I enjoy watching American Football a lot, but I it’s more of a guilty pleasure. There are just so many problematic issues connected to the sport, especially in the highly-commericalized worlds of BCS College football and the NFL. One of the aspects I’ve always felt uneasy about is the performance of cheerleaders. It can be nice support, but so often turns sexualized, stereotypical and sexist. But they are a part of the billion dollar entertainment industry the NFL basically is.
Turns out, cheerleaders don’t even earn a decent amount of money with dancing and cheering on the sideline:
FL cheerleaders are generally paid about $50 to $75 per game. Some cheerleaders are paid monthly salaries ranging from $200 to $1,000. These salaries are usually given to elite cheerleaders who have been with the same team for a while or have extensive cheerleading experience.
After two preseason games and eight regular-season games, most cheerleaders earn about $500 to $750 per season, depending on what teams they cheer for and whether that team plays any additional home games in the playoffs. (source)
Okay, they train less than I thought (4 hours twice a week) so it can be a part-time job, but still, I would’ve hoped it to be more. Sure, other people who work in the stadium probably earn just as little/less, but aren’t cheerleaders ‘poster girls’ of the respective teams (read as: revenue generators)?
Additionally, thy apparently can’t socialize with players at all. Not only not in a “romantic” manner, but not at all. To quote from the Lemondrop interview with a New Orleans Saints cheerleader:
We can’t associate with the players. Like, if a player is at a club you are at, you have to leave. They are very strict on that rule. I think that is mainly through the NFL. We can do appearances with them, as long as someone from the team is there. We can’t be alone, you know, hanging out.
As I said: A guilty pleasure.
Thoughts?