Update: Cheerleading is a contact sport, after all
In December, I blogged about the Wisconsin appellate decision holding that cheerleading is not a "contact sport," as the negligence statute defined it. The Wisconsin Supreme Court has disagreed. In its opinion, the court held that the fellow student who had failed to go to his proper spot could not be held liable for negligence.
This is a solid, common-sense decision. Clearly, the state legislature intended to shield individual students from negligence claims by fellow athletes. High school sports have some unavoidable dangers, including the fact that high school students sometimes lack coordination, skill, and even ordinary judgment. Most parents believe that the benefits of sports outweigh those risks. When a student accidentally injures a fellow athlete, the law does not need to be involved.
Hat tip: Sports Law Blog
