Welcome toFastCompanyDaily, our daily newsletter onLinkedIn, featuring a free article selected each day by our editors as well as a roundup of great advice on careers, hiring, innovation, and technology.
Visitfastcompany.comfor our top stories and breaking news.
NFL cheerleader salary: Years after wage lawsuits, the fight for fair pay in football goes on
It’s been almost a decade since an NFL cheerleader identified as “Lacy T.”filed a landmark wage lawsuitagainst the Oakland Raiders, claiming that the team violated labor laws by paying her what amounted to less than $5 an hour when rehearsals and unpaid events were factored in. Her legal salvo sparked a movement that quickly spread throughout the league, fueling debates about fair pay and gender-based discrimination hiding in plain sight within the very lucrative world of professional football.
Other lawsuits followed. Some teamsagreedto pay their squads in line with wage standards, in addition to settlements, and for a while it seemed as if real change was imminent. But was it?
As millions of fans turn their attention to Arizona’s State Farm Stadium for Super Bowl LVII this Sunday, it’s hard to say for certain how much progress has really been made. Areportjust last year from NBC News pinpointed the average pay for NFL cheerleaders to be about $150 a game, or roughly $22,500 a year, which is not much different than what it was reported to be in the original Raiders lawsuit. Although the rate varies depending on the profile of the squad, it’s clear that cheerleading, even at the highest levels, is a discipline in which compensation doesn’t match the level of hard work that goes into it.
And when you see figures like$4.47 billion(the average value of a team) and$2.05 billion(sponsorship revenue for the most recent season) splashed across headlines and press releases, it seems as if advertisers, players, snack makers, and just about everyone else from the NFLexceptcheerleaders are cashing in—with plenty of cash to spare.
That’s probably why the issue of cheerleader pay bubbles up like clockwork every year around Super Bowl Sunday. Avideoshared across social media platforms this week by More Perfect Union’s Jessica Burbank nicely sums up the ongoing state of affairs. “You’re telling me a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader makes less than a cashier at McDonald’s?” she says in the humorous video, which was viewed over 107,000 times on Twitter and over 290,000 times on TikTok.
In a deeper dive, Katie Thornton of theGuardiandeftlyexploresboth the cultural roots and the ongoing professional consequences of the fight for fair treatment in football. “There is something in the inherent, rigid femininity of cheerleading, it seems, that makes us less likely to take seriously the struggles those in the industry face,” Thornton writes. “Instead, we deride cheerleaders for embracing a type of femininity that many women have been encouraged to adhere to their whole lives.”
If you’re a regular football viewer, it’s perhaps something to ponder more than once a year. Cheerleaders, no doubt, do what they do out of a love for the game. Wouldn’t the game be better if the promise of fair compensation weren’t always so far afield?
In case you missed these stories...
Crazy and unbelievable that such huge Brands mistreated that bad their employees. Not only by violating a lot of labour laws, plus human rights and copywriting. #labor #NFL
Accounting Professional with a passion for Marketing, Leasing and Customer Experience.
11mo
A few salary tidbits.. an NFL towel/water boy’s salary is $50k plus perks.. mascots can earn $60k. It could be a matter of time when they roll out AI cheerleaders to entertain the crowds..
Next Trend Realty LLC./ Har.com/Chester-Swanson/agent_cbswan
11mo
Thanks for Sharing.
Thought Leadership Trainer. Founder, DIY Influence community. CEO, Persona Media. Cyber-curious, and Live on Cyber cohost. Teacher, writer, mentor. I drag genius from your brain. #ServeAtScale
11mo
Raise the issue till it’s no longer an issue. “You’re telling me a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader makes less than a cashier at McDonald’s?” … “And when you see figures like$4.47 billion(the average value of a team) and$2.05 billion(sponsorship revenue for the most recent season) splashed across headlines and press releases, it seems as if advertisers, players, snack makers, and just about everyone else from the NFLexceptcheerleaders are cashing in—with plenty of cash to spare.” Pay women. Pay fairly.
To view or add a comment, sign in
More articles by this author
No more previous content
-
Why we should be frustrated and bored more often, according to a cognitive scientist
Jan 12, 2024
-
Traffic deaths rose 30% in the past 10 years. Here’s what it will take to get to zero
Jan 11, 2024
-
OpenAI launches its store for customized ChatGPTs
Jan 10, 2024
-
How to have fewer meetings—and get more from them
Jan 10, 2024
-
I tried a 2-week negativity fast. Here’s how it went
Jan 9, 2024
-
The ultimate guide to what’s in and what’s out for workers in 2024
Jan 8, 2024
-
A practical guide to finding motivation and new meaning in your work
Jan 7, 2024
-
The housing solution ‘hidden in plain sight’ that Maryland and Mississippi are embracing
Jan 6, 2024
-
I’m a founder living with chronic illness. Here’s how I thrive
Jan 5, 2024
-
How to quit being a manager, without taking a salary hit
Jan 4, 2024
No more next content
Sign in
Stay updated on your professional world
By clicking Continue, you agree to LinkedIn’s User Agreement, Privacy Policy, and Cookie Policy.
New to LinkedIn? Join now
Insights from the community
-
Employee Relations
How can you build and maintain relationships with labor unions?
-
Supervisory Skills
What are the best negotiation strategies for dealing with labor unions?
-
Coaching & Mentoring
How can you ensure fair compensation after a promotion?
-
Employee Relations
How do you negotiate with unions?
-
Salary Negotiations
How can you negotiate a fair compensation package with a limited budget?
-
Conflict Management
What are the main differences between distributive and integrative bargaining theories?
-
Salary Negotiations
How can you communicate compensation changes with employees during a crisis?
-
Employee Relations
How can you address compensation conflicts without creating resentment?
-
Career Management
How can you negotiate a compensation package that includes more than just salary?
-
Staffing Services
How do you discuss compensation with job candidates?