Recently, Cheer Theory posted on X claiming that Cheer Daily copied their meme about cheerleading being an Olympic sport.

Here are the facts:

Original Content and Timing

Cheer Daily published an article titled “Cheerleading’s Olympic Dream Deferred” on October 13, 2023. This article was the result of extensive research and included insights directly from key figures within the industry, including USA Cheer. Three days later, Cheer Theory published a similar article titled “Cheerleading Will Not Make Its Olympic Debut in Los Angeles 2028.“

Our article timestamp:

Cheer Theory’s Article:

Our article and articles that followed feature an in-depth analysis of why cheerleading’s Olympic debut was delayed, drawing on years of experience covering the sport at the highest levels, including the Olympics and World Championships for gymnastics. The detailed exploration of the topic and inclusion of expert commentary highlights the originality and thoroughness of our coverage.

Context Matters

Cheer Daily has a long-standing history of leading conversations in the cheerleading world. From our early days at Inside Cheerleading, where we pioneered digital coverage of major events, to our current work, we have always prioritized original, timely, and impactful content. The timing and content of our article are consistent with our approach to delivering news that matters to our audience.

On the day in question, much of the world was buzzing about breakdancing being added to the Olympics. We ran two posts as an A/B test on Facebook and Instagram, engaging our audience in a timely conversation about cheerleading’s Olympic potential. Cheer Theory chose to show only part of the story, omitting the broader context that influenced our content.

Independent Content Creation

Cheer Theory’s claim appears to be more about coincidental timing rather than substantive content. Given the nature of breaking news, especially in niche industries like cheerleading, it’s not uncommon for multiple outlets to cover similar stories. However, the suggestion that our work is derivative undermines the hard work and expertise that goes into our reporting.

It’s important to note that we had blocked Cheer Theory on our primary social media platform (Facebook) back in October 2023 due to the above incident where they clearly copied were inspired by our work. Given this, the claim that we saw and copied their post is simply untrue.

Experience and Expertise

I’ve been reporting on cheerleading and gymnastics since 2004 and have covered two Olympic Games and nine World Championships in gymnastics. My experience and long-standing involvement in the industry are well-documented. For instance, during the 2012 London Olympics, I was on-site handling social media for the vault finals—this level of experience speaks for itself.

Track Record of Innovation

Cheer Daily’s approach to covering cheerleading is rooted in years of pioneering digital content, long before platforms like Cheer Theory existed. For example, when I was with Inside Cheerleading, we were the first to provide live updates from college cheerleading competitions, a format that has since been widely adopted.

Timeline and Originality

Cheer Theory’s post about cheerleading as an Olympic sport was published three days before ours but didn’t gain much traction. This could be because the global conversation that day was focused on gymnastics and scoring at the Olympics. Our post, on the other hand, resonated with over 2 million people because it captured what everyone was thinking at that moment—cheerleading deserves Olympic recognition.

Receipts Are Ready

If anyone questions the originality and impact of our content, they can review the entire social media feed of Inside Cheerleading from 2004-2014. My contributions are clear, as is the innovation that I have brought to the cheerleading community when it comes to reporting and coverage of cheerleading as a sport.

The allegations of copying are unfounded. Cheer Daily remains committed to producing original content that informs and engages the cheerleading community. We stand by the integrity of our work and the impact it has had on the conversation around cheerleading’s place in the Olympic movement.

We appreciate the continued support from our readers and will keep striving to bring you the most relevant and reliable cheerleading news.