Being an NFL Cheerleader – Not Just About Shaking Your Pom Poms! Part 1
Betty Confidential goes inside the locker rooms to answer questions about what it takes to become a high-kicking cheerleader … from keeping in shape (yes!) to dating players (no, no!).
-Laura Schreffler BettyConfidential.com
If you thought all cheerleaders were stereotypical bottle blondes with fake boobs and few brain cells, think again. In fact, these rah rah enthusiasts are ambitious, hard-working girls who get a lot more flak and a lot less money than you'd expect! And this year, for the first time in 45 years, they're shut out of the Super Bowl! Neither the Green Bay Packers nor the Pittsburgh Steelers have a squad. Snap!
But what is being an NFL cheerleader really like? Betty Confidential went one-on-one with two former gridiron girls to get the truth. And although both say it was one of the most challenging experiences of their lives, it was also - hands down - the best.
DATING A PLAYER
Most teams in the NFL have a strict, no-fraternizing policy, which is the dating equivalent of window-shopping: you can look, but you better not touch!
"We physically signed a contract saying we weren't allowed to fraternize with the players," says Melanie Brown, 25, a former San Diego Chargers and Seattle Seahawks cheerleader (pictured above), who adds it's much easier for a cheerleader to be sacked, so to speak, than a pro. "I heard [the guys] had to sign one, too, but if it's between a cheerleader, who makes nothing, versus a player, who makes millions, who do you think will get fired?"
Brown, a one-time Pro Bowl cheerleader (one cheerleader from each of the 32 squads in the NFL is asked to cheer in this annual all-star game, meaning: she is very, very good) continues to say that when she started with the Chargers in 2009, her squad was minus one great cheerleader who didn't obey the rules. "[The league] will find out. A girl on my team didn't get asked back because she was hanging out with one of the players...and they weren't even dating!"
Although each team does have a different set of rules and some are allowed to date, most in the NFL are anti cheerleader-player relationships. Want proof? Christy Oglevee was fired from the Washington Redskins just two weeks after she started dating tight end Chris Cooley. At least their story had a happy ending: the two fell in love and tied the knot in 2009.
THE PAY SUCKS, BUT THE PERKS ARE GREAT. RIGHT?
These ladies work hard for their money. In fact, some even struggle with two to three additional jobs just to make ends meet so they can pursue their passion for cheering.
"Cheerleading is not a full time-job," Vittoria Woodill, a former Philadelphia Eagles (2006-2008) cheerleader, tells BettyConfidential. "[When I got hired by the Eagles] I was in school and working a job and coaching a cheerleading team. We all have other professions on the side. You're a balancing act; you have to work a 9-5 job." She adds, "It's not a steady income. Although we got compensated for practices and appearances, practices could get cancelled if the weather was bad. We had holidays off. We did not get benefits because we were only part-time employees, and not eligible for health insurance."
The standard pay wage for an NFL cheerleader is $75 per game; the squad leader makes $100. Although the pay stinks and there are no benefits, both ladies say they were compensated in other ways: namely, with travel, tickets and paid promotional appearance fees.
"We were lucky enough at the Eagles to get two season tickets to every game. We'd fly to Europe, and to Mexico for the annual calendar shoot," Woodill, now the nighttime anchor for Philadelphia's Tango Traffic network, tells us. "Free gym memberships were bonuses of being on the squad."
Brown, now a professional dancer who's appeared in films such as Iron Man 2 certainly isn't complaining. "[When I was with the Seahawks], we got paid for everything we did. Although it was minimum wage, we'd always get paid for four hours, even if we worked for 30 minutes." And although the girls attended several charity events per month for free, they were more than compensated for promotional appearances: they could make up to $500 for two hours of work.
Additionally, Brown says her squads received "free hair, free makeup, free tanning, free nails and free massages once a month. I flew to Europe to perform for the troops for two weeks, and was chosen to represent the Seahawks in Tokyo for a week. It was a free trip, everything was paid for. It's the best way to travel. The perks were so good that it was worth not being paid."
Although the bonuses might have been amazing, they certainly don't help the ladies out with rent, car insurance, or with putting food in their mouths. Which brings us to another topic…
LOOKING GOOD IS A FULL-TIME JOB
You've probably envied the NFL cheerleaders' perfect figures and sniffed derisively that they look like Barbie dolls - but guess what? It's part of the deal, part of their job. Just like a model has to stay thin to look like a human clothes hanger, perky boobs and a tiny waist is par for the course if you're representing the NFL, and as you can imagine, it isn't easy to do.
"You have to be physically fit. You're walking around in a sports bra and underwear all day!" Woodill exclaims. "When I signed my contract, I agreed to maintain my weight. I was allowed to fluctuate by a few pounds, because [the Eagles] understood that we're human beings."
So how did she keep herself fit and trim? Woodill abided by a strict low-carb diet, did Pilates and had regular sessions at the gym. Keep in mind she also had two four hour-long practices per week, as well as one to two games - which adds up to a staggering 20 hours of cardio a week! Can you imagine working that hard to look good?
Coming up in Part 2: Surviving try-outs and cheerleader Facebook etiquette!
Laura Schreffler is a former Daily News columnist now responsible for bringing you your daily dose of love advice at LoveTrekker.com.
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