Appeals Court Affirms Cheerleading Is Not a Sport

A federal appeals court has upheld a decision that found colleges cannot count competitive cheerleading as a sport when trying to comply with gender-equity requirements.

In a decision released Tuesday, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on an appeal filed by Quinnipiac University in Connecticut, which had been sued by its volleyball coach after it tried to eliminate the women’s volleyball program in favor of competitive cheering.

The school contended the cheer squad and other moves kept it in compliance with Title IX, the 1972 federal law that mandates equal opportunities for men and women in education and athletics.

The appeals court agreed with U.S. District Judge Stefan Underhill, who found in 2010 that competitive cheerleading did not yet reach the level of a varsity sport.