Is Cheerleading A Sport Essay

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Cheerleading today is not considered a sport to many people. It has taken years to develop an understanding of what cheerleading actually is. In the past, cheerleading consisted of jumps and yelling cheers to crowds. However, over time, cheerleading has developed into a national sport with various stunts and activities in which individuals injure themselves every day. Many people in today’s society are stuck in ways of the past, ignorantly insisting that cheerleading is not a sport. This representation is the common thought because that’s how the activity of cheer has always been perceived. If more people were exposed to the facts of cheerleading, and what cheerleaders today do, there would be a better understanding of how it is an actual sport, with many dangers.…show more content…
Children as young as 5 years old participate in cheerleading. Due to the significant increase in participation, there is a large increase in injuries that occur. However, there is a lack of reporting in the sport because Cheerleading is not included in the regulated protection for athletics through the NCAA. Cheerleading injuries outweigh any other female sport in the amount of catastrophic injuries. “According to the NCCIR, collegiate cheerleading accounts for 70.5% of all female catastrophic sports injuries and high school cheerleading accounts for 65.2%” (Bagnulo 295). The high demands to the body with its gymnastic-like maneuvers is the main cause for cheerleading injuries. “From 1980 to 2007 the number of hospital visits for cheer injuries increased from 4,954 to 26,786” (Bagnulo 295). It is important to know this information to help individuals understand the dangers of cheerleading, and to help develop mandatory reporting for the sport for the future, in hopes to decrease the amount of injuries that take
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