What a typical game day looks like for an NFL cheerleader, from a 4:30 a.m. wake up call to a full glam team (2024)

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Patrisha Yabes was a cheerleader for the Los Angeles Chargers from 2018 to 2019.

Yabes has had many different positions in professional sports. She was also a dancer in the NBA for the Golden State Warriors from 2011 to 2016, and then was an assistant coach to the dance team from 2016 to 2017.

She then moved to the NFL and the Chargers in 2018. She was with the franchise through 2020, first as a cheerleader and then as a line assistant.

From 2020 to 2021, she was the creative manager for the Raiderettes, the cheerleaders for the Las Vegas Raiders.

Like most NFL cheerleaders, being part of the Chargers (or the Raiders) wasn't a full-time job. Yabes also worked for Stitch Fix, an online personal styling service, as a stylist.

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Here's what a typical game day was like for Yabes. On the earliest days, she'd be up at 4:30 a.m.

Yabes told Insider that when she had her earliest call time, which was 7 a.m., she'd be up at 4:30 to prepare for the day. Call times depended on kick-off times, and whether your team was playing afternoon or evening games.

She preferred doing her makeup and hair before arriving at the stadium. This would normally take around an hour. "I liked to do full glam so I had minimal touch-ups when I got to the game and could just focus on my routines and supporting my team," said Yabes.

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By 5:35 a.m., she'd be out the door with time to spare in case of any potential "hiccups."

"I'm grabbing my suitcase and duffel bag filled with my uniforms, boots, and makeup," said Yabes. Cheerleader uniforms for Chargers typically consist of a crop top, a miniskirt, and white boots.

"Although there's no traffic in the morning, I made sure to allocate time to go through the security line and any possible hiccups," she continued.

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When she arrived at the stadium, Yabes would unpack her bag and get ready for an hour of on-field rehearsal.

"We would have a team stretch, go over sidelines, and our routines for the day," she said. All of this was included in their hour of rehearsal.

In this case, sidelines were different, shorter routines that were set to the music playing in the stadium, meant to hype the fans up.

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After rehearsal, it was time for makeup touch-ups and free breakfast.

When rehearsal was done, Yabes said, a glam team was made available for the cheerleaders for makeup touch-ups. At this point, after being up for almost three hours, free breakfast was much appreciated.

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Sometimes, different groups of cheerleaders would then meet with the fans.

"Some groups would have pre-game appearances with fans. Those lines would head up onto the concourse and meet us before kickoff to head onto the field," she said.

Cheerleaders are encouraged to interact with fans in these settings, but, for some franchises, that's where they draw the line. A former Eagles cheerleader told Insider that none of the cheerleaders were allowed to have Instagram, Facebook, or any public social media. In some cases, it was for personal protection.

In general, NFL cheerleaders have to follow some very strict rules.

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After some meet-and-greets, it'd be time to line up in the tunnel before kick-off.

"Once we [headed] into the tunnel, that's when I really felt the energy of the fans and it was always so thrilling," Yabes told Insider.

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Then it was game time. "Performing in front of the fans was always my favorite part," Yabes said.

Yabes gave us a full breakdown of what she'd typically do during a game. The team would perform three intros, three full routines, and various sideline routines.

It can take up to (and over) three hours to play a professional football game, and the cheerleaders are on the sidelines the whole time.

"Performing in front of the fans was always my favorite part, and dancing with my teammates made it even more memorable," she said.

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After the game, it's time to head out. Game days could be anywhere from 8 to 10 hours long.

It took Yabes around 45 minutes to drive home after a very long day of dancing and cheering on the sidelines.

The last step in Yabes' game day would be to clean her uniform and make sure it was perfect for the next game.

"Once I headed home, I would unpack my uniform and clean my boots to make sure they stayed in perfect condition," Yabes told Insider. "I always ended my game days with a full heart and feeling so lucky that I got to do what I love and perform in front of thousands of fans."