NFL CHeerleader Salary

How Much Do NFL Cheerleaders Make? The Real Salary

An NFL game, with all its top-notch performers and amazing plays, won’t be the same without the beautiful cheerleaders. I consider this the second most interesting part of the football games.

But how much do the NFL cheerleaders make? It turns out that an NFL cheerleader is expected to earn an average salary of around $150 per game day and anywhere between $50 and $100 for every public appearance.

But let’s get into more details about this topic to get a better understanding of the salary a cheerleader will make and the work that this job will entail.

How much do NFL cheerleaders actually make?

As I said before, information from credible sources leads us to believe that cheerleaders will make an average of $50 to $100 per public appearance and around $150 on average per game day.

The actual job of a cheerleader will be performing, to keep the crowd entertained. They will have to go through a lot of work and dedication to get to those hot and sexy performances that people know so well and love so much. So, how much do NFL cheerleaders make for one game?

The number of times an NFL cheerleader will appear will greatly influence the price they can expect per game.

Compared to actual NFL players it’s pretty obvious that cheerleaders will be paid considerably lower. In fact, it might surprise you to find out that they actually earn very little for such big events. They are so poorly paid that some teams will actually go as far as paying them below the minimum wage. Even so, these amazing girls with flawless performances and really pretty faces will have a set salary.

You might also like my article on the salary of NFL referees.

Not too long ago, the cheerleader’s salaries became the reason for a lawsuit. This has led team owners to increase these wages just a little, but at least things seem to move in the right direction.

One former NFL cheerleader actually came forth and said that she was paid a meager $3,000 for a full game season. This sum wasn’t even enough to cover her training expenses or the costs of cosmetics, makeup, hairdressing, and anything else required for an amazing performance. In fact, there are NFL clubs that would require cheerleaders to pay an entry fee per audition before even considering them for games.

Of course, not all cheerleading professionals or cheering teams are paid the same. It will depend on their experience and past exposure, of course. There is just a handful of cheerleaders that would say they get paid around $75,000 per NFL season. Even so, the highest-paid cheerleaders are still underpaid when compared to the actual players.

You will find some very interesting information about NFL cheerleaders in the video below

What is the actual job of an NFL cheerleader?

How often will you actually see cheerleaders in a game? The cheerleader team will usually be comprised of mostly very beautiful women ready to amaze you with their looks and their movements. Their main task is to stir up the crowd’s activity levels.

A great team of NFL cheerleaders will usually be able to not only entertain the fans but also raise the players’ enthusiasm levels and will to play. NFL cheerleaders are the ones who fan the flames of enthusiasm, fun, and excitement of the NFL teams and audiences. The NFL cheerleaders will come full of energy whenever the players seem to lose their game enthusiasm.

Cheerleaders will usually have no effect on the final result of an NFL game. At least not directly. Their cheering might boost the confidence of players, which might turn a few games around. Their most important role, though, will be of filling blank spots in the game while the players are resting so that the audience doesn’t get bored.

Most cheerleaders will work, or at least train, at student sports clubs or gymnasiums. Cheerleaders will start their preparation well before the game starts, by gathering in a spot where they change into their costumes and get their makeup and hairstyle ready.

They will try to look their best for each and every game. They will usually gather to rehearse in places where people won’t mind the additional movement and noise.

Not a lot of people will come to an NFL game just for the cheerleaders but there are a lot of people that would find it harder to attend the game if there were no cheerleading teams.

NFL cheerleaders’ salaries compared to other NFL salaries

NFL Cheerleaders PerformingIf you were to take all of the salaries of the people involved in the NFL and compare them, cheerleaders will be at an obvious disadvantage.

For comparison, the head coaches of the NFL teams will be paid up to $7M per season, while NFL players will earn on average around $2M per season.

You might think that the cheerleaders make at least more than the mascot. Well, guess what: they don’t! The average mascot will get around $25,000 per season and although this isn’t a lot of money for such an event, it will be considerably more than what the cheerleaders will make.

So are cheerleaders paid at least more than the waterboys? It might surprise you, but they aren’t. The average NFL waterboy will make around $55,000 per year, a lot more than the average cheerleader.

Required Characteristics of NFL Cheerleaders

Below are some required characteristics that NFL cheerleaders should have:

  • Practice every day – A team of cheerleaders should be ready to practice almost daily to ensure that they are in their best shape when it’s time to perform. They also need to be very mature, punctual, and reliable, and a daily training schedule will help with that.
  • Ability to inspire audiences through their performance – Cheerleaders will fill post-match, break, and timeout blank times with their performance. While performing, they should be able to boost the excitement of both the audience and the players. They should raise the fans from their seats and bring the stadium energy to the max. Most performances include a combination of cheerleading, musical shows, side songs, and band dances. Fans will only be engaged through amazing performances and they expect more and more from cheerleaders with each passing season.
  • Good healthy – As a cheerleader, you will need a lot of stamina, agility, and strength. You will have to be able to stir the crowds. This is why NFL cheerleaders are expected to always be in their best shape and practice day in and day out. Their performance will include some pretty dangerous moves and jumps, like the pyramids. These will require a high level of endurance.
  • Be a good listener – Most of the time you will have to be a very good listener and very obedient as a cheerleader to ensure that you would fit in with the team. You will also have to have a lot of respect for your team members.
  • Ability to communicate with the coach – There might come a moment when you be required to hold the center role. Take your job as seriously as possible and do whatțs best for your team.

Conclusion

So to wrap it up, how much does an NFL cheerleader get paid? Is it worth the job, will it be enough for you to get involved in such a sport?

It turns out that cheerleaders earn the least out of all the important participants in an NFL game. They make around $150 per game day which is pennies compared to the money they put in through training, makeup, hairstyles, and whatnot, to prepare for each game.

Frequently Asked Questions

Also, check out some FAQs related to cheerleaders’ wages:

1. How much do Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders make?

One of the most famous cheerleading teams in the NFL is the Dallas Cowboy team. This means that the salary of Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders will be slightly higher than that of other teams.

From what I could gather during my research, the Dallas Cowboys pay their cheerleaders an average of around $500 per match, which would translate to $15-20 per hour. This would bring the cheerleader’s salary to about $75,000 per year.

Being the best will also enable these cheerleaders to make additional money through different events they attend and advertising gigs. These cheerleaders have a strong fanbase as well, which will enable each of them to start an entertainment career at any point they decide they don’t want to cheer anymore.

2. Which NFL team has the most famous cheerleading team?

As said above, the Dallas Cowboys currently have the most famous cheerleading team in all of the NFL. They even have one reality TV show around their lives. Their follower base has overpassed 500,000 followers on Instagram alone.

3. What is the highest salary that NFL cheerleaders could get?

The highest salary a cheerleader would usually get would be the one offered by the most popular team, meaning that most of the time, without a strong reason, a cheerleader won’t get more than $75.000 per year.

4. Are all NFL teams required to have their cheerleaders?

No. Having a cheerleader team is not a must and only 26 out of 32 NFL teams will pay for a cheerleader team.

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