NFL cheerleading

Twenty-five of the thirty-two National Football League (NFL) teams have cheerleading squads who perform on the sideline during games. In 1954, the Baltimore Colts became the first NFL team to have cheerleaders. Apart from the New York Giants, every current NFL franchise has had cheerleaders at some point in its history.

Cheerleading in the NFL is a part-time job. In addition to their main duties of cheering during football games, cheerleaders may have other responsibilities related to marketing the team for which they cheer, such as paid appearances, photoshoots, and charity events.

As well as being a mainstay of American football culture, 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 United Service Organizations (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 1996, the San Francisco 49ers Cheerleaders and their director helicoptered into Bosnia and Herzegovina during the Bosnian War with the USO and the U.S. Army. In February 2007, the Buffalo Bills sent a squad of eight along with their choreographer into the warzone of Iraq. 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 Commanders.

As of 2025, seven teams do not have cheerleading squads: the Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears, Cleveland Browns, Los Angeles Chargers, New York Giants, New York Jets, and Pittsburgh Steelers. The Giants are the only existing NFL franchise that has never had cheerleaders.

The Buffalo Bills endorsed the officially independent Buffalo Jills from 1966 to 2013; when several cheerleaders sued both the Bills and the Jills organizations, the Jills suspended operations.

Because the Packers' cheerleading squads only perform at home games, Super Bowl XLV between the Steelers and the Packers was the first Super Bowl to not feature cheerleaders.

Teams of "unofficial" cheerleaders began emerging in 2010 for NFL teams that did not have their own dance squad. These unofficial cheerleaders are not sanctioned by the NFL or any franchise in the NFL and therefore are not allowed to perform at games, represent the football team at any outside functions, or use any of the team's branding or trademarked colors on their uniforms. The teams are sponsored by local businesses, and the cheerleaders perform prior to the game, at tailgate parties, and other local events. Some also attend the local NFL games in uniform, and sit together in their block of season ticket seats. Their audition process, costuming, and choreography are very similar to official NFL cheer teams. Some also produce an annual swimsuit calendar, just like the official cheerleaders. All of the independent teams hope at some point to be embraced by the NFL as "official" cheerleaders of their local teams.

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. The incident later became a nationwide news story, led to a federal anti-discrimination case, and was spoofed on a November 1979 episode of Mork & Mindy. 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.^{[excessive citations]}