Jeff Webb
Webb in 2023
Alma materUniversity of Oklahoma
OccupationEntrepreneur
Years active1974-present
Known forFounder of Universal Cheerleading Association and Varsity Brands
WebsiteVarsity website

Jeff Webb is an American entrepreneur and business executive primarily focused on the development of cheerleading. He is the founder of the Universal Cheerleading Association (UCA) and Varsity Spirit (along with its parent, Varsity Brands). He is the founder and current president of the International Cheer Union, the world governing body of the sport of cheerleading, as well as founder and chairman of The New American Populist.[1]

Education

Webb attended the University of Oklahoma where he was a yell leader for the school's cheer squad.[2] During college, Webb worked for the National Cheerleaders Association which was founded by Lawrence Herkimer.[3][4] He planned to go to law school but instead accepted an offer to work at the NCA, which launched his business career.[5]

Career

In 1971, Webb began working full-time for Lawrence Herkimer's National Cheerleaders Association (NCA). He went on to found the Universal Cheerleading Association (UCA) and Varsity Spirit in 1974 and would later purchase the NCA after Herkimer retired.[3][4] Like the NCA, the UCA began as a series of training camps and clinics for high school and college cheerleaders that eventually added cheerleading competitions.[3] Varsity Fashions is a cheer apparel and accessory brand.[6]

In 2012, Varsity merged with Herff Jones, an Indianapolis company that produces items like graduation apparel and class rings. Webb would serve as president and CEO of the company effective July 1, 2013. Webb's company had already become known as Varsity Brands. Along with Herff Jones, the company also oversees BSN Sports (which it acquired in 2013), Varsity Spirit, the UCA, and the NCA.[3][4][7][8]

In 2014, Webb became the Chairman of Herff Jones.[8] In 2016, he stepped down as CEO of Varsity Brands. Bain Capital Private Equity bought Varsity Brands for $2.8 billion in 2018. Varsity Brands' annual revenues exceed $1.8 billion, according to the company. It has more than 8,000 full-time employees.[5] As of 2019, Webb is Varsity Spirit's chairman,[9] and continues to teach and lead cheer camps.[5]

Webb is often credited with modernizing cheerleading by making it more competitive, bringing it to the mainstream audience with partnerships with ESPN, favoring more acrobatics and athleticism, and creating new outfit designs (among other things).[10][3] He is the founder and current president of the International Cheer Union, the world governing body of the sport of cheerleading.[11][12] He is also recognized as one of the leaders in the sport who has pushed for international recognition, including adding it as an Olympic sport,[13] even though he testified in 2010, that he never imagined that his competitions would establish a new sport; rather, he understood them as a publicity vehicle for his startup business.[14] Webb has been criticized due to the monopolistic behavior of Varsity in the cheerleading space. [15][16]

References

  1. ↑ Frost, Mikenzie (15 June 2019). "Squash Amash rally: "If Trump were here, he would say, Amash - you're fired!"". WWMT West Michigan. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
  2. ↑ Barnett, JA (12 January 2016). "Cheerleading in the Olympics and more with Varsity Brands founder Jeff Webb". USA Today. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Branch, John (14 March 2009). "Shaking Pompoms for the Grandfather of Modern Cheerleading". The New York Times. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
  4. 1 2 3 Buchanan, Leigh (22 February 2016). "The Battle for the Cheerleading-Uniform Industry Is Surprisingly Cutthroat and Appropriately Glittery". Slate. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
  5. 1 2 3 Mink, Michael (25 January 2019). "Varsity Brands' Jeff Webb Rebranded Cheerleading With Focus On Athleticism, Entertainment". Investor's Business Daily.
  6. ↑ Sherman, Elisabeth (4 May 2017). "The Evolution of the Cheerleading Uniform, From Bulky Sweaters to Crop Tops". Racked.com. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
  7. ↑ McLaughlin, Kathleen (11 December 2012). "Cheerleading CEO to become chief at Herff Jones". Indianapolis Business Journal. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
  8. 1 2 Sheffield, Michael (10 June 2014). "Varsity CEO named chairman of Herff Jones". Memphis Business Journal. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
  9. ↑ "Varsity Brands Announces the Appointment of CEO". Multi Channel Merchant. 10 April 2017. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
  10. ↑ Roberts, MB (11 September 2013). "The Birth of Modern Cheerleading". American Profile. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
  11. ↑ Mather, Victor (8 December 2016). "Great Moments in Cheerleading: Could the Olympics Be Next?". The New York Times. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
  12. ↑ Hendricks, Maggie (29 May 2017). "Behind the scenes as cheerleading works to prove it should be an Olympic sport". USA Today. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
  13. ↑ Hendricks, Maggie (29 May 2017). "Behind the scenes as cheerleading works to prove it should be an Olympic sport". USA Today.
  14. ↑ Text of Biediger v. Quinnipiac University, 728 F. Supp. 2d 62 (D. Conn. 2010) is available from: CourtListener 
  15. ↑ Stoller, Matt (14 Jan 2020). "This is Not a Democracy, It's a Cheerocracy: The Cheerleading Monopoly Varsity Brands". The BIG Newsletter.
  16. ↑ Libit, Daniel (21 Sep 2021). "A Tangled Jeff Webb Weaves Cheerleading's Olympic Dreams". Sportico.
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