There’s been a cheerleader controversy brewing in a sort of backhall hushed tones sorta way this past month or so. I think it deserves more attention than it’s getting. Basically NFL cheerleaders are exploited. Bad pay. Crap treatment. Some sketchy job duties. It’s a shit job and some former members are calling out teams for how bad it is.

I’ve always kinda thought the NFL shouldn’t have cheerleaders to begin with. The arenas are too big to enjoy them at a live game and the TV really only shows them on commercial bumpers for split seconds mostly for T&A, so their choreographed routines and work are completely ignored. It seemed like a pointless job in this day and age. But, if the ladies want to try and parlay it into a modeling career or pay for school or whatever, who am I to call for the end of cheerleaders? It can’t be that bad a gig, right? Keep in shape, learn some moves, look hot and get paid. Maybe do a calendar or appearance once in a while. There are worse jobs. I figured there would be some negatives to the gig and it wouldn’t be perfect, but this is worse than I thought.

Some of the stories we’ve had break about the Saints and Redskins cheerleaders have been pretty gross. The surprisingly shit level of pay (not even bad pay, below bad pay) for the effort they have to go through to stay in shape and learn the dances. The absolutely bonkers rules that some teams employ, like the Saints cheerleaders who have to get up and leave if they are off duty and a player comes by the same social place they are. I don’t understand how that rule even makes sense. Some other news about creepy treatment of the Skins cheerleaders also came out. They went to an adults resort to take topless photos for creepy dudes and they had their passports taken in the process.

It’s one of those situations where you read some of the stories and you feel bad because you aren’t surprised. Of course this crap was happening. Cheerleaders are of course exploited, because why wouldn’t they be? Knowing Jerry Jones I can’t imagine some of the stuff that’s probably happened at some point just to Dallas. I wonder how many cheerleaders have quit because of creepy and demeaning stuff.

I don’t know who really cares about cheerleaders these days outside perverts. They don’t add anything meaningful to the experience. I’d rather watch another slow motion replay of a player eating dirt as a commercial bumper than another blatant shot of some cheerleader’s ass, which makes me feel skeeved out. If they eliminated cheerleaders at the end of all this I’d be fine with it. If they kept cheerleaders I’d be fine with it. But it sucks that they can’t even just have plain old cheerleaders without making it worse. If teams want to have cheerleaders, just fucking treat them fairly.