In the latest of many lawsuits recently filed against NFL teams for grossly underpaying cheerleaders, Manouchar Pierre-Val is claiming that while she was working for the Bucs she was not making bucks. She claims that the women who cheered for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during her stint there earned less than $2 per hour, and is demanding a check for her and her teammates to the tune of $661,000. Similar stories are being told league-wide by ex-NFL cheerleaders.
Essentially, professional cheerleaders make $100 per game, but are required to make extensive practice sessions and non-game events for which they are not paid. Other teams even require the women to buy gifts for each other at their own expense, to say nothing of travel and personal care costs.
The Bucs are just the latest team to be called out for these reprehensible workplace conditions. Pierre-Val is only seeking back pay which seems more than fair (via TMZ):
"Pierre-Val's number is based on the fact the team has roughly 34 women on the squad per season ... which means each lady would be owed close to $4k per year they cheered for the Bucs.
"We reached out to the Bucs for comment -- so far, no word back ... but we should note, the Bucs have previously filed court docs in response to the suit in which the team denies any wrongdoing."
The allure of cheering for a pro football team is a strong draw and brings with it a promise of opportunity, but for many it is also a full-time job that can't pay the bills (via Sports Illustrated):
"Pierre-Val decided to quit cheering because it was not a 'smart choice for her because she wasn't being compensated for the majority of the time,' according to her attorney.
"Pierre-Val claims she was receiving less than $2 an hour for all of the work she was required to show up for."
With the billions of dollars that are generated by the NFL, everyone working hard to make that machine run deserves a fair slice. NFL cheerleaders themselves generate lots of money by appearing on merchandise, calendars, etc. It's insulting that they are not even compensated on a modest scale for their services. They are basically working for free.
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