"Bring It On": Why Aren't Cheerleaders Paid A Fair Wage?

I remember the first time I came in contact with a Pro-League cheerleader. It was October 9th, 2008, a cold day for that time of year in the Bay Area. I was fourteen, and my stepdad was given Red Zone tickets to a 49ers v. Buccaneers game as a work bonus. The coveted Red Zone tickets meant we got to attend a V.I.P tailgate party with a catered meal, open bar and an exclusive picture with the 49er’s Gold Rush Cheerleaders. The moment we walked into the white fenced area, the cheerleaders were there, on a stage with the 49er’s logo as their background. It was hard not to notice how perfect they looked that day: curled bombshell hair, expertly done makeup with 49ers red lips to match their revealing outfits, and straight, newly whitened teeth. They looked so confident, like nothing could bother them, even when I could see their midriff prickling with goosebumps. I could only imagine how cold it was for them considering I needed two jackets to keep warm since the tailgate was in a shaded area near the stadium. They smiled through it all: the cold, the middle-aged men grouping and pretending to apologize to them saying “It was an accident” and standing around for at least 4 hours before the game with no breaks. I couldn’t stop thinking about how cold they probably were that day or that they never took a 15-minute break for the three hours we were at the tailgate. I think my 15-year-old brain thought these women probably got paid so much that it was worth it. When I think of that day now, I’m sure those women weren’t paid for that event or for cheering 10ft in front of me during the game.

In recent conversations of wage gap equality, I find myself astonished that cheerleaders and their poor pay rate aren't included in the broader, national discussions. It is a widely accepted statistic that women get paid about 30% less than men doing the same job in blue and white collar jobs. However, since men aren’t traditionally hired to be cheerleaders, the wage gap for cheerleaders seems to be mostly unnoticed because there are no comparable jobs between genders refuse to disclose information in the cheerleading world. While men are beginning to enter the cheerleading world at a professional level, there are no reliable statistics between genders to make a reliable comparison. It also doesn’t help that most teams, including the Philadelphia Eagles, refuse to disclose information about their cheerleader’s wages. As Amanda Hess, critic at the New York Times, said in a YouTube video posted in April 2018, a cable news person interviewing her about her first article about cheerleaders and wage equality in 2011 noted that “You might be the only person who cares about it.”

The wage gap between NFL players and cheerleaders is staggering. The average salary of an NFL player per year is 2.1 million dollars, but cheerleaders only get paid about $100 per game. Cheerleaders don’t get a base salary. The majority of cheerleaders don’t get compensated for their time in practice the amount of work they put in for a “part-time job.” However, let’s consider the fact that NFL players and cheerleaders have two completely different job descriptions and therefore, shouldn't have similar salaries. That could be a valid counter-argument made by the NFL. However, what if I brought in the wage gap between team mascots and cheerleaders into the public conversation? Their objective is the same during a game: bring up the fan morale. On average, a mascots base salary is $25,000 a year but can earn up to $100,000 a year. Both are expected to go to charity and exclusive VIP events, often interacting more with fans than players, but cheerleaders haven't been fairly compensated for their time and commitment since the introduction of cheerleaders in National League Sports. So how is it that cheerleader’s don’t get a salary in their contract negotiations? Most jobs allow for open-ended negotiations for salary contracts in 2018 so shouldn’t cheerleaders have a bit more say in what they want to earn?

It doesn’t seem like that is the case for any cheerleader wanting to go into the professional leagues, and the NFL has made that clear in recent court cases. Remember the recent Uber/ Lyft driver lawsuit where they claimed drivers were independent contractors and therefore, had to pay for their own expenses? The NFL is using the same argument here; According to an ESPNW expose article, The NFL has stuck with that stance in recent lawsuits because as federal law states, they don’t have to pay minimum wage to independent contractors. NFL teams like the Atlanta Falcons require in cheerleading contacts that the women should have “a full-time job, be a full-time student or be a stay-at-home mom” to make sure they aren’t responsible for paying a living salary to the cheerleaders. It gets worse from here. In a recent lawsuit filed by the Oakland Raiderettes, “ the suit alleged that the team did not pay the ‘Raiderettes’ anything until the season ended, did not pay for all hours worked and forced the cheerleaders to pay a large portion of their business expenses.” What kind of business expenses do they have? Well, along with travel expenses, it costs a lot of money to look pretty.

As a woman in the modern workforce, I’m fully aware of how differently I’m treated by people when I wear makeup. It’s not a written dress code, but it feels like an unspoken rule that wearing makeup makes women look more professional and therefore, taken more seriously at work. However, for cheerleaders, it’s a requirement. They in the public eye at all times: in front of cameras for games and interviews, interactions with fans and now their social media presence online. As a recently leaked Raiderette cheerleader handbook states, they need to “Look perfect at all times, everywhere, even off the clock.” They not only have to sell and represent the NFL brand, but their job is also to sell feminine perfection, and that costs a lot of money. I didn't find any articles talking about how much the physical upkeep costs it takes to fit into the rigid physical standards of looking like a cheerleader. That’s strange to me considering cheerleaders are critiqued mainly by the public for their appearance, not their talent in cheerleading or gymnastics. I tried to calculate the average price of being a cheerleader based on the leaked Raiderette handbook requiring that cheerleaders must have “cleaned and perfectly styled hair, [their] makeup is professional and complete” and the always need to be ready to be recognized in public. To get an idea of what it takes to maintain those physical standards, I compiled a list of expenses to show the high cost of these required beauty standards:

• Blowout hair appointments ($60 per appointment, more if they need to get their hair colored consistently.)

• Personal trainers to stay toned and fit ($280 a week)

• Professional teeth whitening ($650 per year)

• Paying for their makeup ($400-650, depending on brands used each year)

• Spray tanning in a salon ($50 per session)

• Full body waxing($200+ per session).

All added up, without the cost of uniforms and for 16 games in an NFL season, it would come out to be $7,290, give or take a few hundred dollars depending on the area where the cheerleader lives. If a cheerleader got paid $150 per game, they’d make $2,400 per season. Even if the cheerleader had enough time to do their hair, use self-tanner, buy cheap makeup, shave their entire body instead of wax, anything they can do to cut corners, their pay rate still couldn’t cover the costs of what it takes to be a cheerleader. Some cheerleaders would be okay financially if they had full-time jobs or had wealthy families that could cover their living expenses but others could be putting themselves in debt just to keep their job. The worst part is, they could be utilizing their skills and get paid good money at any other position in the mainstream workforce.

Cheerleaders in the last ten years have even more to add to their applicable work skills thanks to their social media prowess. In a LinkedIn article of Top Ten Employable Skills, employers look for communication skills, teamwork, interpersonal skills, technical literacy, and great multitaskers, among other skills,when hiring a new employee. Any professional cheerleader could easily put all these skills on their resume with the kind of work they do just for their cheerleading squad, let alone what they do for the NFL. As Regina Bailey, a former cheerleader for the Washington Redskins, states in a New York Times op-ed piece, she “developed a great sense of self-confidence and fearlessness; after dancing in front of more than 70,000 screaming fans” alongside the communication and public speaking skills she applies to her current position as an emergency medical physician and lawyer. They do so much more than dance around half naked during the fall and winter months. They sell an experience and an image to the NFL fan base on and off the field yet, NFL teams that “employ” cheerleaders fail time and time again to recognize how much cheerleaders add to their brand.

I think that the board members on NFL teams believe collectively the 30-40 hours a week cheerleaders spend on behalf of their respective organizations as more of a side gig, something that doesn’t require a lot of skill or a significant time commitment. Considering how much is spent in mandatory rehearsals, obligatory attendance to V.I.P events and televised games, and time spent maintaining their physique to make weigh-ins every week on top of the kind of time commitment of having a full-time job, school work or family life, it's an unrealistic expectation to put on any person, let alone talented, hardworking women. As many women in various articles have stated, they do it for the love of the sport and teams. It’s a graceful, honorable way of staying positive and optimistic about a bad situation on paper. The cold, hard truth is, the love of a game doesn't pay the bills. I'm excited to see that these women are advocating for themselves and defining their worth beyond their natural good looks. They recognize what they bring to the table, and NFL should compensate them fairly for all the talent, commitment and charisma they bring to NFL experience.