Underneath the sparkly exterior of dazzling uniforms and the spectacle of athletes performing death-defying stunts in front of sold-out arenas, cheerleading has become an industry with more than 3 million participants.
Thousands of young athletes and their families from across the country descend on Dallas with hopes their team will be named national champions. It’s an event that reliably brings more than $65 million to Dallas every year with millions of dollars going to local hotels, restaurants, retailers and more, according to the
Webb, now president of the International Cheer Union, founded the company in 1974. But he had to wait till 1983 for Varsity to earn its first monumental win. Webb and Varsity locked down a deal with ESPN to broadcastand it exposed the sport to a much wider audience. The acquisitions helped Varsity gain control of 90% of the competition market and 80% of the apparel market, according to aVarsity still holds a significant portion of the cheerleading market, and Seely wants to see the company make the most out of the opportunity, Seely said.
The ongoing battle between Varsity and Rebel along with the number of gyms and competitions means D-FW has one of the strongest cheerleading infrastructures in the world, Webb said.“Even before All-Star cheer, Texans have always loved cheerleading. So when All-Star really took off, Texas became a really important state,” he said. “But I expect this sport to continue being huge, not only in Texas but across the world.