A large majority of people think that NFL cheerleaders take back home heaps of money. During the famous league, the cheerleaders who grace the sidelines of American football games entertain the crowd with their energetic performances. They get to see a close-up view of the game.
In today’s times, being an NFL cheerleader is considered a glamorous job in the field of sports. How much money does an NFL cheerleader make? Continue reading further to find out the answer to the above question and learn more about cheerleading.
How much money do NFL cheerleaders make?
We know many of you are thinking that NFL cheerleaders must be earning tons of cash from their job, meanwhile, in reality, their job is not that rewarding. Let us share with you, that NFL cheerleaders are not paid an awful lot. As per various media reports, a professional NFL cheerleader is paid nearly $75,000 a year. On the other hand, a supporting cheerleader can make somewhat around $20,000 a year.
Professional NFL cheerleaders receive a salary of around $15-20 an hour. In addition to this, they can also get a hold of $500 in match fees, of which there are mainly nine or ten including the preseason. The supporting cheerleaders are just paid around $9 an hour. When we talk about their match fees, it’s half that of the professionals.
In the last couple of years, the salary of NFL cheerleaders has increased. And that has happened after complaints they were too low. Back in the day, the Oakland Raiders were asked to pay cheerleaders minimum wages after a complaint was filed against them in the year 2014. Prior to this, some reports stated the cheerleaders were paid only $5 an hour. Two former Raiders cheerleaders won a $1.25 million settlement with the team following the class-action wage theft lawsuit.
Which NFL teams have no cheerleaders?
There are a total of 7 teams who have no cheerleading squad and they are as follows: The Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, Los Angeles Chargers, New York Giants, and Pittsburgh Steelers. One main reason why these teams don’t have cheerleaders is the cold weather. These franchises play all their home games in cold cities and open-air stadiums. So it doesn’t make sense to have cheerleaders to entertain the crowd in chilly weather.
Some of the teams mentioned here have had cheerleaders in the past, but they bid adieu to the cheerleading squad due to various reasons. During an interview with the New York Times, Giants co-owner John Mara said, “Philosophically we have always had issues with sending scantily clad women out on the field to entertain our fans.” Bills had to get rid of their ‘Jills’ squad after getting sued in the year 2014. Five former Jills claimed that the cheerleaders were not paid for the hours they worked, ultimately winning a $3.5 million payout.
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