National Football League Cheerleading


National Football League Cheerleading, or simply NFL Cheerleading, is a professional cheerleading organization in the United States. 26 of the 32 NFL teams include a cheerleading squad in their franchise. Cheerleaders are a popular attraction that can give a team more coverage/airtime, popular local support, and increased media image. In 1954, the Baltimore Colts became the first NFL team to have cheerleaders. They were part of the Baltimore's Marching Ravens
Most NFL cheerleading squads are a part-time job. Often, cheerleaders have completed or are attending a university, and continue on to other careers after cheering for one to four seasons. The members participate in practice, training camp, games, appearances, photo shoots, and charity events. Apart from their main duties of cheering during the football games, the cheerleaders have many other responsibilities, the main one is marketing the team they cheer for. Nearly every team member is available for appearances at schools, events, conferences, etc., for a set fee.
An anticipated annual event is the release of each squad's calendar, featuring members for each month in swimsuits or uniforms.
Also many cheerleading squads have "Junior Cheerleading" programs, in which they teach children, usually in the 6-12 year age range, on how to dance, perform on selected gamedays with the main squad, and often NFL cheerleaders act as mentors and role models to the children.
As well as being a mainstay of American football culture, the cheerleaders are one of the biggest entertainment groups to regularly perform for the United States Armed Forces overseas with performances and tours being enlisted by the USO. Teams send their variety show, an elite group of their best members, to perform combination shows of dance, music, baton twirling, acrobatics, gymnastics, and more. In February 2007, the Buffalo Bills even sent a squad of eight along with their choreographer into the war zone of Iraq. In 1996, the San Francisco 49ers Cheerleaders and their director helicoptered into the war inflicted country of Bosnia with the USO and the U.S. Army. The U.S. troops in Korea have been entertained during the holiday season with the USO's Bob Hope Tour. Over the years, the tour has featured NFL cheerleaders from the Dallas Cowboys and the San Francisco 49ers.
In 2018, the first male dancers were added to National Football League Cheerleading.

Cheerleader competitions

The first "Battle of the NFL Cheerleaders" was held in 1979 in Hollywood, Florida. Two cheerleaders from each cheerleading team compete against other mini-teams in various athletic events. The events include kayaking, 100 yard dash, obstacle courses, and other events. The Minnesota Vikings Cheerleaders took home the title in 1979. In 1980, it was held in Atlantic City, New Jersey and the Washington Redskinettes were the champions. The winners were Shiona Baum and Jeannie Fritz, and each received a car as the grand prize. The competition was resurrected in 2006 by the NFL Network, and was called NFL Cheerleader Playoffs. The playoffs were taped between July 17 and July 21, 2006 at Six Flags New England in Agawam, Massachusetts. Two-person teams of cheerleaders from 25 of the NFL's 32 teams participated in a four-event series of competitions. The first two events tested the cheerleaders' athletic abilities in events like the 100-yard dash, kayaking, tandem cycling, and the obstacle course. The third event was a trivia challenge called "Know Your NFL." The final competition was a one-minute dance routine, similar to what they normally perform on NFL sidelines. The San Diego Chargers team defeated the Atlanta Falcons and St. Louis Rams squads to win the overall championship. The 3 teams finished in a three-way tie, with 210 points. The Chargers were declared the winners based on winning the dance competition.

Teams

Listed by name, with corresponding NFL football team.
Current or Most Recent NameYear Established and Former NamesNFL Team
Arizona Cardinals Cheerleaders1964–1987 St. Louis Cardinals Cheerleaders
1988–1993 Phoenix Cardinals Cheerleaders
1994–present Arizona Cardinals Cheerleaders
Arizona Cardinals
Atlanta Falcons Cheerleaders1969–1976 The Falconettes
1976–present Atlanta Falcons Cheerleaders
Atlanta Falcons
Baltimore Ravens Cheerleaders1998–presentBaltimore Ravens
Buffalo Jills1960–1965 Buffalo Bills Cheerleaders
1966–2013 Buffalo Jills
Buffalo Bills
Carolina Topcats1995–presentCarolina Panthers
Chicago Honey Bears1976–1985Chicago Bears
Cincinnati Ben–Gals1976–presentCincinnati Bengals
Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders1962–1971 CowBelles & Beaux
1972–present Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders
Dallas Cowboys
Denver Broncos Cheerleaders1971–1976 Bronco Belles
1977–1980 Pony Express
1993–present Denver Broncos Cheerleaders
Denver Broncos
Detroit Lions Cheerleaders1963-1974
2016–present Detroit Lions Cheerleaders
Detroit Lions
Green Bay Packers Cheerleaders1957–1961 Packerettes
1961–1972 Golden Girls
1973–1977 Packerettes
1977–1986 Sideliners
1987–2006 University of Wisconsin–Green Bay cheerleaders
2007–present UWGB and St. Norbert College cheerleaders
Green Bay Packers
Houston Texans Cheerleaders2002–presentHouston Texans
Indianapolis Colts Cheerleaders1954–1983 Baltimore Colts Cheerleaders
1984–present Indianapolis Colts Cheerleaders
Indianapolis Colts
Jacksonville ROAR1995–presentJacksonville Jaguars
Kansas City Chiefs Cheerleaders1964 Chiefs Cheerleaders
1971-85 Chiefettes
1986–present Chiefs Cheerleaders
Kansas City Chiefs
Las Vegas Raiderettes1961–presentLas Vegas Raiders
Los Angeles Charger Girls1960s–70s Chargettes
1990–2016 San Diego Charger Girls
2017–present Los Angeles Charger Girls
Los Angeles Chargers
Los Angeles Rams Cheerleaders1974–1994 Embraceable Ewes
1995–2015 St. Louis Rams Cheerleaders
2016–present Los Angeles Rams Cheerleaders
Los Angeles Rams
Miami Dolphins Cheerleaders1966–1977 Dolphin Dolls
1978–1983 Dolphins Starbrites
1984–present Miami Dolphins Cheerleaders
Miami Dolphins
Minnesota Vikings Cheerleaders1961–1963 Vi-Queens
1964-1965, 1967–1983 The Parkettes
1966 Edina High School and Mpls Roosevelt High School
1984–present Minnesota Vikings Cheerleaders
Minnesota Vikings
New England Patriots Cheerleaders1977–presentNew England Patriots
New Orleans Saintsations1967 Louisiannes/Saints Dancers
1968 Mademoiselles
1971 Mam’selles
1975–78 Bonnies Amies
1978 Angels
1987–present Saintsations
New Orleans Saints
New York Jets Flight Crew2006 Jets Flag Crew
2007–present Jets Flight Crew
New York Jets
Philadelphia Eagles Cheerleaders1948–1970s Eaglettes
1970s Liberty Belles
1986–present The Eagles Cheerleaders
Philadelphia Eagles
Pittsburgh Steelerettes1960–1969Pittsburgh Steelers
San Francisco Gold Rush1979–presentSan Francisco 49ers
Seahawks DancersSea Gals 1976–2019
Seahawks Dancers 2019-Present
Seattle Seahawks
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Cheerleaders
1976–1998 SwashBucklers
1999–present Tampa Bay Buccaneers Cheerleaders
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tennessee Titans Cheerleaders1975–1997 The Derrick Dolls
1998–present Tennessee Titans Cheerleaders
Tennessee Titans
Washington First Ladies of Football1962 Redskinettes
1963–2019 Washington Redskins Cheerleaders
2020–present First Ladies of Football
Washington Football Team

Teams without cheerleaders

As of 2020, six teams do not have cheerleading squads: Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears, Cleveland Browns, Green Bay Packers, New York Giants, and the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Packers do, however, use a collegiate squad to cheer at home games. Super Bowl XLV between the Steelers and the Packers in February 2011 was the first time a Super Bowl featured no cheerleaders. The Browns and the Giants are the only NFL teams that have never had cheerleaders, while the other aforementioned teams have had cheer squads in the past. However, there are reports that the Browns did have cheerleaders in 1971, but no records exist.
The Buffalo Bills endorsed the officially independent Buffalo Jills from 1966 to 2013; when several cheerleaders sued both the Bills and the Bills organizations, the Jills suspended operations.
Teams of "unofficial" cheerleaders began emerging in 2010 for NFL teams that don't have their own dance squad. These unofficial cheerleaders aren't sanctioned by the NFL or any franchise in the NFL and therefore are not allowed to perform at games, represent the football team at any outside functions, or use any of the team's branding or trademarked colors on their uniforms. The teams are sponsored by local businesses, and the cheerleaders perform prior to the game, at tailgate parties, and other local events. Some also attend the local NFL games in uniform, and sit together in their block of season ticket seats. Their audition process, costuming, and choreography are very similar to official NFL cheer teams. Some also produce an annual swimsuit calendar, just like the legitimate cheerleaders. All of the independent teams hope at some point to be embraced by the NFL as "official" cheerleaders of their local teams.
Male NFL cheerleaders as dancers for the past few decades have been rare due to social norms and marketability. However, in 1998 the Baltimore Ravens Cheerleaders began and started using male stuntmen in the squad.
Following trends in dance with popular summer dance series such as the Strictly Come Dancing franchise, So You Think You Can Dance, and World of Dance, where competitions are co-ed, in 2018, the first male dancers were added to National Football League Cheerleading to both the Los Angeles Rams and New Orleans Saints.
In 2019, the Seattle Seahawks, New England Patriots, Tennessee Titans, Indianapolis Colts, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Philadelphia Eagles added males to their squads, and the Seahawks cheerleaders became the second permanent co-ed squad after the Ravens. Most of the squads' male cheerleaders are involved in stunts.
In most situations, male cheerleaders are typically former college cheerleaders themselves, with a heavy emphasis on stunts and strength training.

Criticism and controversy

There have been criticisms that NFL cheerleading is sexist due to a notion that it is objectifying women, exploitative, and outdated.
In addition, several cheerleaders have sued their respective teams for violating minimum wage laws, mistreatment from management, and exploitative rules and behaviors.
However defenders and proponents of NFL Cheerleading have stated that cheerleading helps young women engage with the NFL at the most visible and prominent level, provide the NFL with role models for its female fans, and are a cost-effective way of promoting a team at events.
NFL spokesperson David Tossell in 2013 defended NFL cheerleading by stating, "Cheerleading has a long tradition in the majority of American sports at both professional and amateur levels; Cheerleaders are part of American football culture from youth leagues to the NFL and are part of the game day experience for our fans."
Male NFL cheerleaders have increased in the 2010s to help offset changing societal attitudes and concerns that NFL cheerleading was sexist.

Pro Bowl

A top honor for an NFL Cheerleader is to be selected as a Pro Bowl Cheerleader. The group is composed of an all-star cheerleader that represents her NFL team at the Pro Bowl in Hawaii. The Pro Bowl Cheerleaders were founded in 1992 and directed by Jay Howarth and Angela King-Twitero. Each year, one squad member from every NFL team is chosen to participate in the collective Pro Bowl cheerleading squad. They are picked by either their own squads or by the fans via Internet polling.

Notable NFL Cheerleaders