Whether your NFL team is one of the 26 that has cheerleaders or not, it might be shocking to discover just how little these women are making.
In fact, the most a cheerleader earns across the NFL is between $70-$150 per game.
That includes mandatory public appearances, game days that last 10+ hours, and multiple weekly practices that may be as long as 6 hours. All for one game paycheck as little as $70.
A recent Outside the Lines piece featured what many would call the NFL’s dirty little secret: just how little the ladies, often the faces of their organization, are actually paid.
Some may say, “Well they aren’t bringing in any revenue, so why should they now earn money when they have never really been paid?”
Well, because they’re still employees. And as an employee, you are entitled to certain rights. And cheerleaders have none.
They aren’t given benefits. They aren’t on salary. They can get cut at any time and replaced with the next in line, which is in part why so many professional cheerleaders haven’t spoken up on this topic.
There are many occasions where these cheerleaders have to spend their own money to take care of hair, makeup and gym memberships – all for the glory of a $70/game paycheck and the “right” to say they cheer for so-and-so team.
While cheerleaders do get certain perks of seeing an NFL game from a perspective that very few get to experience, it takes a lot of behind-the-scenes work to get to the product on the field. And it’s time these women are paid a fair, not mention legal, amount for their efforts.
Featured image via Change.org
This article originally appeared on Gamedayr
