Cheerleading is a Sport

The New York Times says that Cheerleading is the fastest growing sport while some Americans have yet to believe it. USA Today says, "they fail to distinguish sideline cheerleading from competition cheerleading. Sideline cheerleaders’ main goal is to entertain the crowd and lead them with team cheers, which should not be considered a sport. On the other hand, competitive cheerleading is a sport." According to the Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Advisers a sport is a "physical activity [competition] against/with an opponent, governed by rules and conditions under which a winner is declared, and primary purpose of the competition is a comparison of the relative skills of the participants." Competition cheerleading follows all of those guidelines which is why it is a sport. Just like basketball and football has rules for competitive play so does competitive cheerleading. Competitive cheerleaders’ goal is to be the best. They are awarded points for difficulty, technique, creativity and sharpness. The more difficult a stunt or tumbling, the sharper and more in-sync the motions, and the motions, the better the score. According to the National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research, cheerleading is the number-one cause of serious sports injuries to women. Emergency room visits for cheerleading are five times the number than for any other sport. So why do so many Americans not think cheerleading is a sport? Some say it is because they do not use a ball but Wrestling, swimming, diving, track, cross-country, gymnastics, ice-skating and boxing are recognized sports.