Paisley Smith gets a boost from her teammates at a cheer competition in 2024.

Shutterstock.com (background); Courtesy of Smith family (Paisley Smith)

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Is Cheerleading a Sport?

A leading group of doctors wants cheerleading to be recognized as an official sport. 

February 17, 2025
By Cailin Loesch

As You Read, Think About: What do you think makes an activity a sport?

Last summer, cheerleader Paisley Smith was practicing an Arabian tumbling pass. The maneuver involves a handspring. Then you do a backflip, but twist your body mid-flip. As Paisley’s hands hit the mat, her left elbow cracked.   

“I heard the snap,” recalls the 10-year-old from Bentonville, Arkansas. “It hurt really bad, and I was scared.” 

Paisley had broken her elbow. A surgeon inserted a metal screw in her elbow to help keep it in place. But she says the worst part wasn’t the pain. It was not being able to cheer. 

Paisley is one of the more than 3.5 million cheerleaders in the United States. Most are between the ages of 6 and 17. Paisley spends about 25 hours a week, year-round, practicing.

“This is a risky sport,” Paisley says. “You’re being tossed in the air by athletes your own age. They throw you as high as they can and try to catch you before you hit the ground.”

Despite the skill involved, cheerleading isn’t considered a sport by many high schools and colleges. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) wants that to change. The AAP is a group of doctors who set guidelines to keep kids safe and healthy. 

In November, the AAP released a report about the risks of cheer. The report also calls for cheer to be formally recognized as a sport. Experts hope this will improve cheer safety regulations.

Last summer, cheerleader Paisley Smith was practicing an Arabian tumbling pass. The maneuver involves a handspring. Then you do a backflip. But you also twist your body in the middle of the flip. As Paisley’s hands hit the mat, her left elbow cracked. 

“I heard the snap,” Paisley recalls. The 10-year-old is from Bentonville, Arkansas. “It hurt really bad, and I was scared.” 

Paisley had broken her elbow. A surgeon inserted a metal screw in her elbow. That helped keep it in place. But Paisley says the worst part wasn’t the pain. It was not being able to cheer. 

There are more than 3.5 million cheerleaders in the United States. Most are between the ages of 6 and 17. Paisley practices about 25 hours a week, year-round.

“This is a risky sport,” Paisley says. “You’re being tossed in the air by athletes your own age. They throw you as high as they can and try to catch you before you hit the ground.”

Cheerleading involves a lot of skill. But it isn’t considered a sport by many high schools and colleges. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) wants that to change. The AAP is a group of doctors. They set guidelines to keep kids safe and healthy. In November, the AAP released a report about the risks of cheer. The report also says cheer should be officially recognized as a sport. Experts hope this will improve cheer safety regulations.

Courtesy of Smith family

Paisley wore a cast for three weeks after she broke her elbow last year.

New Heights

Cheerleading began in the late 1800s as a way to pump up crowds at sporting events. Back then, cheerleaders mostly chanted and waved pom-poms. 

Today there are hundreds of youth cheer competitions in the U.S. each year. Cheerleaders create human pyramids and get tossed high in the air. These moves require skill and strength—and can be dangerous.

“The force and height of those stunts can put cheerleaders at risk for severe injuries,” says Eva Seligman. She’s a sports medicine doctor at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland.  

In 2023, nearly 19,000 emergency room visits were reported for female cheerleaders between the ages of 12 and 18. That’s according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. And many more injuries may not get reported. That’s because cheer injuries aren’t tracked the same way as those in official sports. 

“Once we understand what injuries are occurring, we can better prevent them,” Seligman explains. 

Cheerleading began in the late 1800s. It was a way to pump up crowds at sporting events. Back then, cheerleaders mostly chanted and waved pom-poms. 

Now there are hundreds of youth cheer competitions in the U.S. each year. Cheerleaders create human pyramids. They get tossed high in the air. These moves require skill and strength. They can be dangerous.

“The force and height of those stunts can put cheerleaders at risk for severe injuries,” says Eva Seligman. She’s a sports medicine doctor at Johns Hopkins Hospital. That’s in Baltimore, Maryland.  

In 2023, nearly 19,000 emergency room visits were reported for female cheerleaders between 12 and 18. That’s according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. But many more injuries may not get reported. Cheer injuries aren’t tracked the same way as injuries in official sports. 

“Once we understand what injuries are occurring, we can better prevent them,” Seligman explains.

Jumping Ahead

Experts are calling for cheer to be recognized as a sport by all state athletic departments. That would lead to stronger safety guidelines. At the college level, soccer players and gymnasts aren’t allowed to practice for more than 20 hours a week in-season. But many college cheerleaders are pushed beyond that limit.

Paisley looks forward to cheering in high school and college. She hopes the sport she loves gets the respect it deserves.

“Cheerleading has led to so many opportunities for me,” Paisley says. “And I’d be really happy to have more experts help us with what we need.”

Experts say cheer should be recognized as a sport by all state athletic departments. That would lead to stronger safety guidelines. College soccer players and gymnasts aren’t allowed to practice for more than 20 hours a week. That’s during the season. But many college cheerleaders are pushed beyond that limit.

Paisley looks forward to cheering in high school and college. She hopes the sport she loves gets the respect it deserves.

“Cheerleading has led to so many opportunities for me,” Paisley says. “And I’d be really happy to have more experts help us with what we need.”

Sports For All

In 1972, Congress passed a law called Title IX. It says public schools must offer male and female athletes the same opportunities. Since cheer is not an official sport, it doesn’t count under Title IX. So schools don’t have to include it when making sure athletes are treated equally. This can lead to unfair practices. For instance, many cheerleaders, most of whom are female, don’t qualify for athletic scholarships.

In 1972, Congress passed a law called Title IX. It says public schools must offer male and female athletes the same opportunities. Since cheer is not an official sport, it doesn’t count under Title IX. So schools don’t have to include it when making sure athletes are treated equally. This can lead to unfair practices. For instance, many cheerleaders, most of whom are female, don’t qualify for athletic scholarships.

Peter Joneleit/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

  1. How could recognizing cheerleading as a sport help to improve cheerleaders’ safety?
  2. According to the article, how has cheerleading changed since the 1800s?
  3. Summarize the main idea and key details of the sidebar, “Sports for All.”
  1. How could recognizing cheerleading as a sport help to improve cheerleaders’ safety?
  2. According to the article, how has cheerleading changed since the 1800s?
  3. Summarize the main idea and key details of the sidebar, “Sports for All.”
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