Column: Time's up for cheerleaders/dancers at NFL, NBA games

ATLANTA (AP) — This is not a rant against cheerleading.

That's a legitimate sport, played by elite athletes — men and women — who are worthy of admiration for their daring and skill.

There might even come a day when cheerleaders are competing for gold, silver and bronze at the Olympics.

None of which has anything to do with what happens on the sidelines of an NFL or NBA game.

Those are scantily clad performers are often leered at by fans — or, as we're learning, perhaps even worse.

The #MeToo era is the perfect time to retire these objectified, chauvinistic relics (and, while we're at it, ditto for the barely clothed women who climb into the ring to tell us what round it is at boxing and MMA events).