There is even talk of making cheerleading an Olympic sport in 2004. Some experts worry that cheerleading has become nearly as dangerous as other sports. The National Electronic Injury Surveillance System indicated 4,954 emergency room visits by cheerleaders in 1980, and over the past 20 years that number has increased steadily. Though cheerleading has become more popular over the years, injuries are growing faster than participation. The most recent estimate showed 21,096 injuries associated with cheerleading last year.
Many colleges understate the number of crimes on their campuses.
Some colleges have not counted crimes that occurred on city streets running through their campus. Other schools have omitted on-campus rapes that were reported to crisis centers or local police rather than to campus security. Some have not counted incidents that took place in fraternity or sorority houses. Critics say colleges have wanted to avoid bad publicity. Campus administrators argue that federal reporting requirements approved by Congress in 1990 were too vague.