Cheerleading gets a bad rap: Is it actually that dangerous?

2/25/20 7:00PM

Anyone who has watched the Netflix documentary Cheer may have left the room thinking that cheerleading was one of the most dangerous activities you can engage in. For us, that was absolutely our takeaway, and so of course we had to dig out the data to see if that was true.‍

Just how bad is cheerleading?

‍Measuring just how dangerous a sport is isn't easy. Do you count a sprained ankle the same as a bruised rib? What about a broken leg? Is that worse or better than tearing your ACL? A solution to that problem is to use one standard measure. Concussions work well because they are (relatively) well-reported, but also relatively common.

Data compiled by fivethirtyeight.com reveals that actually cheerleading is one of the safer high school sports (at least in terms of concussions). Lacrosse is far more dangerous, as is basketball, soccer and -- unsurprisingly -- American Football.

What's really interesting about cheerleading though is that it's the only sport that is reportedly more dangerous to practice, than it is to compete in. For most of the other sports the concussion rate is somewhere between 4-7x higher in competition than it is in practice.

For cheerleading that's not the case, possibly because cheerleaders may not have all of the best safety equipment (mats etc.) when practicing, but the routines are exactly the same, and by definition, they haven't perfected them yet.

Max Knoblauch17h

American Airlines joins the flock, hiking bag fees amid higher jet fuel prices

American Airlines on Thursday announced that it, too, will be hiking the fees it charges customers to check luggage.

With the move, all four of the major US airlines, which together control about 80% of the US market, have now hiked their baggage fees in recent days amid surging jet fuel prices.

The change will go into effect on tickets bought on or after Thursday, the same day Southwest’s hike begins.

Since late March, JetBlue, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, Canada’s WestJet, and Southwest have hiked their fees. Experts expect more major carriers to follow, and to potentially tweak the pricing of other ancillary revenue sources like seat assignments and carry-on luggage.

American Airlines updates bag fees and Basic Economy fares

The change will go into effect on tickets bought on or after Thursday, the same day Southwest’s hike begins.

Max Knoblauch18h

Less than a year after implementing them, Southwest is also hiking its bag fees

Southwest Airlines has joined the growing list of airlines opting to hike their bag fees amid sustained higher jet fuel costs.

Starting today, the first checked bag at the carrier — which implemented bag fees less than a year ago — will jump from $35 to $45, and the second from $45 to $55. Southwest quietly disclosed the change Tuesday.

Southwest assigned the decision to “part of an ongoing analysis of the business and against the evolving global backdrop.”

As of Wednesday, jet fuel prices dropped to $4.16 a gallon, per the Argus US Jet Fuel Index, down from $4.81 on Tuesday following President Trump’s ceasefire announcement, which sent travel stocks soaring. Major airlines have shed some of those gains in premarket trading Thursday.

With the move to hike bag fees, Southwest joins JetBlue, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and Canada’s WestJet, all of which also boosted fees this month. Experts expect more major carriers to follow, and to potentially tweak the pricing of other ancillary revenue sources like seat assignments and carry-on luggage.