Varsity Brands Inc. is a holding company with ties to national cheerleading

Cheerleading

Cheerleading is a physical activity, sometimes a competitive sport, based on organized routines, usually ranging from one to three minutes, which contain the components of tumbling, dance, jumps, cheers, and stunting to direct spectators of events to cheer on sports teams at games or to participate...

 competitions within the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The company produces apparel for football

American football

American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

, cheerleading, and dance

Dance

Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....

activities, with subsidiary units and programs that regulate and administer most organized cheerleading activities within the United States. Involvement in cheerleading activities includes its ownership of subsidiaries and programs that conduct competitions and camps. Notably, the breadth of influence Varsity Brands Inc. possesses over cheerleading activities has led to discussion of potential conflicts of interest including its interests related to the issue of the classification of competitive cheerleading as a sport in the United States.

Potential Conflicts of Interest

While holding an interest in the business of cheerleading apparel, Varsity Brands Inc. owns subsidiaries and programs:

• Responsible for conducting national cheerleading competitions, where scoring systems are intertwined with promotion of Varsity Brand's products. A recent court decision provides an example: "During the “spirit” portion of the competition, cheerleading teams are awarded points for using props, such as pom poms, sold by Varsity Brands; the more props a team uses, the more points that team receives".
• Overseeing and certifying practitioners responsible for safety in cheerleading activities.
• Institutionalizing high financial costs for participation in forms of competitive cheerleading.

Programs and Subsidiaries of Varsity Brands Inc.

Programs and subsidiaries of Varsity Brands Inc. include:

• American Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Administrators (AACCA)
  • Conducts cheerleading safety education and risk management.
• National Council for Spirit Safety & Education (NCFSSE)
  • Provides safety training and certification programs.
• National Cheerleaders Association (NCA)
• Universal Cheerleaders Association (UCA)
• United Spirit Association (USA)
• Universal Dance Association (UDA)
• National Dance Alliance (NDA)
• American Cheer Power (ACP)
• American Cheerleaders Association (ACA)
• World Spirit Federation (WSF)
• Spirit Sports (SS)
• All Star Challenge (ASC)
• V!ROC – Choreography (VROC)
• Varsity TV (VTV)
• U.S. All Star Federation (USASF)
• Spirit Cheer (SC)
• Cheerleading.com (C)
• Cheerleading Technique Camps (CTC)
• International All-Levels Championship (IALC)
• Spirit Xpress Cheerleading (SXC)
• The American Championships (TAC)
• Athletic Championships (AC)
• Varsity Spirit Fashions (VSF)
• Cheerleader & Danzteam (CDT)
• Varsity Uniforms (VU)
• Universal Dance Association (UDA)
• Ozone (O)

External links

• Varsity Brands, Inc., Company Profile: http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=318844
• SEC disclosure by Varsity Brands Inc., includes discussion of potential business risks related to safety issues and the classification of cheerleading as a sport: http://www.secinfo.com/dr4ur.59y.htm