On January  8, 2020 the first season of Cheer was released on Netflix. It is a documentary that follows Texas’ Navarro cheer team throughout their season. It digs deep into the sport, and the lives of head coach Monica Aldama and all her athletes. The show was largely successful and released a second season in 2021. It is not known if Netflix is planning on releasing any more seasons.

Most people have a preconceived notion on what a cheerleader is, without even knowing the athletic element of the sport. Most people assume all cheerleaders do is yell chants on the sidelines, because that is all they see. Something that makes this documentary important is that it shows the true athleticism involved in being a cheerleader. It also shows the actual athleticism of cheerleading making it a sport:the competitions. This series did a great job of giving education about the team and sport while still making it entertaining to watch. 

The show is filled with a lot of big personalities which adds to the entertainment value. Since most of these athletes are so incredible it allows for viewers to build an emotional attachment to them. 

I also really enjoyed learning about the success stories from less fortunate kids who were able to reestablish themselves through cheerleading. It was inspiring to see the amount specific people on the team had to endure throughout their childhood, and they were still able to create a better future for themselves due to their talent as a cheerleader.

If you want a documentary that also includes emotional and dramatic elements, I recommend watching cheer. It not only is educational about the sport, but it’s very entertaining to watch as well. It is a Netflix series so that is the only platform you can watch it on, you can get information about the Navarro cheer team on YouTube or their Instagram page.