Twenty-five of the thirty-twoNational Football League (NFL) teams havecheerleading squads who perform on the sideline during games.^[a] In 1954, theBaltimore Colts became the first NFL team to have cheerleaders. Apart from theNew York Giants, every current NFL franchise has had cheerleaders at some point in its history.

Cheerleading in the NFL is apart-time job. In addition to their main duties of cheering during football games, cheerleaders may have other responsibilities related tomarketing the team for which they cheer, such as paid appearances, photoshoots, and charity events.

As well as being a mainstay of American football culture, cheerleaders are one of the biggest entertainment groups to regularly perform for theUnited States Armed Forces overseas with performances and tours being enlisted by theUnited Service Organizations (USO). Teams send theirvariety show, an elite group of their best members, to perform combination shows of dance, music,baton twirling,acrobatics,gymnastics, and more. In 1996, theSan Francisco 49ers Cheerleaders and their director helicoptered intoBosnia and Herzegovina during theBosnian War with the USO and the U.S. Army. In February 2007, theBuffalo Bills sent a squad of eight along with theirchoreographer into thewarzone of Iraq. 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 theDallas Cowboys,San Francisco 49ers, andWashington Commanders.

As of 2025, seven teams do not have cheerleading squads: theBuffalo Bills,Chicago Bears,Cleveland Browns,Los Angeles Chargers,New York Giants,New York Jets, andPittsburgh Steelers. The Giants are the only existing NFL franchise that has never had cheerleaders.

The Buffalo Bills endorsed the officially independentBuffalo Jills from 1966 to 2013; when several cheerleaders sued both the Bills and the Jills organizations, the Jills suspended operations.^[22]

Because the Packers' cheerleading squads only perform at home games,Super Bowl XLV between the Steelers and the Packers was the first Super Bowl to not feature cheerleaders.

Teams of "unofficial" cheerleaders began emerging in 2010 for NFL teams that did not have their own dance squad. These unofficial cheerleaders are not 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 official 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.^[23] However, as the squad was not officially recognized by the Lions, it could not use the Lions' logos nor colors.^[24] In 2016, the Lions started an official cheerleading squad.
• 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.^[25]
• The Cleveland Spirit Cheerleaders were created in September 2012 to support the Browns as a test team to attract fan interest.^[24] This cheer team was created by the same people responsible for the Detroit Pride.^[26]

Glenn Welt was the first male to try out as an NFL cheerleader, doing so on May 20, 1978.^{[citation needed]} The Miami Dolphins would not let him compete when he arrived at theOrange Bowl in Miami.^[27] The incident later became a nationwide news story, led to a federal anti-discrimination case,^[28] and wasspoofed on a November 1979 episode ofMork & Mindy.^[29] The episode caused plans for a CBS made-for-TV movie starringRobin Williams as Welt to be scrapped, while also misrepresenting Welt and male cheerleaders in general when Williams pranced onto a football field dressed in a female outfit.^{[30][31][32][33][34][35][36][excessive citations]}

Male NFL cheerleaders as dancers for the past few decades have been rare due to social norms and marketability. However, in 1998 theBaltimore Ravens Cheerleaders were the first squad to start using malestuntmen.

Following trends in dance with popular summer dance series such asStrictly Come Dancing franchise,So You Think You Can Dance, andWorld of Dance, where competitions are co-ed, in 2009, the first male dancers were added to theNational Football League by theDallas Cowboys. The Cowboys introduced the Rhythm & Blue Dancers, founded by Charlotte Jones and directed by Jenny Durbin Smith, becoming the first co-ed dance team in NFL history. They perform at every home game on stage, at halftime and on the sidelines, with their dynamic hip-hop dancing, stunting, freestyle, and tumbling. They are also responsible for the first NFL drum corp and in 2017 created a 7–16 year old co-ed hip-hop dance team called the Dallas Cowboys Rookie Squad. In 2018, theLos Angeles Rams andNew Orleans Saints adopted male dancers to their dance teams as well.^[37]

In 2019, theSeattle Seahawks,New England Patriots,Tennessee Titans,Indianapolis Colts,Tampa Bay Buccaneers^[38] andPhiladelphia Eagles added males to their squads, and the Seahawks cheerleaders became the second permanent co-ed squad after the Ravens. In 2021, for the first time, thePanthers TopCats had multiple (three) men make the final team with theKansas City Chiefs Cheerleaders also adding a man to their team. Most of the squads' male cheerleaders are involved in stunts.^[39]

In March 2022,Justine Lindsay, atransgender woman, made theCarolina Topcats, becoming the first openly transgender person to cheer in the NFL.^[40]

In August 2025, during the 2025preseason, the Vikings introduced two male cheerleaders, which led to national backlash on social media. The Vikings defended the two in an official statement, saying "[M]ale cheerleaders have been a part of previous Vikings teams and have long been associated with collegiate and professional cheerleading."^[41][42]

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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, swimming, 100-yard dash, obstacle courses, and jet skiing. 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 theNFL Network, and was calledNFL Cheerleader Playoffs. The playoffs were taped between July 17 and July 21, 2006, atSix 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 three teams finished in a three-way tie, with 210 points. The Chargers were declared the winners based on winning the dance competition.

There have been criticisms that NFL cheerleading issexist, isobjectifying women,^{[43][44][45][46]} exploitative,^[47] and outdated.^[48]

In addition, several cheerleaders have sued their respective teams for violatingminimum wage laws, mistreatment from management, exploitative rules and behaviors, sexual harassment, andgroping.^{[49][50][51][52][53]} Such injustices regarding the pay and employment treatment of NFL cheerleaders were highlighted in the 2019 documentary filmA Woman's Work: The NFL's Cheerleader Problem.^[54] Dallas Cowboys brand officer Charlotte Jones Anderson has acknowledged that the cheerleaders' pay was low but suggested that being part of the cheerleaders was “about being a part of something bigger than themselves. . . . They have a chance to feel like they’re valued, that they’re special and that they are making a difference.”[1]

However, defenders and proponents of NFL cheerleading have stated it helps young women engage with the NFL at the most visible and prominent level,^[55] provide the NFL withrole models for its female fans,^[56] and are a cost-effective way of promoting a team at events.^{[citation needed]} Also, NFL cheerleading squads have been used as advocates from their teams forfemale empowerment orLGBT rights.

NFL spokesperson David Tossell in 2013 defended NFL cheerleading by stating "Cheerleading has a long tradition in the majority of American sports at both professional and amateur levels; Cheerleaders are part of American football culture from youth leagues to the NFL and are part of the game day experience for our fans."^[46]

Male NFL cheerleaders have increased in the 2010s to help offset changing societal attitudes and concerns that NFL cheerleading was sexist.^[39]

A top honor for an NFL cheerleader is to be selected as aPro Bowl cheerleader, with one from each team attending. The Pro Bowl Cheerleaders were founded in 1992 and directed by Jay Howarth andAngela King-Twitero. Each year, one squad member from every NFL team is chosen to participate in the collective Pro Bowl cheerleading squad.^[57] They are picked by either their own squads or by the fans via internet polling.

• 
  ActressStacy Keibler,Baltimore Ravens^[58]
• 
  WWE wrestlerCarmella,New England Patriots^[59]
• 
  ActressTeri Hatcher,San Francisco 49ers^[60]
• 
  JournalistLisa Guerrero,Los Angeles Rams^[61]
• 
  ModelCamille Kostek, New England Patriots^[62]
• 
  Television personalityGabby Windey,Denver Broncos^[63]
• 
  ActressPhyllis Smith,
  St. Louis Cardinals^[64]
• 
  ComedianAnjelah Johnson,Oakland Raiders^[65]
• 
  Political figureJeanette Dousdebes Rubio,Miami Dolphins^[66]
• 
  Actress and singerApollonia Kotero,Los Angeles Rams
• 
  Actress and singerPamella D'Pella,Cincinnati Bengals
• 
  ActressJill Marie Jones,Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders

• 
  Cheerleaders from each team at the 2006 Pro Bowl.
• 
  Bengals cheerleaders.
• 
  The New England Patriot cheerleaders performing on USS Kearsarge.
• 
  Oakland Raiderette swimsuit shoot.
• 
  Cheerleaders at the Eagles Super Bowl parade.

• NBA cheerleading
• NHL cheerleading
• List of cheerleaders
• Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team
• Promotional model

• "Documentary shines light on NFL cheerleader exploitation: 'It was crazy to think they were getting away with this'".sports.yahoo.com. January 4, 2021. Retrieved2021-03-04.
• Macur, Juliet (May 2, 2018)."Washington Redskins Cheerleaders Describe Topless Photo Shoot and Uneasy Night Out (Published 2018)".The New York Times.ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved2021-03-04.
• Belson, Ken (April 2, 2018)."No Sweatpants in Public: Inside the Rule Books for N.F.L. Cheerleaders (Published 2018)".The New York Times.ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved2021-03-04.

Media related toNational Football League cheerleaders at Wikimedia Commons

• NFL cheerleaders
• NFL cheerleading squads
• American cheerleading organizations

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