（CEB|SHL Talent Measurement） In 1898,...
（CEB|SHL Talent Measurement） In 1898, the University of Minnesota was looking for a way to increase the fans' excitement during the games, so they created a "pep" squad or team. The first squad was a group of male students who performed acrobatic moves, somersaulted, and used megaphones to project their voices to the crowd and build spectator enthusiasm. Thus cheerleading in America was born. For the next 50 years, the popularity of these squads spread and cheerleading became a familiar sight at many sporting events. Cheerleading evolved into an athletic activity that eventually attracted more girls than boys, and by the 1950s, most high school squads were all girls. Further growth in popularity brought new challenges. Helped along by R.J. Hurkimer, who founded the U.S. National Cheerleaders Association in 1948, cheerleaders began incorporating difficult jumps and more acrobatics and even built various designs of human pyramids. Since the 1950s, the number of high school cheerleaders alone has grown to more than 180,000 participants across the United States. There are local, state, and collegiate competitions from every age group and every town. Many colleges now offer scholarships to attract talented athletes for these competitions. In 1963, the National Football League provided the United States' first professional cheerleaders. Today there are professional cheerleaders for almost every professional sport, including American football, basketball, soccer, and ice hockey. Referring to the above, how many cheerleaders are there in the United States today?
