CHEER SEASON 2 Addresses Navarro College’s Fall from the Top
By Movieguide® Contributor
CHEER SEASON 2 is a docuseries streaming on NETFLIX. CHEER features the Navarro College cheer team, specifically head coach Monica Aldama and cheerleaders Jerry Harris, Gabi Butler, Morgan Simianer, Lexi Brumback, and La’Darius Marshall. The series follows the Navarro College Bulldogs Cheer Team from Corsicana, Texas, as they prepare to compete in the 2020 National Cheerleading Competition in Daytona Beach, Florida.
In 2000, Monica, a graduated athletic cheerleader from the University of Texas, accepted a job as the head coach at Navarro University, a small school about 50 miles south of Dallas. Gradually, she built the program from the ground up, making it what it is today: the best cheer team in the country.
CHEER SEASON 1 follows the team as they prepare for and compete in Daytona, Florida, taking home their fifth Grand National Championship title. After the release of SEASON 1, Monica and the main featured cheerleaders quickly rose to fame and began traveling the country for press conferences, interviews, events, paid commercials, etc.
SEASON 2 picks up in January 2020, following Navarro’s cheerleaders as they compete against each other for a spot on the mat at the 2020 Daytona competition.
Unlike SEASON 1, CHEER SEASON 2 is not a goodwill story of teamwork and sportsmanship. From the very beginning, the team is splitting and many of the cheerleaders hold harsh feelings toward one another, specifically toward those whose fame seems to be taking precedent over their dedication to the team.
After COVID halts Navarro’s practices, they resume training in August 2020. But tensions continue to rise as Monica temporarily leaves to compete on DANCING WITH THE STARS, and one of the team’s cheerleaders is convicted of sexual harassment and soliciting sex from minors. As bad publicity, drop-outs, and public jabs toward their coaches and teammates rock the team’s solidity, the Daytona competition draws nearer. With their rivals, Trinity College, better prepared than ever, will Navarro’s internal issues prevent them from performing their best at Daytona? And is the system rigged against them in favor of Trinity College?
CHEER SEASON 2 reflects a humanistic worldview. The show focuses on a group of athletes as they compete against each other for a spot on the mat and other teams for the national title. Most of the characters reflect a self-centered focus, wanting to be the best athletes they can be. This mentality reflects the idea that reality only consists of what can be seen and that one’s value and purpose is directly tied to one’s accomplishments.
As a result, many of the people featured in the docuseries care more about themselves than others and fail their teammates or athletes because they are focused on their fame or their athletic advancement. Additionally, there are some elements of a romantic worldview as many of the characters also seek personal pleasure, self-fulfillment, and self-discovery. Individuals demonstrate this by attempting to find fulfillment in worldly pleasures such as success, fame, reference to partying, drinking, drug use, and sex.
CHEER SEASON 2 has mild violence. A few of the athletes injure themselves while practicing. Their injuries are not shown; however, they can be seen falling, screaming, crying, and/or rolling on the floor in pain. The athletes are pushed to their limit and several of them are shown vomiting after practice. There is no overt nudity; however many of the cheerleaders wear revealing, skin-tight athletic wear, and women often run around it sports bras and short shorts.
There are various references throughout the season regarding sexuality, sexual assault, and sexting. Most of these discussions revolve around the abuse of minors. Profanity is used throughout, usually appearing in clusters every fifteen minutes or so. The Lord’s name is also occasionally taken in vain. Many of the songs played throughout the episodes either as background music or for routines contain profanity or inappropriate references. Some of the cheerleaders are seen vaping and a few of them make drug references and discuss their risky behavior. Throughout the series, the cheerleaders are interviewed and reveal various details about their backgrounds including trauma, abuse, abandonment, death, crime, mental health issues, and suicide.
CHEER SEASON 2 has excellent production quality. Each episode switches back and forth between interviews with coaches and athletes and videos of team practice time. This gives viewers a full understanding of the issues and situations at hand. CHEER SEASON 2 also does not shy away from addressing the tough issues that lead to Navarro University’s fall from the solid, undefeated national champion team it had been known as for the past five years. They do not tiptoe around the hatred, frustration, and negative publicity that plagues the team or the internal controversies that help lead to its downfall. As a result, CHEER SEASON 2 does an excellent job of following Navarro’s whole story and fills in informational gaps that were not seen in the headlines.
While CHEER is an interesting and educational documentary regarding the world of competitive cheerleading, it does have several immoral elements and content that may be upsetting for some viewers.
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Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.
You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.
Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
