Cheerleading Entrepreneur Dies After Pickleball Accident

He left behind a billion‑dollar industry he helped create.

BY MOSES JEANFRANCOIS, NEWS WRITER @MOSESJEANS

Jeff Webb. Photo: Getty Images

Before cheer was recognized as a competitive sport and entertainment in its own right, entrepreneur Jeff Webb helped transform the activity into a multi-billion dollar business. After injury complications, he has died at age 76. 

After falling while playing pickleball and suffering a severe head injury, the 76-year-old was hospitalized. His family later decided to take him off life support after the accident, according to an email obtained by Cheer Daily. 

Webb Turned Cheerleading Into Big Business

Webb’s most recognizable brand, Varsity Spirits, was founded back in 1974, part of its parent company Varsity Brands. Primarily focusing on apparel and gear for cheerleading teams, Varsity Spirits expanded its reach with competitions and educational camps, becoming a dominant force in the industry. 

“Jeff played a pivotal role in shaping cheerleading as it exists today and in building a community that has impacted generations of athletes, coaches, and teams. In recent years, his contributions helped grow the sport both in the United States and globally, “ said a Varsity Spirits spokesperson. 

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Webb, who has been described as “John D. Rockefeller with glitter,” joined the cheer team as a high school senior. Despite being on the path to law school, Webb’s passion for the sport led him to take a role as general manager of the National Cheerleaders Association. 

After tensions with Lawrence Herkimer, a cheerleading innovator, Webb made his own group in 1974, Universal Cheerleaders Association, now known as Varsity Spirit. It wouldn’t be until 1992 when the company would go public, booming nationally and transforming cheerleading into a high-energy athletic activity.  

Varsity reportedly generated $2.5 billion in annual revenue. In 2014, Varsity was acquired by a private‑equity firm for $1.5 billion; Webb exited the company in 2020. Since then, Varsity and the United States All Star Federation have faced at least four antitrust lawsuits alleging they built a dominant ecosystem that pushed out competitors and drove up costs for families. Two of those cases have been settled privately, and another was dismissed with prejudice. 

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