By Amanda Notley
Football, one of the most watched and talked about sports in America. A sport that not only draws millions of fans but millions of dollars of income to the the players, media outlets, and owners. There is little that money cannot buy in the football world. But sadly, this is not true for every employee of the NFL, one of the biggest group of individuals that sacrifice hours of their time and own money to live up to the NFL standards that feel this lack of income are the cheerleaders that help promote the game.
This has been an issue that has been brought up many times, most recently by 28 year old Lacy T. who filed a lawsuit against the Oakland Raiders after speaking to attorney Sharon Vinick who further analyzed her contract that was issued by the Oakland Raiders. Sharon Vinick found that the working conditions that the Raiders were offering the girls were illegal beyond all reason. They required the girls to follow the "bible" of the Raiders which ranged from keeping a celebrity "look-alike appearance" to maintaining their weight at only 4 pounds of their baseline. Without little or no pay to help them achieve this look Not only do the cheerleaders have a high standard to maintain but if they fail to maintain, especially weight, then they are benched or removed from the squad.
After Lacy T. only collected a mere $1,250.00 salary at the end of the season she realized that this was unacceptable and that the cheerleaders of the NFL deserve to be paid minimum wage at the least. These hours include the games, social gatherings, and publicity charities that they are required to attend. There are twenty-six teams that employ cheerleaders but only one, Seattle, states that they pay minimum wage to their cheerleaders.
Some women feel that this lawsuit is a threat to their sisterhood and is stepping out of line, and that it should be for the love of dance not the money that should be valued. What do you think? Should cheerleaders of the NFL be paid more than minimum wage or anything at all? At what point does this become a legal issue? Why?
Hess, A. (2014, April 2). Just Cheer, Baby. In ESPN. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
I don't think it matters what profession or job task you are providing but if you are employed I believe you should be paid minimum wage. The only instance where I do not believe this is true is if you agree to terms prior and know what you are doing for the compensation. For example I can think of summer work where I was paid a fraction of what you would do if you hired a company to do. The difference is I was a kid willing to do something to make some extra spending money.
ReplyDeleteIn the NFL there is so much money floating around I think to some extent money can be valued and its not just for the love of dance.
Courtney Cox
Its shocking that some of the girls feel that the lawsuit is out of line. I agree that it should be about the love for the dance and not the money because that's how I feel about football. If I had an opportunity to play in the NFL the money would not be a major concern for me, I would happily play for the love of the game. However, I think it is extremely demeaning to not even consider at least minimum wage for the girls. Its unbelievable that they are held to such strict requirements in order to maintain their position without any reward. It makes me wonder what the requirements are in order to be considered for the position? To me, its totally unfair and sexist considering that they must upkeep a certain appeal in order to meet the standards they hold to be pleasing enough to the eye. That was a lawsuit waiting to happen. Considering swim suit models or other professional positions that require woman to "sell sex" in which pay an amount that I guess makes it worth it for them, I would say the value the NFL holds on cheerleaders is not much higher than a stripper or a woman on the corner selling herself. This makes the point that cheerleaders are greatly under paid.
ReplyDeleteJonathan Robinson
I think that cheerleaders add an entertainment factor that can not be replaced. They bring lots of energy and their dance moves gets the fans pumped. They are always smiling and promoting the team. I first got word of professional cheerleaders’ salary a year ago. I saw a special on NBA cheerleaders on television. Many professional cheerleaders’ compensation is very very low. Many have second and third jobs to make ends meet. When it comes to why they do it, the common theme revolves around the love of dance. Amanda you pointed out that one cheerleader made $1,250 for an entire season. I know the DJ of the Indiana Pacers and he makes more than that in two weeks of work. It amazes me that pro sport teams do not want to pay their cheerleaders more. I applaud the Seahawks for being a catalyst for change, but I still think cheerleaders should get paid more than minimum wage. I’m unsure of when it becomes a legal issue because I don’t know what a cheerleader’s contract looks like. I think the cheerleaders should unionize, and have a voice in their situation.
ReplyDelete-David Sims
David brings up a great suggestion - i.e., that the cheerleaders should unionize. I was thinking about that too. What I wondered is if the players' union (NFLPA) would then have an ethical obligation to support the cheerleaders' union. In effect, they would be working for the same boss (especially since Roger Goodell is the one who negotiates settlements). I read the article posted by Amanda - it is incredible to me that cheerleaders are so underpaid! That seems like a lawsuit waiting to happen!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing on this topic Amanda.
Dr. Spencer