Former NFL cheerleaders allege they were paid below minimum wage and subjected to abuse by management. Lawsuits are pending against the Cincinnati Bengals, Oakland Raiders, Buffalo Bills, New York Jets and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Many fans believe these hard-working dancers deserve higher wages, but others think the cheerleaders should just quit if they don’t like the pay. Some even think teams should dump them altogether.
Would teams really ax their cheerleaders? Apparently: Management suspended the Buffalo Jills cheer squad just days after plaintiffs sued the Buffalo Bills.
So these suits could herald the end of NFL (and possibly NBA) cheerleading as we know it.
As a former NFL cheerleader who later worked in professional-dance-team management, I’ve met women from every NFL cheer team.
My book “Professional Cheerleading Audition Secrets” helps women ace their pro cheer auditions. But while I spend an entire chapter discussing the numerous benefits of pro cheerleading, I don’t mention doing it for the money.
Sports franchises have no incentive to make cheerleading high-paying. It’s basic supply and demand: Hundreds show up at auditions for a handful of coveted spots, despite low pay. The teams could probably fill their sidelines with qualified dancers even if the positions were unpaid.
So why do women participate in this sport if it pays poorly? Well, I believe the non-monetary perks make this a dream job, regardless of hourly wage.
This sport gives cheerleaders a sense of sisterhood. They’re treated as local celebrities, and many parlay the experience and skills into more lucrative careers in entertainment.
Sponsors supply free merchandise and services. There are often travel opportunities, too.
Most uniquely, cheerleaders get to witness some of our greatest athletes score touchdowns or baskets from a few feet away. There are no better seats.
These amazing perks keep veteran cheerleaders returning year after year.
But what about the allegations? As an attorney, I agree the teams need to comply with laws, but I also know that everything’s only an allegation until trial.
These lawsuits will resolve whether any violations actually occurred, hopefully causing all teams to re-evaluate their policies to ensure they comply with laws on wages, proper employee/contractor classification and, of course, harassment.
But what will cheerleaders gain financially if the plaintiffs win? Why make such a fuss to define a “bucket list” opportunity as merely a minimum-wage job?
As far as the direct financial benefit, it’s a $3- or $5-per-hour deficit to correct, which might add a total of $1,000 or $2,000 in income for an entire season. That’s hardly enough to make an economic impact. Even at three times the minimum wage, cheerleaders would earn under $5,000 a year.
This is a seasonal part-time job. It’s not meant to be a sole source of income.
And the plaintiffs might lose. Some allegations even seem petty. For example, one cheerleader describes the $80 she spent one season on teambuilding gifts for her 40 teammates as an unreimbursed expense. That’s $2 per teammate.
Another allegation includes hours spent practicing routines at home or volunteering for charity to calculate the number of hours worked. One complaint mentions the time spent laundering uniforms and styling hair.
Don’t we all have to wash our work clothes and brush our hair off the clock? Don’t we all buy a gift for a co-worker now and then?
And if you feel burdened by spending $2 a teammate and appearing at a charity event, why would you even audition, knowing that friendship and charity is a part of cheerleading?
The privilege of being a member of that elite sisterhood is priceless, and any attempt to measure it in terms of cash dollars begs the question: Aren’t there things we do in life for more than just money? I say yes.
Flavia Berys is a former NFL cheerleader, now an author and attorney.