A Magazine Worth Cheering For

I first discovered the greatness of cheerleaders in the fourth grade, as a tousle-headed lineman for the Arlington Optimist Cowboys in the late Seventies. They weren’t the reason I signed up to play tackle football for the first time that year, but they became the reason I always wanted to play well.

(I rarely did play well, by the way.)

I continued to appreciate their spirit-lifting, pompom-waving ways at every stop of a checkered football career, from the Hedrick Wranglers to the Marcus Marauders.

Today, I appreciate cheerleaders every chance I get (much to my wife’s chagrin). It struck me again just last Sunday – while enjoying, for the umpteenth time, the undisputed greatness of DirecTV’s NFL Sunday Ticket – just how important cheerleaders are to professional football.

Seemingly every game I watched that afternoon returned from seemingly every commercial break with a live shot of cheerleaders – what better way to ensure viewers stay by the channel until after the game. Hey, bathroom breaks can wait.

But appreciating cheerleaders is about so much more than ogling pretty women in skimpy outfits in between plays. It’s about admiring unconditional support of the home team and the true talent and athleticism of the cheerleaders themselves and about what they give back to their respective communities.

It’s all of those things, in addition to the stunning beauty, that prompted the production of Cheer!, the newest magazine from Beckett Media. I’d be lying if I said this wasn’t one of the most enjoyable projects I’ve ever had the opportunity to work on, and not just for the reasons you might think.

Sure, there’s no shortage of stunning photography in the magazine’s 80 full-color pages. But there’s also a compelling feature story on the proud history of cheerleading that includes an interview with Judy Trammell, the longtime choreographer of the famed Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.

In addition, we provide insight and collectible information on the NFL’s 26 cheerleading teams, and a closer look at the headline-making cheerleader trading cards Topps released earlier this year.

We were also lucky enough to land an exclusive interview with third-year Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader Abigail Klein, who sheds some light on what it’s like to perform with the most prestigious cheerleading organization of all time.

I hope you enjoy the magazine, and not just because of all the pretty pictures. If that’s all you know about cheerleaders, you’re missing a lot.

The magazine will be on newsstands everywhere beginning next week. Until then, here’s a sneak peek:

— Tracy Hackler