Varsity Spirit
Varsity Spirit, LLC, also known as Varsity, is an American cheerleading company owned by Varsity Brands. Founded in 1974 as the Universal Cheerleaders Association, the company is a manufacturer of apparel for cheerleading and dance teams, organizer of cheerleading competitions, and operator of training camps and sanctioning bodies.
The company's vertical integration of competitive cheerleading has faced criticism, including accusations of anti-competitive and monopolistic practices, conflicts of interest via control of governing bodies, and institutionalizing high financial costs for participation in competitive cheerleading. In 2023 and 2024, Varsity and its previous owners agreed to settle multiple class action lawsuits, including those surrounding high financial costs, and conflicts of interest with the U.S. All Star Federation.
History
Varsity Spirit was founded by Jeff Webb, a yell leader at the University of Oklahoma contemplating law school. After working as a summer camp instructor for Lawrence "Herkie" Herkimer's National Cheerleaders Association, he attempted, but failed, to acquire part of the company.In 1974, Webb established the Universal Cheerleaders Association, in an effort to raise the profile of cheerleading, initially by establishing training camps, and later through promotional campaigns and its National College Cheerleading Championship and its National High School Cheerleading Championship. Cheerleading had seen declines in participation due to the growth of women's sports following the introduction of Title IX.
Webb first operated the company out of his apartment, and only made a profit of US$850 during his first year of operations. By 2002, Webb estimated that Varsity Spirit held about half of the market, and that 60% of its revenue came from apparel. In 2003, Varsity backed the formation of the U.S. All Star Federation, a sanctioning body for "all-star" cheerleading competitions involving teams from private gyms.
In 2004, Varsity acquired National Spirit Group, owner of the NCA, giving it control of the sheer majority of the cheerleading industry. In 2005, it acquired the Knoxville-based Athletic Championships LLC and Premier Athletics LLC. In 2007, it backed the formation of USA Cheer, a non-profit led by Webb which aimed to be a sanctioning body for cheerleading.
In 2011, Varsity Brands merged with Herff Jones, an Indianapolis-based manufacturer of class rings, caps and gowns, and yearbooks; Webb was named president and COO in December 2012, and the merged company took on the Varsity Brands name in 2014. In 2012, it acquired American Cheerleader magazine from Macfadden Communications Group, with the publishers of Memphis-based teen magazine Justine producing the magazine. Charlesbank Capital Partners acquired Varsity Brands in 2014, after which it began to place a larger focus on club-based "all-star" cheerleading. In 2015, it acquired JAM Brands, which had been the company's main competitor in the 2010s.
In 2016, Varsity Brands sued Star Athletica, a competing manufacturer of cheerleading uniforms established by The Liebe Company, for copyright infringement over similarities in designs between their products. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Varsity, establishing that aesthetic elements of a useful article can be protected if they are a copyrightable artistic work, and are identifiable as art when mentally separated from the practical aspects of the item.
In 2017, BSN Sports CEO Adam Blumenfeld replaced Webb as CEO.
In July 2019, the company introduced a new division, "Varsity Pro", which focuses on providing apparel and services for professional cheer and dance teams, such as those of professional sports franchises. The division's first partnership as outfitter was with the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies. It also acquired SA Feather Co. and Stanbury Uniforms to expand into the band market.
On December 9, 2020, Webb announced that he would step down from Varsity. In a 2021 interview with Sportico after the International Olympic Committee voted to recognize the ICU, Webb stated that he had divested himself of Varsity, recently had "a very favorable liquidity event", and "was looking around with what I want to do with this phase of my life." Varsity's former vice president of corporate alliances and business development, Marlene Cota, stated that Webb's role in the company had begun to lessen after the sale to Charlesbank. After his departure, Webb became the new co-publisher and senior news editor of the conservative publication Human Events.
In June 2025, Varsity Spirit announced that it would launch a new professional cheerleading circuit known as the Pro Cheer League; for its inaugural season, it will consist of four city-based teams representing Atlanta, Dallas, Miami, and San Diego. CEO Bill Seely stated that promotion of the series will emphasize the stories of its individual athletes, similarly to other recent women's sports establishments such as Unrivaled basketball, and that they were seeking a media deal. In November 2025, it was announced that Paramount Sports Entertainment had acquired the media rights to the Pro Cheer League, with international distribution handled via Paramount Global Content Distribution.
American Cheerleader
American Cheerleader was the first and largest national teen magazine dedicated to covering sideline and competitive cheerleading. It was founded in 1995 and based in Memphis, Tennessee. Staff included Editor-in-Chief Jackie Martin and Managing Editor Kim Conley. Inspired by the popularity and competitive nature of cheerleading in the early 1990s, publishing executive Michael Weiskopf started a magazine to take advantage of its evolving culture. The first issue was published in New York in January 1995. It was published by Lifestyle Ventures, LLC, and the first issue featured University of Maryland cheerleader Penny Ramsey, who went on to become a castaway in Thailand on the CBS show Survivor in 2002. Special Collector's Editions were produced in February 2005 and February 2010 to commemorate the magazine's 10th and 15th anniversaries. Lifestyle Media, Inc. was acquired by Macfadden Performing Arts Media, LLC in 2006. Varsity Spirit bought the magazine in 2012.American Cheerleader covered training tips for stunting and tumbling, tryout advice, team building activities, beauty, fashion, fitness and how to balance schoolwork and cheer. All issues feature a Cheerleader of the Month, Spotlight Squad and Awesome Athletes. 'Cheerleaders of the Month' were recognized for their talent, academic achievement and community involvement. Past celebrity covers have included Debby Ryan, Erica Joy Allen, Krystyna Krzeminski, Kendall Jenner, Heather Morris, Francia Raisa, Christina Milian, Kirsten Dunst, Mýa, Hilarie Burton, Ashley Tisdale, and Olivia Holt. American Cheerleader has also made its way into every sequel of the Bring It On films.
Their website, Americancheerleader.com, featured cheer news and trends, training tips, featured athletes and step by step videos of stunting, tumbling and cheer skills.
Market position
Varsity Spirit has been described as having a monopoly position in cheerleading in the United States, due to extensive vertical integration of apparel businesses, training camps, affiliated gyms, cheerleading competitions, and sanctioning bodies, as well as acquisitions of competitors.Varsity has been accused of engaging in anti-competitive practices; the company signs gyms to multi-year agreements, under which they receive rebates if they exclusively purchase apparel from the company, and participate in Varsity-run competitions. Only Varsity-owned brands are allowed to exhibit and market their apparel at its events, hindering the ability for competitors to do the same. Although there are no restrictions on use of non-Varsity apparel by participants in the competitions proper, in 2010 Webb testified that in at least one competition, teams received more points if they used Varsity-produced props. Under a "Stay Smart" scheme, attendees of events were required to book accommodations through Varsity-endorsed providers, which were accused of having paid kickbacks to the company.
Varsity also has effective control of affiliated governing bodies for cheerleading. USA Cheer, a non-profit governing body for cheerleading, was established by Varsity Spirit with a no-interest loan, and is staffed by six contracted Varsity Spirit employees. The U.S. All Star Federation, a governing body for private cheer and dance squads, was formed in 2003 with financial backing by Varsity Spirit via a no-interest loan. Although Varsity Spirit officially states that it does not own the USASF, its board was effectively controlled by Varsity Spirit by means of six of its 15 board members, and by-laws requiring seven seats to be filled by representatives of a group of Varsity Spirit-controlled cheerleading and dance associations. The company also paid the salary of its president, and its vice president of events and corporate alliances. In 2011, the USASF threatened to ban its members from participating in Varsity-run events if they participate in competing world championships not run by the company. Varsity was also involved in the establishment of the International Cheer Union.
Classification of cheerleading as a sport
Varsity Spirit and its affiliates have lobbied against proposals for cheerleading to be sanctioned as a sport, including proposals by California, and Texas's University Interscholastic League, arguing that this would result in increased oversight and regulation that would be detrimental to its business and self-oversight. In 2015, the UIL announced a pilot "Spirit Championship", whose judges would be trained and provided by Varsity Spirit.In 2010, Webb was called upon as an expert witness in a Title IX case involving Quinnipiac University brought upon by members of its volleyball team. The school had dropped women's volleyball to back a team in acrobatics & tumbling, a team gymnastics sport governed by the National Collegiate Acrobatics and Tumbling Association which is based on technical elements usually seen in cheerleading. The plaintiffs believed that acrobatics & tumbling was merely a rebranding of cheerleading as a "sport" to artificially increase the number of participants in women's sports at the school. In his testimony, Webb argued that the event "continues to call itself cheer—which they don't cheer and they don't lead—which creates confusion with the classical cheerleader teams. And they perform the same type of routine that classical cheerleaders have provided as part of their entertainment component for 25 years." He also primarily considered Varsity's competitions to be a promotion for its lines of business. A federal judge held that cheerleading "does not qualify as a varsity sport for the purposes of Title IX".
Shortly afterward, the NCATA partnered with USA Gymnastics to provide additional support and sanctioning for acrobatics & tumbling, while Varsity-backed USA Cheer began to promote its own similar discipline known as stunt, a similar sport that uses a head-to-head format with simultaneous performances in quarters. In 2020, acrobatics & tumbling was admitted into the NCAA's Emerging Sports for Women program, and Stunt would follow suit in 2023. In 2025, both sports were recommended by the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics for championship status, with Division I being the first to do so.