As seen in the world of baseball, cheer squads have been essential to the development of the modern sports culture in Japan.

Not so sure to which kind he refers to. There’s a very big difference between cheer squads and school or university cheerleading teams, of which in reality only the latter face those problems with necessary harsh training and a more narrow social distance during corona pandemic. The ‘normal’ cheer squads, even those attached to professional sports teams, are in fact only amateur or semi-professional dance teams without performing so much of very difficult routines and they can easily train or perform also socially distanced on the big grounds and stadiums.

I never really saw the point of cheerleaders, but there is no reason to ban anything any more 'because of Covid'. Even the Chinese have given that up.

Kids may find it more productive to copy dance routines in music videos, particularly Kpop. You can do that almost anywhere, on your own or with friends, as much as you want.

Even if you aren't talent-spotted on YouTube or TikTok, you will certainly stay fit.

Have never understood the obsession some people have with professional sports teams. It’s like cheering McDonalds’s to have more profit than Mos Burger. The only difference is the taxpayers don’t have to pay for constructing the places of business.

Cultures change, and this one is as well. Don't fight it, accept it.

cheer squads have been essential to the development of the modern sports culture in Japan

The use of the present perfect "have been" suggests they are still essential, which probably not the case.

The most prominent example of sports fans in Japan now is crowds of people singing that "Nippon Nippon" song at football matches. I've not been to a game, but presumably they manage to do this without a cheer squad dressed in gakuran Japanese school uniforms and "hisshou" headbands standing on the steps, waving their arms, blowing whistles, and all the things Japanese "ouen-bu" cheer squads traditionally do at high school baseball games. If that is the case, then cheer squads are not "essential". Baseball is also a small part of "modern sports culture" in Japan. Aside from the exceptional Ohtani, no baseball star in Japan is as big as Hanyu, the ice skater. Modern sports culture would have to include Naomi Osaka, the golfers, womens curling, and all kinds of other all sorts.

These cheer squads are a mixture of guys, who are basically a militaristic-style organization of loonies, and the standard cheerleaders. The Todai one is quite famous, you can check their HP, and there are also many videos on the net.

https://www.todai-ouen.com/about/history07.html

Essential? Hardly. He may be confusing omnipresent with essential. The games go on with or without cheerleaders. Now I agree that the eye candy is great to see but without the sports, there is no culture and sports would definitely still thrive without it.

@Mocheake - except NFL. Ever seen those girls up close? I've even met some. Whoo!

complete and utter nonsense spouted by a complete and utter moron. he clings to his idealized notion of cheerleaders, whilst modern society renounces the very idea of them.