U.S. Suggests Caution on Competitive Cheer as Sport

The U.S. Department of Justice filed a brief in the current lawsuit over gender equity in athletics at Quinnipiac University, suggesting skepticism of the university's claim that "competitive cheer" should be counted as a sport -- which would help the university argue that it is meeting its obligations to female athletes under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. The brief does not rule out the possibility that the activity could be a sport, but suggests close examination of whether the squad and its competitions are treated in ways comparable to other sports.