NFL Cheerleaders: Exploited Labor?

[jose melendez]

Five members of the Buffalo Jills are suing the people who manage cheerleaders for the Bills for a whole variety of workplace violations.
 
Among the craziest allegations
 

 
 
According to the lawsuit, the Buffalo Jills were given a list of 17 rules governing “general hygiene and body maintenance.” They included “how to properly wash ’intimate areas’ and how often to change tampons.”

 
 

 
 
The Buffalo Jills allege that Stejon and Citadel essentially ran a racket, forcing the women to buy calendars and other Bills-related items out of pocket and then sell them on their own time. They even imposed damages if they failed to sell their quotas, according to the suit. Each woman was required to buy 50 to 75 Buffalo Jills swimsuit calendars at $10 each and sell them. If she did not sell them, she was left in the red and “subject to further penalties at the discretion of defendants.” The same went for Jills golf tournament tickets and gift baskets, which could cost each woman $590. Other out-of-pocket expenses included travel and hotel accommodations for the events they had to attend and $650 in uniform costs, the suit says.

 
Granted, this isn't the Bills themselves, but damn it's another example of why I hate NFL ownership.  They really are the greediest bastards I can think of.  They have a complete and total monopoly and they nickle and dime everyone.
 
 
 

 

[TSC]

Deadspin has been running a series about this. It's not just Buffalo, a lot of teams are facing lawsuits for similar issues.
 
The Ben-gals
http://deadspin.com/rules-for-ben-gals-cheerleaders-no-panties-no-slou-1522379579
 
The Radierette's
http://deadspin.com/heres-every-finable-offense-for-raiders-cheerleaders-1507336361
 
Ravens
http://deadspin.com/nfl-cheerleading-is-a-scam-a-former-ravens-cheerleader-1509840273

 

[jose melendez]

It's kind of unbelievable.  It's not like they have to pay them $50K a year.  Pay them minimum wage and there's no issue and the cost is effectively nothing.  It's like it's not even about money, it's about the right to treat people however they want.

 

[absintheofmalaise]

The DoL closed the case against the Raiders in March.
 

 
 
And unfortunately for the Oakland Raiders cheerleaders who brought the complaint, the Raiderettes, the U.S. Department of Labor announced in March that it had closed its investigation of the case, concluding that the Raiders are exempt from paying their cheerleaders minimum wage, since they are considered “seasonal amusement.” The suit may go to private arbitration. Some of the Raiderettes still want to go to court.

 

[Buster Olney the Lonely]

Unreal. These teams should probably just have a bake sale to pay for the cheerleaders expenses. 

 

[absintheofmalaise]

Unreal. These teams should probably just have a bake sale to pay for the cheerleaders expenses. 

I'd rather they hold car washes. 

 

[jose melendez]

Do any of the teams manage the cheerleaders directly or do they all just sell management rights?

 

[Blacken]

It's like it's not even about money, it's about the right to treat people however they want.

There are two definitions of liberty in the United States and, unsurprisingly, they like the shitty one.

 

[jose melendez]

Anyone know what the deal with the Patriots Cheerleaders is?

 

[TSC]

Anyone know what the deal with the Patriots Cheerleaders is?

 
They're not very attractive?

 

[LondonSox]

The DoL closed the case against the Raiders in March.
 

"seasonal amusement"
1) WTF
2) Don't holiday santas get the minimum wage?
 
Please come and be leered at by thousands of men who mentally fuck you, if this isn't good enough we will financially fuck you too.
Quick sign my little girl up for that! She's so pretty and this is how I can show that!
 
Note to these owners you make billions and fans love these girls, minimum wage and not having to buy your crap to sell on at their own risk seems little almost literally the least you can do.
 
I would argue that being forced to buy Bills merchanise is a war crime. As may be the name Ben-gals

 

[Dan to Theo to Ben]

Five members of the Buffalo Jills are suing the people who manage cheerleaders for the Bills for a whole variety of workplace violations.
 
Among the craziest allegations
 
 
 
 
Granted, this isn't the Bills themselves, but damn it's another example of why I hate NFL ownership.  They really are the greediest bastards I can think of.  They have a complete and total monopoly and they nickle and dime everyone.
 
 
 

Jills are effectively locked out
 
http://news.yahoo.com/buffalo-bills-cheerleaders-suspend-operations-111053248.html

 

[SumnerH]

"seasonal amusement"
1) WTF
2) Don't holiday santas get the minimum wage?
 

Holiday Santas don't usually work for stores that are seasonal amusement. To qualify, the business either must operate less than 7 months a year or make at least 2/3 of its money in the best 6 months. And it must be an entertainment business.

 

[wutang112878]

This is insane.  For the $8B in revenue they get, they have to squeeze pennies like this?  The savings certainly dont seem worth the potential PR hit, and really makes the league as a whole look really bad.  Mr 'Protect the Shield' is a hypocrite if he doesnt step in and fix this.

 

[Old Fart Tree]

This is why I counsel no one to work in the professional sports industry; the expectation is that you'll do it for free, because "we're the [NAME OF TEAM]!!!"
 
Fuck that noise.

 

[BannedbyNYYFans.com]

I dated and lived with a Gold Rush (49ers) cheerleader for four years - trust me, it's a shitty job. But it's not slave labor by any stretch.  The calendar scam makes them at about $5K - $10k per year extra just by showing up at signing events the team sets up.  My ex also got a couple free trips to Hawaii to the Pro Bowl and a free trip to Europe for some NFL promotional thing.  She taught dance in the Bay Area and being an NFL cheerleader actually increased her quote for studios.  After she graduated college it even helped her land a pretty great marketing gig.  
 
Oh, and throw in two free tickets to every game for friends and family members. 
 
It's a terrible job in a lot of ways.  But these girls know what they're getting into and there are a ton of ancillary benefits if they're opportunistic.  

 

[SumnerH]

Holiday Santas don't usually work for stores that are seasonal amusement. To qualify, the business either must operate less than 7 months a year or make at least 2/3 of its money in the best 6 months. And it must be an entertainment business.

http://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/whdfs18.htm has the full wording.  In particular:
 

"Does not operate for more than seven months in any calendar year." Whether an amusement or recreational establishment "operates" during a particular month is a question of fact, and depends on whether it operates as an amusement or recreational establishment. If an establishment engages only in such activities as maintenance operations or ordering supplies during the "off season" it is not considered to be operating for purposes of the exemption.

 
If I were the cheerleaders, I'd be arguing that things like the televised draft are definitely "operating" as a recreational establishment and that they're operating more than 7 months a year.
 
I'm not sure what the NFL revenue curve is like on the 2/3 thing.

 

[Phragle]

Is there not a cheerleading forum to put this in?

 

[Van Everyman]

I dated and lived with a Gold Rush (49ers) cheerleader for four years -  

I'm guessing most of us stopped reading there.

As for the rest of your post, it sounds a bit less of a racket than the Jills' suit suggests. Tho I agree that the minimum wage thing seems unnecessarily penny pinching.

If reporters were smart, they'd ask St. Kraft what he thinks about this ... or better yet, what Myra thought of it.

 

[RG33]

I'm confused though, if the teams don't manage these folks, whey are we blasting the teams? I get that they could just do it themselves, but if they're not directly responsible for the alleged mistreatment, then why are they greedy bastards in this case?

I agree with BNYF that there are a lot of anciliary benefits, and that these girls are not doing this for any sort of income or career path in most cases. They want the freebies and the exposure that comes with it. I didn't date any former cheerleaders, but I went to school with a Pats cheerleader who I shared many classes with and I masturbated to her many times. She loved the gig.

 

[Ed Hillel]

Has Brandon Spikes weighed in yet?

 

[jose melendez]

I'm confused though, if the teams don't manage these folks, whey are we blasting the teams? I get that they could just do it themselves, but if they're not directly responsible for the alleged mistreatment, then why are they greedy bastards in this case?

I agree with BNYF that there are a lot of anciliary benefits, and that these girls are not doing this for any sort of income or career path in most cases. They want the freebies and the exposure that comes with it. I didn't date any former cheerleaders, but I went to school with a Pats cheerleader who I shared many classes with and I masturbated to her many times. She loved the gigIt

 
It's their brand, they get held responsible.  H&M doesn't have to physically operate the sweatshop for me to be mad at them.  

What bugs me is all the teams have to do is pay $10/hour and no one cares.   

 

[Leather]

Stepdaughter of a friend of ours just made the Vikings cheer squad earlier this week.
 
I wonder if she's read this shit.  

 

[Toe Nash]

I dated and lived with a Gold Rush (49ers) cheerleader for four years - trust me, it's a shitty job. But it's not slave labor by any stretch.  The calendar scam makes them at about $5K - $10k per year extra just by showing up at signing events the team sets up.  My ex also got a couple free trips to Hawaii to the Pro Bowl and a free trip to Europe for some NFL promotional thing.  She taught dance in the Bay Area and being an NFL cheerleader actually increased her quote for studios.  After she graduated college it even helped her land a pretty great marketing gig.
 
Oh, and throw in two free tickets to every game for friends and family members. 
 
It's a terrible job in a lot of ways.  But these girls know what they're getting into and there are a ton of ancillary benefits if they're opportunistic.

This is the same rationale give for lots of unpaid internships, and guess what? Those are bullshit too. Maybe it makes you more attractive for a future job but it's still exploitation (and it's unequal -- this basically means that there can be no cheerleaders who don't have a safety net / some other income).
 
And the 49ers seem better than the teams suing -- it specifically says the Ravens cheerleaders only make $300 from the calendars at most. The Jills had to pay their own way for trips. All they received for games was 1 ticket and a parking pass. Etc.
 
"Upon information and belief, between game performances, practices, rehearsals, and appearances, each individual Jill provides approximately 20 hours of unpaid labor per week inthe service of defendants the Buffalo Bills, Citadel, and Stejon. This equals 840 hours of unpaid work per woman, per year"

 

[Dan to Theo to Ben]

This seems a lady bits going too far:
 
http://deadspin.com/how-to-use-a-tampon-and-other-guidelines-for-bills-che-1567047406
 
I mean seriously, these are adult women, why are they being given instructions like this?

 

[BannedbyNYYFans.com]

This is the same rationale give for lots of unpaid internships, and guess what? Those are bullshit too. Maybe it makes you more attractive for a future job but it's still exploitation (and it's unequal -- this basically means that there can be no cheerleaders who don't have a safety net / some other income).
 
And the 49ers seem better than the teams suing -- it specifically says the Ravens cheerleaders only make $300 from the calendars at most. The Jills had to pay their own way for trips. All they received for games was 1 ticket and a parking pass. Etc.
 
"Upon information and belief, between game performances, practices, rehearsals, and appearances, each individual Jill provides approximately 20 hours of unpaid labor per week inthe service of defendants the Buffalo Bills, Citadel, and Stejon. This equals 840 hours of unpaid work per woman, per year"

Only on SOSH could people be so outraged and angry about this topic.  
 
I'm sure you're correct about the inequality among companies that own the squads.  My first hand knowledge was of the 49ers group (they also owned the Laker Girls) - and this was like ten years ago so things might have changed.  The girls had to buy a few hundred calendars at something like $5 each.  They then signed and re-sold them usually for $10 to $20.  Some car dealership or a sporting good store would promote "A chance to meet Terrell Owens and 49er cheerleaders!"  The dealership or sporting goods store would pay T.O. and the girls would be there selling calendars and talking to fans (kids, the elderly, the mentally challenged, and creepy guys with pony tails).  They'd sell a few hundred between that and a couple other events at local malls and usually make a profit of a few grand - some broke even, some made a lot.  Yes, they had to buy them and they were stuck with the bill if they couldn't sell them.  But the 9ers would set up these appearances and within a few days work they were generally sold.  As for your point of them needing another job, no shit.  It's a part time gig. A few months out of the year and ten to fifteen or so hours a week depending on the NFL schedule.  
 
I knew a bunch of the girls and most complained about one thing or another.  They didn't get paid enough and they had to deal with bullshit.  And they were right.  But guess what? 90% came back the next year and the year after.  Nobody was forcing them and regardless of how you feel, it opened the door to a shitload of opportunities. I saw it first hand - television jobs, radio jobs, PR and sales jobs.  Some girls really took advantage, some didn't.  But what do I know...I was an unpaid intern at CBS Sports who became a paid employee when I graduated.  I wish you were there to let me know I was being exploited.  

 

[jose melendez]

Unpaid internships are in many cases violations of US labor law also.  Many of them are valuable, but it gives a huge leg up to those who have the luxury of working for free, and undercuts the wages of those who don't.
 
My outrage in this is, as I mentioned, much less about the money, and much more about the colossal fucking assholes that football owners in particular and pro sports owners in general happen to be, and the fact that we subsidise them and give them anti-trust exemptions.
 
Also "I knew a bunch of the girls and most complained about one thing or another.  They didn't get paid enough and they had to deal with bullshit.  And they were right.  But guess what? 90% came back the next year and the year after."
 
That's pretty much the argument against all labor regulations of all kinds since the begining of time.  "Coal miners don't have to come back if they don't like black lung!"
 
The fact th

 

[jose melendez]

Jesus Christ how much do you want them to get paid? None of them are taking it as a sole source of income, so yes, they will need another job presumably. Should they be getting enough to get by for a year based off of 10 games and a couple appearances at a car wash? I agree they should get more than they do, but I think we may be going a bit too far here. The goddamn refs all had second jobs until recently...

 
Hey, I said if they paid them minimum wage, that would eliminate much of my concern.    Oh, and getting rid of the vagina cleaning manuals.

 

[Phragle]

You got something against clean vaginas?

 

[BannedbyNYYFans.com]

Unpaid internships are in many cases violations of US labor law also.  Many of them are valuable, but it gives a huge leg up to those who have the luxury of working for free, and undercuts the wages of those who don't.
 
My outrage in this is, as I mentioned, much less about the money, and much more about the colossal fucking assholes that football owners in particular and pro sports owners in general happen to be, and the fact that we subsidise them and give them anti-trust exemptions.
 
Also "I knew a bunch of the girls and most complained about one thing or another.  They didn't get paid enough and they had to deal with bullshit.  And they were right.  But guess what? 90% came back the next year and the year after."
 
That's pretty much the argument against all labor regulations of all kinds since the begining of time.  "Coal miners don't have to come back if they don't like black lung!"
 
The fact th

 
C'mon Jose.  You're one of my favorite posters here and I agree with the majority of your opinions.  But you can't compare cheerleaders to coal miners.  Cheerleaders don't need those jobs.  I agree they should be compensated minimum wage at least but none of them do it for the money.  It's an interesting, part time job that is pretty fun and brings a modicum of celebrity.  Half of them do it so they can say they're cheerleaders.  The smarter half do it for all the opportunities that come with it.  
 
Like you, I despise entitled NFL owners and I'm all for paying these girls more.  But let's keep things in perspective.  
 
Fwiw, I had a friend who was a late night MTV VJ.  He made no money - like minimum wage and wasn't compensated for all the on call time as a potential fill in.  But he got tons of "clean vagina" and supplemented his income with appearances.  Although he bitched at times, he knew the deal and did that gig for as long as possible.  I don't think it's all that different.  But what do I know...I was jealous of Garrison Hearst and my ex left me for a San Jose SaberCat. Never saw that coming... 

 

[SeoulSoxFan]

Is there not a cheerleading forum to put this in?

Adopt-a-Cheerleader

 

[caesarbear]

 
Cheerleaders don't need those jobs.

Who in the hell are you to tell them what they need. You tell people what internships they need? What education they need?
 
Just how many other high profile modeling and ambassador opportunities are out there?

 

[LionelHutz]

You got something against clean vaginas?

Is a clean vagina a BFOQ? 

 

[Devizier]

The DoL closed the case against the Raiders in March.
 

 
I bet someone in the DOL is getting better compensated than the cheerleaders.
 
To be honest, though, the whole thing is a scam. I don't know why any woman would do it.

 

[Toe Nash]

 

Jesus Christ how much do you want them to get paid? None of them are taking it as a sole source of income, so yes, they will need another job presumably. Should they be getting enough to get by for a year based off of 10 games and a couple appearances at a car wash? I agree they should get more than they do, but I think we may be going a bit too far here. The goddamn refs all had second jobs until recently...

They should receive at least the minimum wage for all the time they are required to work, and their employers should comply with labor laws, you know, the standard for every employee in this country. Not very complicated and I never stated otherwise. Some of them made literally a dollar an hour if the lawsuits are correct. 
 
On the inequality bit: There are many women who grow up with the dream of being a cheerleader (and perhaps, beyond that, a modeling or dancing career). Many of them may not have many other opportunities, but they may have the beauty, athleticism, and whatever other skills it may take to be a cheerleader. They probably worked very hard through school dancing and cheering. But if they are poor, they wouldn't be able to fulfill this dream and would be better off working at Walmart. 
 
Making minimum wage wouldn't be comfortable in most places and certainly they'd need to work another job to support themselves, but it would probably be the difference between being able to cheer and not for a good chunk of people.
 
I mean, they are making much less for more work than people cleaning the toilets in the stadium, or any number of jobs. This seems like a really basic thing.
 
And yes, people take unpaid internships because they led to greater opportunities, and that's a rational decision, but as Jose said, they depress everyone else's wages, excludes people who can't afford to work for free and exacerbate inequality. It's especially irksome for internships because going to college is supposed to in theory level the playing field* for people who have the talent to climb the socioeconomic scale, but unpaid internships reward those who can work for free and do the opposite.

 
*I'm under no illusions that college actually does that, but the internship requirements are a lot more hidden than something like tuition which ostensibly has a lot of financial aid help for low-income students.

 

[Reverend]

I think the point that a lot of people are getting at is: Why can't they just be paid a basic, reasonable wage without getting jerked around?
 
The proliferation of bullshit in work situations is not a good thing.

 

[Byrdbrain]

Well, right or wrong, the reason is there are many more people who want to be NFL cheerleaders than there are openings. Therefore the people running these organizations can do things a typical employer could never do.
 
Should there be some minimum standards met, I think most people would agree to that but until these lawsuits I don't think the plight of the NFL cheerleader has been at the top of any politicians agenda. 
Close the "seasonal amusement" loophole and just treat them like any other employee.

 

[Dan to Theo to Ben]

Well, right or wrong, the reason is there are many more people who want to be NFL cheerleaders than there are openings. Therefore the people running these organizations can do things a typical employer could never do.
 
Should there be some minimum standards met, I think most people would agree to that but until these lawsuits I don't think the plight of the NFL cheerleader has been at the top of any politicians agenda. 
Close the "seasonal amusement" loophole and just treat them like any other employee.

This is the case for many many different job opportunities." We have labor laws for such a reason.

 

[Byrdbrain]

This is the case for many many different job opportunities." We have labor laws for such a reason.

Did you read the rest of the post where I said they should close the loophole so those laws could take effect?

 

[Dan to Theo to Ben]

Did you read the rest of the post where I said they should close the loophole so those laws could take effect?

Yes, but it's not only a seasonal issue.

 

[Byrdbrain]

Yes, but it's not only a seasonal issue.

I was referencing post number 4 in this thread which states these organizations are exempt from many labor laws due to them being "seasonal amusement".
I'm saying that should be removed so that they need to be treated like all other employees.
 
So in these cases yes it is a seasonal issue.

 

[Toe Nash]

 
 
Frankly I see no difference between this and the "struggling artist". I was once engaged to an opera singer. She once took a job that was three months of rehearsals and productions for not much money. We figured out that over the course of it, she made about $1.75 an hour, ignoring the commute and time she put in at home. If you factored in that she had to take time off from the job that, you know, actually paid her bills, it cost her about $5 an hour. But it was a "stepping stone" and she did it gladly for the opportunity, experience and exposure. And she was one of the biggest bleeding heart liberals I've ever met. And I will tell you that we ended up splitting up because she did this repeatedly and I got fed up with it, despite understanding why she did it. 

I can see this point, except the opera industry isn't making billions of dollars a year, and the most famous opera productions probably pay decently relative to the money involved. I'm not sure the value that the cheerleaders provide to the NFL but it seems like it is probably more than minimum wage x 20 hrs a week x 20 weeks. If the teams decide that they're not worth it for that money, I have no problem getting rid of them altogether (The Steelers don't have cheerleaders, right?).
 
I'll admit I overstated some of the other stuff. I think Reverend as usual put it succinctly and well: The proliferation of bullshit in work situations is not a good thing.

 

[Byrdbrain]

Here is an opinion piece on the situation, she pretty much covers the same ground we have in this thread.
http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2014-04-25/nfl-cheerleaders-don-t-do-it-for-the-money

 

[BannedbyNYYFans.com]

Who in the hell are you to tell them what they need. You tell people what internships they need? What education they need?
 
Just how many other high profile modeling and ambassador opportunities are out there?

 
Haha, settle down, son.  If you think somebody "needs" to be a cheerleader you should get out more.  It's a part time job that literally consists of a maximum of 10 to 15 hours per week a few months of the year.  If you want to compare that to coal mining, knock yourself out.  
 
And nobody mentioned "high profile modeling" jobs.  Just that the exposure opens opportunities that they wouldn't normally have. 

 

[crystalline]

 
I honestly don't even know if you're being serious anymore or my sarcasm meter is broken. 
 
As stated, I agree they should make more than they do. But even at minimum wage, this isn't a job that can support the average person. So when you say something like 
well...you basically lose pretty much any credibility to your argument. Anyone working a seasonal job, at minimum wage, is probably going to need a safety net or another income to subsist. And it since it goes on, it certainly seems like the companies are complying with labor laws, at least as far if pay is concerned. Is that shitty from NFL billionaire owners? Yes. But let's not lose sleep over it huh? This isn't someone taking a minimum wage night shift at Dunkin Donuts so their kids can eat or to make rent. Hundreds of girls audition for a couple dozen spots - if any of them are relying on it as a significant source of income, then they should probably reevaluate their financial planning. And the labor laws are being adhered to or else these girls will win their lawsuits. 
 
As to your other point, if little girls around the country are "dreaming of becoming a cheerleader" then I think the bigger failure is their parents allowing that. I wanted to be a 3B for the Red Sox when I was a kid, but my folks taught me I should probably not plan on that being my career. I adjusted OK. 
 
Frankly I see no difference between this and the "struggling artist". I was once engaged to an opera singer. She once took a job that was three months of rehearsals and productions for not much money. We figured out that over the course of it, she made about $1.75 an hour, ignoring the commute and time she put in at home. If you factored in that she had to take time off from the job that, you know, actually paid her bills, it cost her about $5 an hour. But it was a "stepping stone" and she did it gladly for the opportunity, experience and exposure. And she was one of the biggest bleeding heart liberals I've ever met. And I will tell you that we ended up splitting up because she did this repeatedly and I got fed up with it, despite understanding why she did it. 

In summary, then, you are saying that you experienced personal pain from exploitative labor practices, yet you see little need to try to fix a similar situation with cheerleaders?

I'd think you'd be rooting for labor and angry at the decision makers like NFL owners that could make things fine by paying a wage that allows the non-wealthy to do those jobs.

It's one thing for classical musicians to be paid so little that only the middle and upper class can do those jobs: the shows make so little they might go away if labor costs went up. It's a totally different story in the modern NFL as cheerleaders could be paid 10x what they get now with little effect on the bottom line.

 

[wade boggs chicken dinner]

The cheerleaders should unionize.  Who is joining to organize them?

 

[Phragle]

Adopt-a-Cheerleader

 
Real Fantasy Cheerleader Skin
 

The cheerleaders should unionize.  Who is joining to organize them?

 
Umm no one? They're all fat.

 

[jose melendez]

I
 

 
Again, I ask what everyone getting so worked up about this thinks they should make for 10-15 events a year? $50k? Fuck it, these guys are billionaires, lets pay them $100k right? Won't make much of a difference to their pockets, right? Let's ignore the fact that these girls don't work for the team directly in most cases. Just like the concessions and security workers, they work for a contractor, who bids out and is the one that determines the pay and practices for these girls.
 
Either way, I assure you that not many of them are "wealthy". They just are smart enough not to rely on this to live on for a year. I used to work for the catering company that handled the bars at FedEx Field. I worked the 10 home games and a handful of concerts throughout the year in the end zones bars or the suites. I'd make good money, probably $300 or $400 per event. Did I expect to live off of that? Did I feel exploited because I had to have a second job? No. It was spot work and a cool experience. And there were plenty of hours I wasn't making tips but had to be there for set up or breakdown or cleanings or meetings or a bunch of other bullshit that I wasn't making minimum wage because I was a tipped employee. And I think that's a lot more than cheerleaders should expect to make per game and it was basically considered disposable income for me. As it was for most people there. Not a single person I ever met doing it was counting on that game's tips to keep the heat on or buy diapers. If that means we were all "wealthy", then march on in your quest for the oppressed. 
 
As I have now said repeatedly, they should be paid more, but as also stated above by others this isn't exactly guys risking black lung to feed their family in a coal mine. None of these girls is relying on this - and if they are I don't really feel sorry for them. I'm sorry they told them how often to change their tampon, but you know what, I'm betting at some point there was a girl that didn't and it led to them inserting that language into their manual to protect themselves in the event of a termination. 
 
As for my own personal experience iwth my ex, my issue wasn't with exploitative labor practices it was with a naive and unrealistic girl. There were plenty of jobs she could have taken and done both without putting a financial burden on herself or me. She chose not to and that was the point of contention. If she wanted to go work for nothing to chase her dream, good for her, but do it in a smarter fashion. 

How about this:  they pay them minimum wage, which is what, $8 per hour for games, practices and appearences (as a downside guarantee at least), and not set up the whole calendar concession so they're money is guaranteed but the cheerleaders face a risk of coming out behind. Of course, there's no right to a living wage from this, particularly if it's many fewer than 40 hours a week, we don't have that guarantee for anything (whether we should or not is a different issue).  But a spectacularly profitable business that enjoys massive subsidies, an antitrust exemption and so on, should at least be willing to not play fast and loose with the labor laws in order to save less than a game's worth of salary for a middling player.

 

[jose melendez]

Here is an opinion piece on the situation, she pretty much covers the same ground we have in this thread.
http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2014-04-25/nfl-cheerleaders-don-t-do-it-for-the-money

 
I'm not saying that cheerleaders are coal miners, but the "if they don't like it, don't do it" argument is, as I said before, the basic argument against every labor protection there is.  It's straight up libertareanism--people should enter into whatever contracts they want.  I'm generally unsympathetic to that argument, and I'm particularly unsympathetic from the NFL, who, as mentioned before, enjoys all kinds of legal exemptions and publci subsidies.

 

[caesarbear]

 
Haha, settle down, son.  If you think somebody "needs" to be a cheerleader you should get out more.  It's a part time job that literally consists of a maximum of 10 to 15 hours per week a few months of the year.  If you want to compare that to coal mining, knock yourself out.  

So instead of cheerleading they should work a paying job right? And what if they already are working a paying job that doesn't pay a living wage? They should spend those extra 10 to 15 hours a week doing another job that still won't pay them a living wage and end up going nowhere? Where does exploitation even enter the conversation for you? Does it even occur to you that someone might do cheerleading for reasons other than getting dates? Does it even occur to you that coal miners are almost all men?