National Football League Cheerleading

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Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. National Football League Cheerleading, or simply NFL Cheerleading, is a professional cheerleading organization in the United States. 25 of the 32 NFL teams include a cheerleading squad in their franchise. Cheerleaders are a popular attraction that can give a team more coverage/airtime, popular local support and increased media image. In 1954, the Baltimore Colts became the first NFL team to have cheerleaders. They were part of the Baltimore Colts Marching Band.

Most NFL cheerleading squads are a part-time job. Often, cheerleaders have completed or are attending a university, and continue on to other careers after cheering for one to four seasons. The members participate in practice, training camp, games, appearances, photo shoots, and charity events. Apart from their main duties of cheering during the football games, the cheerleaders have many other responsibilities. Nearly every team member is available for appearances at schools, events, conferences, etc., for a set fee.

An anticipated annual event is the release of each squad's calendar, featuring members for each month in swimsuits, lingerie, or uniforms.

As well as being a mainstay of American football culture, the cheerleaders are one of the biggest entertainment groups to regularly perform for the United States Armed Forces overseas with performances and tours being enlisted by the USO. Teams send their variety show, an elite group of their best members, to perform combination shows of dance, music, baton twirling, acrobatics, gymnastics, and more. In February 2007, the Buffalo Bills even sent a squad of eight along with their choreographer into the war zone of Iraq. In 1996, the San Francisco 49ers Cheerleaders and their director Angela King-Twitero helicoptered into the war inflicted country of Bosnia with the USO and the U.S. Army. The U.S. troops in Korea have been entertained during the holiday season with the USO's Bob Hope Tour. Over the years, the tour has featured NFL cheerleaders from the Dallas Cowboys and the San Francisco 49ers.

Cheerleader competitions

The first "Battle of the NFL Cheerleaders" was held in 1979 in Hollywood, Florida. Two cheerleaders from each cheerleading team compete against other mini-teams in various athletic events. The events include kayaking, 100 yard dash, obstacle courses, and other events. The Minnesota Vikings Cheerleaders took home the title in 1979. In 1980, it was held in Atlantic City, New Jersey and the Washington Redskinettes were the champions. The winners were Shiona Baum and Jeannie Fritz, and each received a car as the grand prize. The competition was resurrected in 2006 by the NFL Network, and was called NFL Cheerleader Playoffs. The playoffs were taped between July 17 and July 21, 2006 at Six Flags New England in Agawam, Massachusetts. Two-person teams of cheerleaders from 25 of the NFL's 32 teams participated in a four-event series of competitions. The first two events tested the cheerleaders' athletic abilities in events like the 100-yard dash, kayaking, tandem cycling, and the obstacle course. The third event was a trivia challenge called "Know Your NFL." The final competition was a one-minute dance routine, similar to what they normally perform on NFL sidelines. The San Diego Chargers team (Casie and Shantel) defeated the Atlanta Falcons and St. Louis Rams squads to win the overall championship. The 3 teams finished in a three-way tie, with 210 points. The Chargers were declared the winners based on winning the dance competition.

Teams

Listed by name, with corresponding NFL football team.

Current or Last Name Year Established and Former Names NFL Team
Arizona Cardinals Cheerleaders 1964–1987 St. Louis Cardinals Cheerleaders
1988–1993 Phoenix Cardinals Cheerleaders
1994–present Arizona Cardinals Cheerleaders		 Arizona Cardinals
Atlanta Falcons Cheerleaders 1960s-1976 The Falconettes
1976–present Atlanta Falcons Cheerleaders		 Atlanta Falcons
Baltimore Ravens Cheerleaders 1998–present Baltimore Ravens
Buffalo Jills 1960-1965 Buffalo Bills Cheerleaders
1966-2013 Buffalo Jills		 Buffalo Bills
Carolina Topcats 1995–present Carolina Panthers
Chicago Honey Bears 1976–1985[1] Chicago Bears
Cincinnati Ben–Gals 1976–present[2] Cincinnati Bengals
Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders 1960s–1971 CowBelles & Beaux
1972–present Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders[3]		 Dallas Cowboys
Denver Broncos Cheerleaders 1971-1976 Bronco Belles
1977-1980 Pony Express
1993–present Denver Broncos Cheerleaders		 Denver Broncos
Green Bay Packers cheerleaders late 1950s–1961 Packerettes
1961–1972 Golden Girls
1973–1977 Packerettes [4][5]
1977–1986 Sideliners [6]
1987–2006 University of Wisconsin-Green Bay cheerleaders
2007–present UWGB and St. Norbert College cheerleaders		 Green Bay Packers
Houston Texans Cheerleaders 2002–present Houston Texans
Indianapolis Colts Cheerleaders 1954–1983 Baltimore Colts Cheerleaders
1984–present Indianapolis Colts Cheerleaders		 Indianapolis Colts
Jacksonville ROAR 1995–present Jacksonville Jaguars
Kansas City Chiefs Cheerleaders 1960s Chiefs Cheerleaders
1970s Chiefettes
1980s–present Chiefs Cheerleaders[7]		 Kansas City Chiefs
Miami Dolphins Cheerleaders[8] 1966–1977 Dolphin Dolls
1978–1983 Dolphins Starbrites
1984–present Miami Dolphins Cheerleaders		 Miami Dolphins
Minnesota Vikings Cheerleaders 1961–1963 Vi-Queens
1964–1983 The Parkettes (St. Louis Park High School)
1984–present Minnesota Vikings Cheerleaders		 Minnesota Vikings
New England Patriots Cheerleaders 1977–present New England Patriots
New Orleans Saintsations 1967 Louisiannes/Saints Dancers
1968 Mademoiselles
1971 Mam’selles
1975-78 Bonnies Amies
1978 Angels
1987-present Saintsations		 New Orleans Saints
New York Jets Flight Crew 2006 Jets Flag Crew
2007–present Jets Flight Crew		 New York Jets
Oakland Raiderettes 1961–present[9] Oakland Raiders
Philadelphia Eagles Cheerleaders 1948–1970s Eaglettes
1970s Liberty Belles
1980s–present The Eagles Cheerleaders		 Philadelphia Eagles
Pittsburgh Steelerettes 1960–1969 [10] Pittsburgh Steelers
St. Louis Rams Cheerleaders 1974–1994 Embraceable Ewes
1995–present St. Louis Rams Cheerleaders		 St. Louis Rams
San Diego Charger Girls 1960s-70s Chargettes
1990–present Charger Girls[11]		 San Diego Chargers
San Francisco Gold Rush 1979-present[12] San Francisco 49ers
Seattle Sea Gals 1976–present[13] Seattle Seahawks
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Cheerleaders
 1976–1998 SwashBucklers
1999–present Tampa Bay Buccaneers Cheerleaders[14]		 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tennessee Titans Cheerleaders 1975–1997 The Derrick Dolls
1998–present Tennessee Titans Cheerleaders		 Tennessee Titans
Washington Redskins Cheerleaders 1962 Redskinettes
1963–present Washington Redskins Cheerleaders[15] [16]		 Washington Redskins

Teams without cheerleaders

The Packers collegiate squad in 2009

As of 2015, seven teams do not have cheerleading squads: Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears, Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, New York Giants, and the Pittsburgh Steelers. The February 2011 meeting of the Packers and Steelers at Super Bowl XLV was the first time a Super Bowl featured no cheerleaders. The Packers do, however, use a collegiate squad to cheer at home games.[17]

The Buffalo Bills endorsed the officially independent Buffalo Jills from 1966 to 2013; when several cheerleaders sued both the Jills and the Bills organizations, the Jills suspended operations.[18]

Teams of "unofficial" cheerleaders began emerging in 2010 for NFL teams that don't have their own dance squad. These unofficial cheerleaders aren't sanctioned by the NFL or any franchise in the NFL and therefore are not allowed to perform at games, represent the football team at any outside functions, or use any of the team's branding or trademarked colors on their uniforms. The teams are sponsored by local businesses, and the cheerleaders perform prior to the game, at tailgate parties, and other local events. Some also attend the local NFL games in uniform, and sit together in their block of season ticket seats. Their audition process, costuming, and choreography are very similar to official NFL cheer teams. Some also produce an annual swimsuit calendar, just like the legitimate cheerleaders. All of the independent teams hope at some point to be embraced by the NFL as "official" cheerleaders of their local teams.

  • The Detroit Pride Cheerleaders were the first independent professional team, put together in August 2010 to support the Lions.[19] However, as the squad is not officially recognized by the Lions, it cannot use the Lions logos nor colors.[20]
  • The Gotham City Cheerleaders were organized in August 2011 to support all New York sports, but are most closely associated with the Giants. The team has also been known as the New York Unofficials, the Unofficial Dancers of the New York Giants, and the Gotham’s Team Blue Army Dancers.[21]
  • The Cleveland Spirit Cheerleaders were created in September 2012 to support the Browns as a test team to attract fan interest.[20] This cheer team was created by the same people responsible for the Detroit Pride.[22]

Pro Bowl

A top honor for an NFL Cheerleader is to be selected as a Pro Bowl Cheerleader. The group is composed of an all-star cheerleader (one from each NFL cheer team) that represents her NFL team at the Pro Bowl in Hawaii. The Pro Bowl Cheerleaders were founded in 1992 and directed by Jay Howarth and Angela King-Twitero. Each year, one squad member from every NFL team is chosen to participate in the collective Pro Bowl cheerleading squad.[23]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Cincinnati Ben-Gals
  3. ↑ Dallas Cheerleaders History (2007) Retrieved February 8, 2007.[dead link]
  4. ↑ Green Bay Packerettes, Green Bay Press-Gazette, Retrieved September 21, 2007
  5. ↑ Ex-Packers cheerleader writes winning slogan for fence, September 9, 2007, Retrieved September 21, 2007
  6. ↑ Legends on Parade to highlight Packers' Glory Years, Green Bay Press-Gazette, August 24, 2007, Retrieved September 21, 2007
  7. ↑ Kansas City Chiefs Cheerleaders History (2007) Retrieved February 8, 2007.[dead link]
  8. ↑ Miami Dolphins Cheerleaders History (2010) Retrieved February 10, 2010.
  9. ↑ Oakland Raiderettes History (2007) Retrieved February 8, 2007.[dead link]
  10. ↑ Steelerettes History (2007) Retrieved February 8, 2007.
  11. ↑ Charger Girls History (2007) Retrieved February 8, 2007. Archived February 2, 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  12. ↑ Gold Rush History (2007) Retrieved February 8, 2007.
  13. ↑ Sea Gals History (2007) Retrieved February 8, 2007. Archived January 27, 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  14. ↑ www.buccaneers.com Retrieved February 15, 2007.
  15. ↑ Cheerleader History Retrieved May 20, 2015.
  16. ↑ Archived January 26, 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ http://bigstory.ap.org/article/buffalo-bills-cheerleaders-halt-season-after-suit
  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

Team websites

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