It’s the most dangerous sport in the world
Cheerleaders are famous for always having a smile on their faces, even while they’re being thrown several feet into the air. Therefore, it might surprise you to know that they’re some of the toughest athletes around, as they compete and perform in the sport with the highest rate of catastrophic injuries. This is because of the frequency of fliers landing on their necks or heads.
There are regular “weigh-ins”
Though many sports come with expectations around body size and weight, few have as narrow a definition of the perfect body as cheerleading. Since cheerleading costumes show lots of skin, athletes can be removed from routines if they gain even a pound of fat. Many squads are even subjected to “jiggle tests” where they are forced to do jumping jacks to see if anything moves.
They have to pay for almost everything
While being a professional cheerleader is an aspirational career on the level of Victoria’s Secret model or Rockette, the job’s pay doesn’t match its prestige. Cheerleaders for major football teams are often forced to shell out around $650 for a single costume, which they replace themselves if it gets damaged. They can also be forced to pay to dye their hair if mandated by management.
Fraternising with the athletes is forbidden
Despite the fact that professional cheerleaders and professional athletes have a symbiotic relationship and work in close proximity to each other, any extended interaction is strictly forbidden. Pro-cheerleaders can be reprimanded for even eating in the same restaurants as the athletes and can be fired for attending parties thrown by them. Even innocuous colleague friendships between cheerleaders and linebackers can raise eyebrows from management.
Pay is often abysmal
Though most elite athletes are fairly compensated for their skills, cheerleaders can’t afford the high-end lifestyles of their contemporaries. Many major organisations have been known to pay cheerleaders just $9 an hour, with the payment coming in one lump sum at the end of nine or ten weeks of training and performing. With such low pay and high expenses, many drop out of the profession.
You have to train in multiple disciplines
If you have the goal of becoming a famous football player, then the path towards that is pretty clear: you play football as much and as often as you can. If you want to become a pro-cheerleader, however, there isn’t just one path. All-star high school and collegiate cheerleading is of course crucial, but it’s also necessary to study dance, gymnastics and acrobatics from childhood.
Even their bodily functions are policed
Signing on to dance for a major cheer team means agreeing to have everything about your appearance policed. Management dictates the colour and style of dancers’ hair, what nail polish they can wear and how long their nails can be, and even what underwear goes under their costumes. Some employee handbooks even mandate the kind of tampons cheerleaders must use whilst on their period.
Many cheerleaders have sued their teams
Considering the low pay, controlling management and strict body policing, it’s no surprise that several pro-cheerleaders have sued their teams over the years. Most of the suing dancers come from cheer squads that accompany teams that play in the NFL, such as the Oakland Raiderettes and the Buffalo Bills. In all cases, the dancers were suing for a guaranteed minimum wage and health insurance.
The injuries can get brutal
It’s especially shocking that many pro-cheerleaders are not given health insurance as standard when you consider that injuries are frequent, and can put a dancer out of commission for weeks or even months, during which time they would need dedicated and specialised psychotherapy. Torn ACLs and broken bones are common, as are concussions and bone bruises from the impacts of the lifts and pyramids.
They are told how to talk and what to say
The high standards that pro-cheerleaders must adhere to do not stop once the football or basketball game ends. They are also told how to act and speak when engaging with fans. Many are told not to use “I” or “me” more than once in a sentence, not to chew gum, and to be charming and personable with male fans while also not being flirty. Yikes.
