The Economics of NFL Cheerleading: Low Pay, High Entertainment Value

From the teams to the players, the referees, the sponsors, the artists, the ticket prices and all the surrounding festivities, there is a lot of money involved in the NFL. On the other hand, the cheerleaders take a very small part of the pie, despite everything they contribute to the entertainment of the competition.

NFL Cheerleaders

Whether it’s the Super Bowl or Week 3 of the NFL regular season, seeing cheerleaders performing on the field is a common sight in the NFL and, frankly, synonymous with the sport and the country’s own culture. Cheerleaders have been part of the NFL game day experience since they were first introduced in 1954, playing a disruptive role that would later move on to other sports such as the NBA. Today, 26 of the 32 NFL teams have cheer squads that perform at their home games: the Bears, Bills, Browns, Giants, Steelers and Packers do not make use of this form of entertainment.

How much do NFL cheerleaders earn?

Unlike NFL referees, the league’s cheerleaders are paid by the league on a game-by-game basis. According to several insiders, cheerleaders who support the NFL pocket approximately $150 per game and between $50 and $70 for a public appearance on behalf of their respective teams. In total, that works out to something like $22,500 a year. The word ‘support’ is key here, because those who have been in the league the longest are considered ‘professionals’ and therefore earn more. It is understood that the most experienced women earn around $500 per game and between $15 and $20 per hour. It is understood that a professional entertainer, that is, the type who will appear in the Super Bowl, can earn up to $75,000 a year.

Why don’t some NFL teams have cheerleaders?

One of the reasons cheerleaders have such low salaries in the NFL is that they are not considered a necessity and, as such, qualify their work as independent contractors. In addition to the skepticism surrounding what is considered an unnecessary cost, there are also those who see the situation as a question of ethics. In fact, Giants co-owner John Mara once commented that, “Philosophically, we’ve always had a problem with sending scantily clad women onto the field to entertain our fans.”

Do they get paid more to work on Thanksgiving?

The answer is simple, no. Again, if we take the league’s referees as a point of reference, cheerleaders as well as referees can earn more for postseason work, however, that has no relation to a specific day on the calendar like Game Day. Thanksgiving or Christmas Day for example, both. days when NFL games are played.

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2023-11-21 00:02:49
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