National Football League Cheerleading or simply NFL Cheerleading, is a group of professional cheerleading organizations in the United States.^[1] 24 of the 32 NFL teams include a cheerleading squad in their franchise.^[2] In 1954, the Baltimore Colts became the first NFL team to have cheerleaders. They were part of Baltimore's Marching Colts.^{[citation needed]}

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, the main one is marketing the team they cheer for. 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 or uniforms.

Also, many cheerleading squads have "Junior Cheerleading" programs, in which they teach children, usually in the 6-12 year age range, on how to dance, perform on selected gamedays with the main squad, and often NFL cheerleaders act as mentors and role models to the children.

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 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, San Francisco 49ers, and Washington.

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

Listed by name, with corresponding NFL team.

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 the Orange Bowl in Miami.^[30] The incident later became a nationwide news story, led to a federal anti-discrimination case,^[31] and was spoofed on a November 1979 episode of Mork & Mindy.^[32] The episode caused plans for a CBS made-for-TV movie starring Robin 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.^{[33][34][35][36][37][38][39]}

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

Following trends in dance with popular summer dance series such as the Strictly Come Dancing franchise, So You Think You Can Dance, and World of Dance, where competitions are co-ed, in 2009, the first male dancers were added to National Football League by the Dallas Cowboys. The Dallas 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 every home game on stage, half-time and sideline 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 Dallas Cowboys Rookie Squad. In 2018, the Los Angeles Rams and New Orleans Saints adopted male dancers to their dance teams as well.^[40]

In 2019, the Seattle Seahawks, New England Patriots, Tennessee Titans, Indianapolis Colts, Tampa Bay Buccaneers^[41] and Philadelphia 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, the Panthers TopCats had multiple (3) men make the final team with the Kansas City Chiefs Cheerleaders also adding a man to their team. Most of the squads' male cheerleaders are involved in stunts.^[42]

In most situations, male cheerleaders are typically former college cheerleaders themselves, with a heavy emphasis on stunts and strength training.

In March 2022, Justine Lindsay, a transgender woman, made the Carolina Panthers, becoming the first openly transgender person to cheer in the NFL.^[43]

There have been criticisms that NFL cheerleading is sexist, is objectifying women,^{[44][45][46][47]} exploitative,^[48] and outdated.^[49]

In addition, several cheerleaders have sued their respective teams for violating minimum wage laws, mistreatment from management, exploitative rules and behaviors, sexual harassment, and groping.^{[50][51][52][53][54]} Such injustices regarding the pay and employment treatment of NFL cheerleaders were highlighted in the 2019 documentary film A Woman's Work: The NFL's Cheerleader Problem.^[55]

However, defenders and proponents of NFL Cheerleading have stated that cheerleading helps young women engage with the NFL at the most visible and prominent level,^[56] provide the NFL with role models for its female fans,^[57] 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 for female empowerment or LGBT 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."^[47]

Male NFL cheerleaders have increased in the 2010s to help offset changing societal attitudes and concerns that NFL cheerleading was sexist.^[42]

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.^[58] They are picked by either their own squads or by the fans via Internet polling.

• Actress Stacy Keibler, Baltimore Ravens^[59]
• WWE wrestler Carmella, New England Patriots^[60]
• Actress Teri Hatcher, San Francisco 49ers^[61]
• Journalist Lisa Guerrero, Los Angeles Rams^[62]
• Model Camille Kostek, New England Patriots^[63]

• List of cheerleaders
• Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team
• National Basketball Association Cheerleading
• Promotional model