Turns out team enthusiasm on the field was masking disgruntlement behind the scenes for at least two Oakland Raiders cheerleaders. The duo has filed a suit against the team for wage theft—which has also prompted a Department of Labor investigation into the franchise’s treatment of the Raiderettes. (It is still unconfirmed whether the suit was inspired by The Simpson's episode in which Lisa tries to unionize Springfield’s football cheerleaders.)
The lawsuit claims the team has failed to pay its cheerleaders the legal minimum wage, and has made the women pay illegal fines and travel expenses. The Raiders pay their cheerleaders $1,250 for a season of 10 home games, which also includes rehearsals, and charity and marketing events.
What does this break down to? According to the lawsuit, less than $5 an hour. Because cheerleaders aren't human beings with living expenses—they magically turn back into mannequins between games.
The claimants say they hope the lawsuit will transform NFL cheerleading to include better compensation and labor practices. With the NFL already contending with lawsuits over player brain trauma, one would think they’d quickly decide to take the high ground in requiring reasonable cheerleader compensation. (Image: commons.wikimedia.org)
