Global Life Insurance company is making a push to get cheerleading recognized as a sport. The company says cheerleading has the second most catastrophic sports injuries behind football. To make its point, Global Life published a graphic that drives home some statistics to back up their claim.

Last year, nearly 37,000 cheerleaders visited the emergency room. Concussion rates rose 25% between 1998 and 2008. After football, cheerleading is the leading cause of catastrophic injuries of high school sports. Should we recognize cheerleading as a sport, so they can receive the same level of training and medical care as other athletes?

www.GlobeLifeInsurance.com

– Bill Bradley, contributing editor