During American football games, many fans come out to watch their favorite football stars play for their different teams and enjoy the dexterity with which they handle the ball. However, it is not only the footballers who create a spectacle with their dazzling talents during these football games; the other set of people who create a spectacle during these games are the NFL cheerleaders who come out to thrill the audience with their mesmerizing dance moves and mind-blowing choreography.
NFL cheerleaders are loved by football fans around the USA. This is mainly because they apparently help to liven up the atmosphere and bring a different touch of relaxing entertainment to the stadium which is usually filled with anxious fans praying for their teams to win. When cheerleaders storm the pitch to dance, they are often greeted with a roar of excitement from fans.
But, how much do these cheerleaders make per game when they come out to dance for fans during matches? Do they make a lot of money? Do you know what they get paid per year for dancing on the football field? We will tell you all about this presently.
How Girls Become Cheerleaders in the NFL
Before we talk about how much NFL cheerleaders get paid per game or in a year for their performances during football matches, it is important to know exactly how these cheerleaders land their cheer-leading jobs with their different football teams. Fans know a lot about their football stars but very few know about the identities or the income and work schedule of their cheerleaders.
According to sources, before any girl can become a cheerleader, she has to audition for the role and these auditions are not free at all. In most cases, the girls pay a $35 fee to audition for the role of a cheerleader. Some teams charge even higher for auditions. After paying the audition fee, the girls will then perform in front of a panel of judges who will pick the eligible candidates.
The job of an NFL cheerleader looks very glamorous from the outside; the girls wear shiny and beautiful outfits, dance in front of adoring crowds and meet with famous football stars. However, in reality, it is a very difficult job to do. This is because the girls usually spend between 30 to 40 hours per week at work. This includes about eight hours every week to take part in grueling rehearsal sessions during the NFL season. They also spend eight hours at the stadium cheering at each home game.
In addition to all the rehearsals and multiple hours at the stadium working, the girls are also expected make public appearances at community events including outreach occasions, as well as corporate and charity events throughout the year. This includes even the off-season period. So, how much do these NFL cheerleaders get paid for all these work that they do? Let’s find out.
How Much Do NFL Cheerleaders Make Per Game Or In A Year?
Cheerleaders have a job to keep the fans happy during football matches and liven up the atmosphere. Today, almost every NFL team has a group of cheerleaders working for them. However, according to sources, even though the job of the cheerleaders appears to be very glamorous, it is in fact, not a high paying job. In fact, the pay is so notoriously low that many NFL teams have faced lawsuits in recent years over what they hand out to their cheerleaders as paychecks.
One of the cheerleaders who complained about the low pay revealed that she earned only about $2.75 an hour while she was working for San Francisco 49ers. This translated to about $1,250 for an entire season. Another cheerleader who filed a lawsuit complained that she made $6.00 an hour for games and $12 an hour for appearing at special events. This brought her total earnings to about $3,000 for an entire season.
The fact that cheerleaders receive low wages as salary may be because the work itself is considered a part-time job by NFL teams. In fact, one of the requirement to become a cheerleader is to have other full-time jobs or be students in college.
However, these days, after a number of campaigns to bring about more fairness to the compensation plans for cheerleaders, the situation has changed a little. According to sources, cheerleaders now receive between $75 to $150 as wages per game. This figure excludes what they earn for other corporate appearances.
It is important to note that what cheerleaders earn is affected by state laws mandating minimum wages. For instance, in California, NFL teams are mandated to pay cheerleaders the state minimum wage of $10 per hour and not the flat $75 per game fee that many teams pay the girls.
