NFL, NBA Cheerleaders Discuss Sexual Harassment from Fans, Work Environment

While being a cheerleader for a professional sports team may seem like a dream job to some, the reality does not always meet expectations.

In a recent New York Times story by Juliet Macur and John Branch, cheerleaders from different professional sports leagues came forward to share their experiences with low pay and sexual harassment by fans.

"When you have on a push-up bra and a fringed skirt, it can sometimes, unfortunately, feel like it comes with the territory," former Tennessee Titans cheerleader Labriah Lee Holt said about harassment. “I never experienced anything where someone on the professional staff or the team said something or made me feel that way. But you definitely experience that when you encounter people who have been drinking beer.”

A "longtime cheerleader for the Dallas Cowboys" also described some of the interactions she's had with fans:

“We were walking by, waving and smiling, and one guy caught my eye,” said the cheerleader, who requested anonymity because she, like many others, was forced to sign a nondisclosure agreement. “He looked at me and said, ‘I hope you get raped!’ That’s the kind of stuff we’d have yelled at us. Even from our fans, once they get drunk, they yell things, and you’re like, ‘Really?’ It’s part of the job. It comes with it. You’re supposed to take it.”

Teams are aware that cheerleaders can be put in uncomfortable situations. However, according to one account, they teach their employees to try to avoid a confrontation rather than speak up and ask for security to step in. One former Cowboys cheerleader detailed the instructions she was given on how to deal with inappropriate touching, per Macur and Branch:

“We were taught, if someone’s getting handsy on you, how to navigate that. We were told what to say, like, 'That’s not very nice,' To be sweet, not rude. Say, 'Can I ask you to step over here?' Use body language to help deter the situation. Never be mean. Never. Always courteous. Because if it’s not for the fans, we wouldn’t be here—that’s how we were supposed to think of this."

Cheerleaders have to deal with a variety of inappropriate touching.

"Arms around the waist, kisses on the cheek," the ex-Cowboys cheerleader added. "You knew they would, and you couldn’t say anything."

One Cleveland Cavaliers cheerleader noted that harassment can come from fans of all ages.

"I remember getting my butt grabbed by a 12-year-old who should’ve been kicked out of the game," the cheerleader said. "For whatever reason, fans think they own you."

In recent years, the NFL and several teams have been sued by cheerleaders. The Cincinnati Bengals reportedly agreed to settle a 2014 lawsuit over substandard wages for $255,000.