Shocking Rules Professional Cheerleaders Must Follow

By Editorial Staff in Sports On 18th September 2017
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#1 Always remember your pom-poms

This quintessential cheerleading accessory is a must if you don’t want to face hefty fines, according to the Raiderettes who say they have been fined for accidentally bringing the wrong pom-poms to rehearsals. So, rule number one, make sure you have your pom-poms with you at all times.

#2 Stay thin or sit in the locker room

If you gain five pounds, or appear “too soft”, you won’t get paid and you’ll be spending the game inside the locker room. The Raiderettes have to give up their £75 ($125) game fee if they put on weight, but it isn’t just them.

If you’re a Raven, you’re “expected to maintain ideal body weight and physical look for the duration of your contract. Weigh-ins will be held at the discretion of the Ravens.” If you don’t want to have a weigh-in, you could be suspended from the team permanently, or on gamedays. If you miss three game days for this reason, you could be out of the team so put down those carbs.

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#3 Don’t get assaulted

The Raider’s handbook suggests cheerleaders stay away from parties, such as one hosted by a player who was later suspended for drug use and arrested for date rape. It says: “For you on the squad who have attended those parties, just think how narrowly you missed having your photo in all the local papers and/or being assaulted.” So make sure you don’t get assaulted girls – if not for your sake at least for the team’s reputation!

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#4 Avoid spots at all costs

“Proper skin care must be maintained by all cheerleaders,” says the Ravens rulebook. So if you have a skin problem, you will have to consult not with your doctor, but your director. Try not to let this pressure give you stress spots, or your cheerleading career could be over.

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#5 No skipping your tanning sales space appointment — glowing pores and skin all the time

Not each skilled cheerleader lives in a state the place it’s consistently sunny, and you will get a pure bronze glow. So, how on earth does each single skilled cheerleader all the time look sun-kissed and lovely? Effectively, easy — they go to the tanning salon. And it’s not just because they really feel extra assured with a glow on — it’s a rule. A former Baltimore Ravens cheerleader spilled the beans, saying that the principles acknowledged that each one cheerleaders on the group “must have a warm skin color tone for every gameday.” Given what we now learn about tanning cubicles and the harm they will trigger your pores and skin, and your well being, in the long run? Not solely is ridiculous, superficial rule, it’s additionally one that would probably be extremely dangerous to the cheerleaders’ well being.

#6 Keep your nails in perfect condition

This is so important that the Raiderettes handbook advises all cheerleaders: “Keep nail polish pads in your car for emergencies.” But before you get excited about diamond-tipped leopard print nails, remember that “nail designs, flashy nail polish and/or ungroomed nails are not acceptable,” according to the Ravens. A French manicure it is.

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#7 Maintain pearly whites

Cheerleaders are known for their bright personalities and charming smiles. Hence, it is of utmost importance to keep their teeth pearly white. It’s understandable for teams to require this of the cheerleaders. However, it gets a little over the top when coaches require you to buy a specific brand of teeth whitening chewing gum.

In addition, you might expect for the team to pay for products and services that will help the cheerleaders perform their duties more efficiently. Unfortunately, this may not be the case for the ladies. We wonder how much the girls need to shell out for their toothpaste, breath fresheners, and other teeth whitening products.

#8 WOW The audience

Cheerleaders are paid almost next to nothing. However, sports teams still encourage the ladies to keep their energy levels high and to wow the audience. This means performing stunts that will leave the audience’s mind blown. This could also mean wearing uniforms that will make jaws drop.

Cheerleaders are reminded to perform their routines well and to bedazzle the audience through whatever means necessary. However, we hope that these coaches and management staff also take the cheerleaders health and safety in consideration. It’s an open secret that the girls aren’t paid much, so who will shoulder expenses should the cheerleaders meet some injury?

#9 GLAM HAIRSTYLES are a must

Cheerleaders are expected to always look at their finest. They should have that all natural glow that makes their skin look healthy. On top of that, cheerleaders are required to keep the hair shiny and ultimately be their crowning glory.

Ideally, hair should be worn glamorously without the use of clips. It is recommended for long locks to be curled, brushed, and fluffed. On the other hand, short hair must still look great. Coaching teams add that ringlets are a no-no for the cheerleaders. It would also be great if hair is kept off the face and will remain looking fabulous after doing several hair flips in and out of the field.

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#10 No sporting underwear below their follow clothes (um, ew)

Slightly filth, courtesy of a former Cincinnati Bengals cheerleader named Alexa Brenneman. You see, Brenneman truly ended up suing the group as a result of she claimed they violated federal employment legal guidelines — and she or he spilled among the guidelines that she and her fellow cheerleaders needed to comply with, together with the rule that “no panties are to be worn under practice clothes or uniform, not even thong panties. Wear pantyhose to match skin tone.” Hear. It is smart that the group dictate what uniform you put on, as a result of clearly the cheerleaders should be rocking the identical cute outfits. Nonetheless, dictating what a cheerleader wears below her uniform? Not cool. Except she’s rocking some loopy granny panties that hang around from beneath her uniform and spoil the look, she ought to be capable to put on no matter she desires.

#11 ABS not FLABS

Being cheerleaders, they are required to keep the “ideal” weight. However, how ideal is ideal?

It is believed that cheerleaders are warned not to appear jiggly in the wrong places. Apparently, gaining five pounds above the required weight is also something that should be taken into consideration. Otherwise, cheerleaders who violate this inappropriate rule will be left to spend their time in the locker area.

Sadly, this also means that cheerleaders, who don’t get to participate in the game, will also lose out on getting paid for the event. No wonder, some cheerleaders have had enough and taken their varying issues to court!

#12 Don’t use slang

Okay, actually. There are specific language-related guidelines that make sense, reminiscent of a ban on cursing or a ban on utilizing offensive or derogatory language. Nonetheless, to ban cheerleaders from utilizing any slang in any respect appears insane and weirdly controlling. Apparently, they’re not supposed to make use of slang phrases reminiscent of “like,” “dude” and “ain’t.” We perceive that the groups have a sure picture they need their cheerleaders to painting, however everyone seems to be totally different — cheerleaders come from all throughout the nation, and so they all have totally different accents and slight regional variations of their vocabulary. Plus, come on — nearly everybody makes use of slang sometimes. Minimize the poor women a break and allow them to discuss how they wish to discuss, so long as they’re not being offensive or demeaning anybody with their language.

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#13 Required belly button reveals on Tuesdays

Okay, actually — a few of these guidelines are usually not solely insane, however particular to what a sure group decides they need, which is ridiculous. For any lady cheering for the Oakland Raiders’ squad, Tuesdays got here with a specific outfit requirement — and no, not simply that they needed to follow in group gear. On Tuesdays — or, ought to we are saying, ‘two piece Tuesdays’ — there was a rule that the cheerleaders needed to be sporting an outfit that confirmed off their stomach buttons. And in the event that they didn’t comply? They have been fined. That’s proper — they needed to pay head workplace cash as a result of they didn’t wish to wriggle right into a crop high that specific day. It’s demeaning and greater than a little bit bit ridiculous. A gown code designed solely to showcase a particular physique half is insanely sexist.

#14 It’s their responsibility to figure out if a player is married or not

This one is insane on so many levels. Now listen — adultery is never a good thing, and cheerleaders should certainly steer clear of married men. However, head office doesn’t place the responsibility for avoiding affairs on the male players who are married — instead, they blame the cheerleaders. Let’s just take a look at this insane rule from the Oakland Raiders — “make a point to find out if a player is married. In most cases, he won’t tell you! You can call the Raider office with questions as to marital status and I encourage you to do so. Again, he will not tell you he’s married!” Uh… seems like someone needs to make a rule that the players shouldn’t cheat on their wives, not that the cheerleaders should exhaustively investigate every player who claims he’s single.

#15 Never look less than perfect — even during your time off

Oh, Raiders — it just keeps getting worse and worse. Listen, we understand that cheerleaders should look pulled together and perky for their time on the field — they’re essentially performing for the crowd. However, this demand has nothing to do with their time on the field — apparently there’s a rule that they have to look put together, always. As the rulebook says, “even when you are not working in your capacity as a Raiderette you are still representing the Oakland Raiders. It is imperative that whenever you leave your home you look “put together” so when someone recognizes you (and they will) they can say “Raiderettes always look fabulous.” Uh, yeah — but just because a woman is rocking sweatpants or minimal make-up doesn’t automatically mean she can’t look fabulous.

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#16 No sitting on the job — they must be standing at all times

Okay, not only are these rules ridiculous, some of them are kind of confusing as well. Take this rule, for example. While a game is being played, cheerleaders aren’t allowed to sit down when they’re not involved in a routine. What are they supposed to do, exactly? Well, that’s not spelled out in the rules — they’re just told that they need to be constantly moving around, according to a former Bills cheerleader who ended up suing the team. Rather than resting between routines, just like the athletes rest when they’re not on the field in the middle of a play, cheerleaders apparently have to bounce around non-stop. Why? What is even the point of that? Honestly, we’re pretty sure whoever created these rules was just on a power trip and determined to make all the poor cheerleaders miserable.

#17 They’re limited to chewing only specific types of gum, at specific permitted times

Okay, we can kind of understand if cheerleaders aren’t allowed to chew gum while they’re in the middle of super active routines, because that could potentially be a choking hazard. However, apparently their gum chewing habits can be dictated off the clock as well — at least, according to the auditioning rules for the Seahawks cheer team. The rules state that “the Sea Gal director may dictate policies regarding gum chewing, smoking, eating, drinking, use of drugs and other activities whenever such activities may reflect negatively on the Seahawks’ organization.” Uh, we get the ban on drugs — but how on earth does chewing gum reflect negatively on an organization? Honestly, it’s surprising that these rules aren’t made up, given how utterly ridiculous they are. We wish they were — but unfortunately, they’re all 100% true.