Do you support the elimination of all wage and hours and workplace-related laws?
If you don’t, then why should this job be any different from all other jobs?
If you do, then we really have nothing to talk about.
The mere fact that I don’t even know whether my Giants HAVE cheerleaders at all tells you how important they are to most football fans.
mhendo,
Serious question here. How old are you? Based on your replies I’ve read in this and a couple of other game room threads, (and only in football related threads when the Ravens pop up), I would guess that you are 12. And if that’s the case, please accept my apologies. I had no idea you were taking my replies so seriously when clearly anyone with any sense of humor and any grasp of real world issues would know I was kidding. I can understand how a 6th or 7th grader would not necessarily understand an adult making a joke. I remember when I was 12, the Steelers were MY TEAM! I still wouldn’t have become upset at someone making a crack about the Steelers lack of cheerleaders or Jack Lambert’s lack of teeth, but then again I was mature for my age. But an adult making jokes at a child’s expense (intentional or not) is not right and I’m sorry.
However, if you are older than 12, you can keep reading.
You are trying to insult me, aren’t you? :eek: Well, it didn’t work. And here is why. You are asking “Do you recall that?” As if you mean it. You actually believe I knew it was you that criticized the Ravens, don’t you? I really hate to break this to you, but you don’t make a blip on my radar screen. So no, I didn’t know it was you that criticized the Ravens and more importantly, I didn’t (and still don’t) care. Maybe you read posts on the board differently, but I read a post and go to the next one. I rarely read the name of the post’s author unless there is a reason to or someone quotes them.
Beyond that, I didn’t remember your user name until you got upset at my crack about the Ravens. Then I remembered you and your favorite football team from another football thread in which you were overly upset about something.
:dubious: But your reaction/reply would indicate otherwise. If you didn’t “give a flying fuck” (you really have a pott-mouth), you would have ignored my post completely. But you can’t seem to help yourself.
You aren’t kidding, are you? Your opinion is that because you linked to a DeadSpin article criticizing your “own team” that you somehow should be taken seriously? Well I must say, your credibility shot through the roof with that. I mean, who else but a champion of cheerleader labor laws would show the ugliness of his “own team”. My hat off to you, Sir, for not letting your team loyalties blind you on what is REALLY going on behind the scenes of the “Raven-ettes”. Yes, you called them out and you are truly the torch-bearer of equality. Even if it means your beloved Ravens take one on the chin. I never meant to imply otherwise.
I have not tried to make “an argument”. I really don’t have any idea why you are so upset. “A fucking clue?” (There’s that potty mouth again). About what? You DO realize that there really isn’t a major issue here, right? Honestly, reading your posts make me wonder if you truly understand the depth of this topic. We are not in Great Debates. It’s a thread about NFL cheerleaders, how they are treated, and how one Raiderette has filed a lawsuit. How much more is there to get a clue about?
I think you need to understand something. I don’t care if you are a Ravens fan or not. Hell, I wouldn’t really care if you were a Steelers fan except that your behavior in some of these threads is kind of embarrassing. But that’s on you. I don’t blame Raven-nation for you.
I am not interested in having a “pissing contest between teams.” This is not a pissing contest. And if I insult the Ravens, it really has nothing to do with you. Why you take everything so personally is again, not something I can really figure out. The only one that is “pissing” is you. I don’t care enough about the Raven cheerleaders to get into twist about them. In fact, it wouldn’t have mattered if the article you linked to would have been about the Ravens or any other team. I would have said the exact same thing, except instead of Ravens, i would have substituted the other team name.
I don’t think there is anyone in this thread that thinks any of the NFL Cheerleaders are getting paid a fair wage, but the truth of the matter is that if the Cheerleaders are doing it, they are probably getting something out of it. If they aren’t, they would quit.
No one should be making this a career. But that doesn’t mean they should be treated outside the laws of the land. So, pay them minimum wage. If the teams are required to pay for their travel expenses, then they should be reimbursed. I don’t know what the law requires employers to provide for part time employees, but i’m fairly certain that other than some basic things, like a minimum wage and a safe working environment, etc., NFL teams aren’t going to go out of their way to make the job a high paid one with benefits and a retirement plan. It’s not that kind of a job.
The women that go into cheerleading seem to be doing it for fun (for the most part). It gives them a chance to meet people (including players). My guess is that the types of perks we aren’t privy to are keeping most cheerleaders happy enough to stay around, and in many cases, coming back each year as long as they can.
They should be treated as the law requires, but anything beyond that would be up to each individual team. And I’m guessing that each team would tell their lovely cheerleaders that if they were not happy with the compensation plan that they wish them luck and hand them their final check. And new cheerleaders would be found to take that spot within a few hours.
Beyond that, there is no real issue here. It doesn’t matter how much the NFL is making, they aren’t under any obligation to pay a high wage for something just because they can. They pay what the market demands, and when supply outpaces demand like it does for cheerleaders, the NFL teams can pay whatever they can get away with, as long as it lawful.
I am going to guess that each NFL team has their cheerleaders sign a waiver, giving the team the ability to make money from their images (the calendar). That does seem unfair, but no one is pointing a gun at their heads to make them be a cheerleader.
The same can be said for the 18-hour bus ride. Why would the Raven-ettes go to the Super Bowl under those terms? They could have banded together and agreed to boycott the Super Bowl unless a plane was provided, and take their case to the public through the local and national media. That is a story that would have received some attention. You have the NFL, the Super Bowl, and beautiful women in one story. Who wouldn’t pick that up? But I never heard anything about the bus ride until this thread. Obviously not one Raven-ette chose to stay home instead of suffering the indignity of an 18-hour bus ride. Why do you suppose that is?
From your keyboard to God’s ears. Or something like that. Yes, please. For your sake as well as everyone else’s. Please ignore it.
Folks might be interested to know that the Raiders setlled this suit yesterday for a total of $1.25 million, which includes “$2,500 [per person] in back pay and penalties for the 2013-14 season, plus $6,000 in back pay and penalties for each of the three seasons before that.” The two women who brought the suit will also get an 10 grand each for their troubles.
All this is in addition to the fact that, back in July, the Raiders basically acknowledged that they were in the wrong all along by bumping the cheerleaders’ salaries to minimum wage, plus overtime, as well as covering expenses and mileage. The team has also committed itself to complying with state law in its administering of this pay, including providing regular paychecks, and ceasing the practice of fining employees for minor breaches of the rules.
Sounds like a nice win for the cheerleaders. Good on them.