Things came to an abrupt end for the cheer team of the Buffalo Bills back in May of 2014 when a lawsuit was filed against the organization for being wrongly classified as independent contractors, which led to violations regarding the state minimum wage laws and other workplace rules.
Cumulus Media was also sued, according to ESPN.
Eight years later in March 2022, the lawsuit was finally settled. Cumulus had to pay $4M while the team, known professionally as the Buffalo Jills, agreed to give $3.5M. Things came to a close for the case, as well as the cheerleaders, since the 50+ athletes never banded together again.
But Shana Klimeczko, who was a Buffalo Jill for the NFL’s 2005-2006 season, has pulled back the curtain on what her experience being a cheerleader for such a beloved football team was like.
In an exclusive interview with People, she revealed a few rules most people probably wouldn’t expect.
The tryouts were no easy feat
Shana was one of the lucky ones to make it to the approximate 35-member team the first time she tried out, but that doesn’t mean it was a walk in the park.
Nailing the choreography was one thing, but supervisors were looking for someone who had more than good technique and musicality.
“You have to be fit, right? So they judge you on the way you look in your uniform,” Shana revealed. “You wear shorts and a sports bra, and you are judged on obviously the way you perform, but not just that, like your smile and your hair and your body.”
Besides the physical toll it took, there was a mental challenge as the process went on for multiple weeks and included many interviews, seeing that they needed to be “well-spoken” for their public appearances.
But at the end of the day, “[the coaches] weren’t really mean” to any of the cheerleaders, from what Shana could tell.
“If you just put in the work, it’s worth it.”
Strict rules regarding makeup and nail color
Glam, whether that was on a cheerleader’s face or nails, needed to stay consistent.
“You actually had to have correct nail color as well as lipstick — and if you did not have the right lipstick or nail color, you were not allowed to be at the game that day or you’d be benched,” according to Shana.
Usually, french, pink, or clear nails were the norm, and red lipstick and fake eyelashes were a must when it came to makeup.
While it was “nothing heavy,” it was meant to serve as a “cover up” for the cheerleaders.
Getting involved with NFL players was prohibited
It may be the perfect set-up to a typical rom-com movie, but being a cheerleader meant “intermingling” with other NFL players was strictly off-limits.
Shana recalled a time she and her squad were shooting a photoshoot and hanging out at a bar.
“NFL players from another team walked in the bar and I was talking to them and I found out afterwards that they were players. The entire squad, we all had to leave,” she said.
“It’s called, ‘You can’t fraternize with the players.’ And I think it makes sense because you don’t want the players distracted. If you’re dating a player on the team, they can’t be distracted that you’re on the sidelines.”
Anytime the girls weren’t cheering, it was a lot more “strict,” including when they were in restaurants or bars together.
Tans were required
Buffalo, New York, is known for its unforgivingly cold winters, but the Jills needed to contradict that by always looking “sun-kissed,” as written by the outlet.
“Spray tan or tanning,” Shana revealed. “I did both.”
The dress code was there for a reason
Besides the obvious rules regarding uniform, the team needed to wear pre-planned outfits for any outside appearances away from the game.
“They told us what to wear for events,” Shana said.
“We would either wear our uniform, which we had a couple different uniforms, and then you would wear business casual for corporate events.”
Hair needed to be down
Some athletes see it as a chore to exercise or perform with their long hair down, but those on the Buffalo Jills didn’t have much of a choice.
“You always had to have your hair down and full and not mangled,” Shana said.
But hair color was something that was up to the cheerleaders’ choice.
Being in shape was, unsurprisingly, a must
Cheerleading requires impressive stamina, and the physiques needed to match this description.
Being a part of the team meant signing up to be judged on appearance — from the way your body looks to the way your uniform compliments your frame.
“Listen, you have to make sure that everything is tucked in and you also have to be fit,” said the former Jill. “You can’t be, I don’t know, things hanging out of you when you’re jumping and things like that,”
She additionally mentioned that cheerleaders were required to do checks whenever “flesh jiggled” while doing jumping jacks.
And although Shana has put that life behind her, she’s still determined to stay healthy, working as a Pilates manager at Equinox in California.
Hand and foot warmers could be used
The tiny crop-top uniforms of the Jills and the weather in Buffalo are not a good match with one another. Hence, why hand and foot warmers were allowed to be worn.
“It is freezing cold, but you wear these heat warmers in your hands and your gloves and then in your boots, too,” Shana clarified.
But it wasn’t always as hard as it seemed to perform in these brutal temperatures.
Jumping around consistently helped keep their bodies warm, and if they weren’t required to be outside for an appearance or something similar, the girls could be brought indoors.
Additionally, they would practice in a “closed dome” that would be their grounds for “several times a week.”
They were allowed to have other jobs
Being a cheerleader on the Buffalo Jills was not a full-time job. Pay was somewhat unpredictable, as Shana revealed she got income based on her appearances and the photoshoots/promotions she participated in.
“You don’t go into it to make money,” she said. “That’s not why you’re a cheerleader for the NFL… It’s a dream come true, right? You can’t expect to become rich off of doing it. You’re not a Buffalo Bill.”
But despite what other people may point out as downsides, Shana made it clear she’d “1,000 billion percent” do it again and it was something she was — and still is — proud to have been a part of.
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