There are a lot of injuries, including concussions, in the six-part Netflix docuseries. So former Deadspin writer Diana Moskovitz filed an open records request and obtained Navarro College’s concussion assessment plan. "Did we see these policies enforced in Cheer?" she writes. "The truth is, I can’t be sure. I watched all six episodes in a row and took notes on discussions about concussions, athlete safety, and injuries. The documentary shows you horrifying falls, lets you hear the thuds and the screams. A few times I saw what were glimpses of what are presented as concussion testing: standing on one leg, closing your eyes and touching your nose with each hand. But the focus after any fall, concussion or not, wasn’t on testing. It’s on the mandatory punishment: a drop means everyone has to do 50 push-ups. Cheer treats concussions much the same way a football or hockey broadcast treats them: an event happening on the sidelines, nothing worth paying that much attention."
TOPICS: Cheer, Netflix, Reality TV