Alicia's brother Danny and his friends are always putting down cheerleading, but she is determined to change their minds.

Alicia's brother Danny and his friends are always putting down cheerleading, but she is determined to change their minds.

When Alicia finds out she has to play softball in gym, she starts thinking of ways to get out of it.

A thought-provoking journey into the complicated history of gender, sexuality, race, and social justice through the world of sports. Have you ever wondered why most cheerleaders are girls? Or why some athletes, like Caster Semenya, have to prove they’re women while there’s no testing for men? And why do athletes like Megan Rapinoe and Colin Kaepernick use sports as a platform for social justice, and should they? These questions and more are examined in Throw Like a Girl, Cheer Like a Boy: The Evolution of Gender, Identity, and Race in Sports. Robyn Ryle uses the world of sports to examine the history, controversy, and current conversations around sexuality, race, and social justice, bringing in the stories of today’s athletes to highlight the issues. Topics covered include gender segregation, gender testing, transgender athletes, sexuality, homophobia, globalization, race, and activism. Throw Like a Girl, Cheer Like a Boy shows the great strides that have been made in the sports world, but there are still questions that remain and work that needs to be done. This book brings to attention the ways in which sports can contribute to inequalities while also demonstrating how sports can help create a more just world for everyone.

Alicia organizes a volleyball tournament to raise money for her pen pal's cheerleading squad.

"Engaging images accompany information about cheerleading professionals. The combination of high-interest subject matter and narrative text is intended for students in grades 3 through 7"--Provided by publisher.

What In These Girls, Hope is a Muscle did for girls high school basketball, We've Got Spirit does for cheerleading.