Should Cheer Leading be an Olympic Sport? There is a fascinating (and perversely funny) article in todays NYTs about the growing problem of “Cheer Moms.” Remember the “Soccer Moms” of the ‘90s? Well according to this article the Cheer Moms have taken up their place in a very big way. This is not what you think about cheer leading. There is no Rah-rah. No go team go. In fact, no team at all. It is mostly very pushy moms pushing their daughters into cheer camps and competitions that are mostly about full face make up, lipstick and glitter. Lots of glitter and jumping around starting at the early ages of something 5-6 years old. According to the article this brand of cheer is second only to football in concussions. And no, its not a NCAA sport. It is not covered by T9. Interesting that one of the leading experts in this area is Dr. Laura Grindstaff, professor of sociology at U.C. Davis and she is quoted at some length in the article. She is not a fan. Sorry I can’t link it. Maybe someone else can.