Before social media reorganized cheerleading’s information flow, magazines were the primary way the sport was covered nationally. In the 1990s and early 2000s, visibility depended on editorial calendars, print runs, and distribution networks. Coverage was selective and finite. National recognition moved at the pace of quarterly publication rather than instant upload.

Within that environment, American Cheerleader emerged as a defining presence. Over nearly 25 years, the magazine documented cheerleading’s growth while operating inside a narrow but influential print ecosystem that eventually gave way to consolidation and digital-first media. American Cheerleader reported in 2010 that it’s readership had grown to 1.2 million readers and a circulation of 150,000.

Founding and Early Leadership

American Cheerleader launched in January 1995 under Lifestyle Ventures LLC, a New York–based publishing company focused on niche sports and lifestyle titles. Cheerleading participation was expanding rapidly across high school, collegiate, and emerging all star programs, but national media coverage remained limited and inconsistent.

The magazine was built to address that gap. From its earliest issues, editorial leadership emphasized coverage that treated cheerleading as an organized sport with training standards, competitive structures, and distinct audiences.

Key figures in the magazine’s leadership included Shelia Noone and Marisa Walker, who were instrumental in shaping the publication’s editorial direction and operations during its formative years. Under their guidance, American Cheerleader followed a conventional sports magazine model, prioritizing athlete features, training content, and team coverage over novelty or entertainment framing.

Jennifer Gironda, a former cheerleader reflects: “I could not WAIT to get my hands on this new magazine dedicated entirely to cheerleading.  I remember reading and re-reading the articles, making notes about stunts, jumps, school spirit, team bonding…and beginning to learn more about teams on a national level.  Finally, cheerleading had a VOICE!”

Early covers featured active cheerleaders rather than models, reinforcing the magazine’s intent to align with sports journalism rather than youth lifestyle publishing. The magazine adopted a bi-monthly schedule and built a large national distribution, a significant undertaking in a niche market.

Following the launch of American Cheerleader, Lifestyle Ventures expanded its cheer-related publishing efforts to serve different segments of the sport.

One such title was The Coach’s Handbook, produced as an annual directory rather than a recurring magazine. The handbook functioned as a reference guide for coaches and program operators, compiling safety information, organizational resources, vendors, and industry contacts into a single yearly volume.

Lifestyle Ventures also launched Cheer Biz News, a trade-style publication that focused on the business side of cheerleading. Its coverage addressed event production, staffing, apparel, and the commercial infrastructure supporting competitions and training programs.

Together, the three titles reflected cheerleading’s increasing specialization. Athletes, coaches, and industry operators were emerging as distinct audiences, each requiring different types of coverage.

A Competitor Enters the Market

For nearly a decade, American Cheerleader operated with limited direct competition. That changed in June 2004, when Inside Cheerleading Magazine published its first issue under Inside Publications.

Inside Cheerleading entered the market at a different stage of the sport’s development. Competitive cheer was more standardized, national events were firmly established, and the industry surrounding cheerleading had grown more commercial. The magazine positioned itself as a peer competitor rather than a supplemental voice, offering an alternative national platform for athlete and industry coverage.

The arrival of Inside Cheerleading created a more crowded print environment. Advertising dollars, subscriptions, and distribution attention were now split between two national titles serving a relatively small but dedicated readership.

Ownership Changes and a Divided Portfolio

In 2006, Lifestyle Ventures was acquired by MacFadden Performing Arts Media. For several years, MacFadden operated American Cheerleader, The Coach’s Handbook, and Cheer Biz News as part of the same portfolio.

That structure changed in 2012, when MacFadden chose to divide the cheer titles rather than sell them as a single unit. American Cheerleader was sold to Varsity Spirit, placing the magazine under the ownership of the sport’s most influential event and apparel organization.

In a separate transaction, The Coach’s Handbook and Cheer Biz News were sold to Inside Publications, consolidating coaching and industry-focused content under the same publisher that produced Inside Cheerleading Magazine.

The split reflected diverging commercial strategies. Athlete-facing editorial content was increasingly tied to branding and consumer visibility, while directories and trade publications served narrower professional audiences.

The Economics of Print Cheer Media

By the early 2010s, cheerleading magazines faced mounting pressure. Print and distribution costs continued to rise, while advertising revenue shifted toward digital platforms that offered speed, flexibility, and measurable engagement. Environmental considerations also became more prominent, as large print runs carried higher financial and reputational costs.

These pressures were magnified in cheerleading, where publications operated within a limited subscriber base. Maintaining national distribution required consistent investment even as audiences increasingly consumed content online.

Both American Cheerleader and Inside Cheerleading were affected. While Inside Cheerleading continued publishing beyond the closure of other cheer print titles, sustaining a consistent national print presence became more difficult as schedules slowed and circulation tightened.

The End of American Cheerleader

Under Varsity Spirit ownership, American Cheerleader continued to publish quarterly until Spring 2019. The final issue was released without a formal announcement, and no subsequent editions followed.

The AmericanCheerleader.com domain no longer hosts magazine content and now redirects to a page owned by Michigan State University Enrollment. As of 2021, Varsity Spirit no longer uses the American Cheerleader brand.

Cheer Biz News is no longer published. Inside Cheerleading Magazine remains part of the historical record of cheer media but operates in a landscape where print is no longer the primary vehicle for national coverage.

A Declining Media Landscape

From the mid-1990s through the late 2010s, cheerleading supported a small but influential print media ecosystem. American Cheerleader, Inside Cheerleading, The Coach’s Handbook, and Cheer Biz News each served defined roles within that structure.

Their rise and decline followed broader patterns in sports publishing. As distribution costs increased and digital platforms reshaped visibility, the infrastructure required to sustain national print magazines narrowed. By the end of the pandemic, cheerleading’s print era had largely concluded.

What remains is a record of how the sport was covered during a period when editorial selection, not algorithms, determined national exposure.

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