It’s half time. The sharp, clear voices of high school cheerleaders ring through the air as the bodies of energetic flyers are flipped across the sky. As the crowd goes wild, the girls chant repeating cheers that accompany the stunning performance.

Most athletes would argue that cheerleading is in fact not a sport. Even though cheerleading requires immense strength and technique, others who play sports such as football, soccer, baseball, and hockey beg to differ.

In an article recently written by the Associated Press from Fox News, U.S. District’s Judge Stefan Underhill commented on the dispute at hand regarding cheerleading being within the ranking of Title IX, which is where professional sports are categorized: “Cheerleading may, some time in the future, qualify as a sport under Title IX. Today, however, the activity is still too underdeveloped and disorganized to be treated as offering genuine Varsity athletic participation opportunities for students.”

Because of the heated debate on this topic, at times it is taken lightly. People who do not participate in cheerleading always assume and draw the conclusion that this sport is a joke in itself. Due to injuries involved in cheerleading, it should earn the right to be classified as a sport.

Any girl or boy who participates in cheer is aware of the level of dedication that ties together with the sport as a whole. According to recent statistics published by MSHAA (Missouri State High School Activities Association), cheerleaders are 60% more likely to receive head or spinal injuries than football and basketball players due to the physical actions performed.

According to a recent article written by Valorie Delp, writter for the Los Angeles Times, elaborates on the high injury risk of cheerleaders:

“While cheerleaders can easily suffer injuries like sprains and strains, widely published studies show that cheerleaders suffer more injures resulting in death and paralysis than any other sport including football.”

It is extremely difficult, requires the athlete to pay close attention, and has one of the highest risks of injury. As opposed to people’s common misconception of cheerleading being “bouncy, peppy girls whose IQs are only as high as the ponytail on their heads,” people rarely acknowledge these brave adolescents as anything more than that sports’ “number one fan.”

Cheerleading stereotypes usually apply to girls more than boys.Such rumors and myths consist of things such as: cheerleaders are required to be thin or skinny, not doing well in school, and that they have reputations as bad people. Not many people realize what kind of sport cheerleading truly is. Oftentimes, people don’t give cheerleaders enough credit, deeming them as just a large group of ditzy girls, flipping around on the floor yelling for their teams’ victory. I believe it is a sport and has the requirements to be ranked with other sports that this world praises. After adding up all of the strenuous workouts, high risk factors for injury, and persistent determination, cheerleading proves itself to be more than just pep and pom-poms.