The Underpaid Life Of A Professional Cheerleader

There's been an ongoing argument about whether cheerleading is a sport. But for the Washington Redskins cheerleaders, it's a job. Unfortunately, it doesn't pay very well.

In an exhaustively researched piece for TBD, Amanda Hess breaks down the expenses of just trying out for a slot as a Redskins cheerleader, which total in the thousands of dollars. But should they actually make the cut, they only get paid $75 per game — and a full game day's worth of duties can last 12 hours. Unlike the Redskins themselves, the cheerleaders don't control use of their images, so the team can reproduce their photos in a variety of promotional materials without paying them a licensing fee. The cheerleaders are part of the Redskins' very successful and lucrative brand, yet they're paid next to nothing for their services.     Read more