MEMPHIS, Tenn., February 19, 2026 – Varsity Spirit, a division of Varsity Brands and a global leader in cheerleading, dance team and band apparel, camps and competitions, and yearbook, today announced that more than $300,000 has been raised for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® at Varsity Spirit’s 11th annual Friday Night Live 2026, a fundraising event held at the CHEERSPORT National All Star Championship.
The CHEERSPORT National All Star Cheerleading Championship, produced by Varsity Spirit, hosted over 70,000 spectators and athletes representing over 1,500 teams at the event in downtown Atlanta, making it the largest event in its history. Friday Night Live is a special event at the beginning of the CHEERSPORT competition weekend where selected teams come together to showcase their incredible routines for a great cause.
Before heading to compete in Atlanta, teams fundraised for St. Jude and spread awareness through their team’s social media accounts.
The top fundraising teams for Friday Night Live 2026 were:
- Cheer Express Miss Silver (Odessa, FL) - $51,266
- Maine Stars Glory (Eliot, ME) - $42,115
- Cheer St. Louis Archangels (St Peters, MO) - $38,961
- Mac’s All Star Senior Starz (Salt Lake City, UT) - $29,057
- Maryland Twisters Blackout (Sterling, VA) - $20,880
For the third year in a row, Friday Night Live teamed up with The League, bringing a live broadcast straight from the event to a sold-out crowd of over 5,000 spectators. CHEERSPORT has been teaming up with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital since 2015 where athletes, coaches, and fans raise money to support the mission of St. Jude. Since then, Friday Night Live has raised over $1.7 million for St. Jude. Varsity Spirit and Varsity Brands are also long-time supporters of St. Jude and have facilitated more than $16M in giving since becoming an official partner in 2011.
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Media Contact
Brian Bianco, media@varsitybrands.com
About CHEERSPORT
This year, CHEERSPORT crowned 234 Division Champions and awarded 10 Paid and 20 At-Large Bids to the Cheerleading World Championship. The event also featured enhanced coverage on Varsity TV, delivering a professional broadcast on both Saturday and Sunday that showcased the nation’s top Level 6 teams. This production included live commentary, routine breakdowns, interviews, and more, providing an in-depth and engaging experience for cheerleading fans everywhere.
About Varsity Spirit
Memphis-based Varsity Spirit, the driving force behind cheerleading’s dynamic transformation into the high-energy, athletic activity it is today, is the leading global source for all things spirit, including cheerleading, dance team, performing arts and yearbook. A division of Varsity Brands, Varsity Spirit is a leader in uniform innovation, as well as educational camps, clinics and competitions, impacting more than a million athletes each year. Focused on safety, entertainment and traditional school leadership, Varsity Spirit’s employees have been dedicated to celebrating spirit through its brands since 1974. For more information about Varsity Spirit or Varsity Brands, please visit varsity.com or varsitybrands.com.
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