Hi Everyone! Apparently the NFL isn’t the only professional sport to exploit cheerleader pay as this very same issue has surfaced in the NBA as well. It’s not too surprising that the NBA responded to these allegations similar to the NFL; "teams comply with all the pertinent fair labor and employment laws and pay accordingly". This leads me to wonder if NBA cheerleader pay was exploited as far back as the 1980s which may be why Paula Abdul, a former Laker Girl, tweeted out her support for our NFL Cheerleader living wage petition last year (June 4, 2014). As a feminist, and mother of a varsity high school cheerleader, I can’t help but think something isn’t quite right when an NFL/NBA Cheerleader earns $3 per hour, yet an NFL mascot can earn $60K, a water boy $53K, and even the hot dog vendor $12-$18 per hour? These professional cheerleaders must beat out HUNDREDS of others to win a spot on a professional team; and once they've made the team, staying on the team takes work! To date, my petition supporters have reached nearly 156,000, thank you! And I’m guessing, Reese Witherspoon would probably support our efforts as well since she’s one of the few celebrity women who have come out in support of paying cheerleaders higher wages; kudos to you Ms. Witherspoon, for having the courage to step into the spotlight when few celebrities have been willing to do so. Although we've been battling this cause for nearly three years; getting the word out to the 45% NFL female viewing audience (and now the 4.6M NBA female fans too) has been painstakingly slow. So please, join me in continuing to help raise the awareness of the deplorable pay practices of the NFL (and NBA) as these cheerleaders have little to no voice; but as fans, we have an opportunity to cheer for those that cheer along with us each week for the teams that we so love. Only together, will our voices become too loud for the NFL (and NBA) to ignore! Have a safe and happy holiday ☺ Cheers, Diane Todd (aka: Cheerleader for the Cheerleaders) p.s. I will be launching a daily blog (www.bloggingwithcause.com) next week focused on discussing a variety of issues: other petitions I’ve become involved in, NFL, Cheerleading, Relationships, Online Dating, and other thoughts of the day.