Gimme an 'L' (your honor)

So it’s come to this: Cheerleading has now been defined as a “contact sport.”

That’s right, sideline gawkers. And as usual, there’s a lawsuit behind all this.

A cheerleader in Wisconsin was upset at a fellow squad member who didn’t catch her as she fell while doing a stunt. So she did what any red, white and blue American would do these days. She sued her fellow cheerleader and the school district.

Fortunately, the Wisconsin Supreme Court slapped her down on both counts. But it did so by declaring cheerleading, of all things, a contact sport. And under Wisconsin law, that means cheerleaders can be sued only for acting recklessly.

This came as a great surprise to almost everyone who isn’t on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. As a lower court ruled in that very state last year, cheerleading isn’t a contact sport because, well, because it contains no actual contact between players on opposing teams, as in real contact sports like football and hockey. (And office Christmas parties.)

There you have it: Cheerleading stunts are getting more complex and dangerous, and cheerleading injuries are soaring. So are cheerleader lawsuits.

I guess it would be too much to suggest dialing back a bit and being safe.

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