diff --git a/src/tablesort.js b/src/tablesort.js
index b52a96b..f128024 100644
--- a/src/tablesort.js
+++ b/src/tablesort.js
@@ -24,7 +24,10 @@
   };
 
   var getInnerText = function(el) {
-    return el.getAttribute('data-sort') || el.textContent || el.innerText || '';
+    if(el.hasAttribute('data-sort')) {
+      return el.getAttribute('data-sort');
+    }
+    return el.textContent || el.innerText || '';
   };
 
   // Default sort method if no better sort method is found