Roll Call: Cheerleaders absent from Super Bowl

February 8, 2011 |
Valor

Did you hear the news!  Not that the Green Bay Packers won the Super Bowl; the other news.  An estimated 111 million viewers watched the National Football League (NFL) Super Bowl even though there were no women on the football field in “barely nothing” clothing shaking pom poms and performing synchronized enticing dance routines.

Have the NFL administrators finally gotten the message from rape crisis centers, other women’s organizations, the community, and consumers that the objectification and denigration of women is wrong.  No!  Just look at the sexist and insensitive commercials that air on television and radio programming on any given Sunday and you will realize that they are still promoting the concept that sex sells.
Then why were there no cheerleaders on the field during the biggest game of the football season.  The simple answer is that the Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers are two of six teams in the NFL that do not have cheerleaders, dance troops, or pom pom squads.
You may think that I am a cheerleader hater.  I am just the opposite.  The discipline and dedication it takes in eating healthy, maintaining top physical conditioning in addition to the time commitment to practicing and executing the complex routines places cheerleaders in the class of elite athletes.  I abhor the fact that the NFL uses cheerleaders as a marketing tool to promote the sex sells concept to increase viewership, sponsorships and attendance at games.
The concept of cheerleading is a current topic of family discussions at my house.  My daughter has requested that she be allowed to cheer for a local youth sports organization.  I am wrestling with the decision.    Go Team!