REUTERS/Jeff Haynes
After 45 years, a Super Bowl tradition will be missing from the sidelines.
For the first time since the game’s inception, both teams playing in the Super Bowl lack cheerleading squads. The Steelers stopped having cheerleaders in 1970, and the Packers got rid of their cheerleaders in 1988 after market research indicated they didn’t mean much to fans.
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Though Super Bowl watchers may wish the cheerleaders were on the sidelines, neither team plans on hiring stand-ins. Though some feel having cheerleaders is a time-honored institution, other experts told Fox News that die-hard sports fans don’t need any more distractions.
“I do think cheerleaders add to the atmosphere of the game, but this is the Super Bowl. How much more atmosphere do you need? You’ve already got the Black Eyed Peas and plenty of entertainment throughout the game,” said Lindsay McCormick, host of The Fan on Comcast SportsNet.
And she has a good point — for men who need something pretty to look at between plays, there’s always Fergie. (via Fox News)
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