences to the show and promote the athletes and coaches to another level.

So, in a nutshell, competitive cheerleading is a sport that is able to grow not only athletes but influencers and businesspeople. Through amazing championship winning moments to reality shows and scandals, the awareness and exposure brought upon these athletes has not stopped. Ultimately, this show has created a space for the sport to be shown in it’s true form, and has paved a way for brands and products of all kinds to find partnerships within it. This new season of Cheer is filled with some drama and scandal, the numbers are just continuing to grow. With the combination of network ratings, taboo storylines, and talented people, brand partnerships in the cheerleading world is booming and these athletes are turning into regular influencers with thriving careers of their own.

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