by Daniel Johnson
January 13, 2025
Typically, cities bid to host the Super Bowl in hopes that the projected revenue will trickle down to their local economies, but according to Michael Edwards, a professor at North Carolina State University, this is often not the case
As the Super Bowl gets closer and closer, information about what makes it work is trickling out, in this case, through an online job listing for field crew workers, which lists their pay at $12 an hour for work performed during rehearsals and the halftime show.
According to The Intercept, in contrast to the estimated $1 billion in revenue the game will generate for the NFL and the $7 million per 30-second advertising slot the game will generate for Fox, the network with exclusive broadcast rights for the Super Bowl, these workers are making scraps.
Per the job listing, workers need the capability to “push, pull, bend and lift” objects that weigh up to 50 pounds and they will also be “moving and assembling the large rolling stage carts and other scenic elements on and off the field.” Like most other workers at sporting events, they are at work, and thus do not receive a ticket to watch the game.
Typically, cities bid to host the Super Bowl in hopes that the projected revenue will trickle down to their local economies, but according to Michael Edwards, a professor at North Carolina State University, this is often not the case.
“The reality is we see these jobs, whether it’s working the halftime show, whether it’s working in a concession stand, or even the restaurant work that is getting extra hours because the Super Bowl is coming — these aren’t high-paying jobs. These are all service industry event-type gig jobs that are going to be low-paying with no benefits at all,” Edwards told The Intercept.
Edwards continued, “There is always this vague, but highlighted, statement about X number of jobs created by hosting the Super Bowl. Most of the economic impact of the Super Bowl is realized by corporations and leaks out of the local economy. What actually ends up in the pockets of local residents is typically much less.”
The NFL, which formerly operated as a non-profit organization until 2015, when it voluntarily gave up its tax-exempt status, still has vestiges of its past non-profit era, namely its reliance on volunteer workers.
Those workers perform a variety of tasks related to hospitality, including assisting visitors at airports and hotels, and organizing NFL events.
In 2016, when the Super Bowl was hosted by the San Francisco 49ers, who play in Santa Clara, California, the NFL found itself the subject of news reports over potential labor law violations in California after it initially planned not to pay its crew of 500 field workers.
Following the negative media attention, the league agreed to pay the workers California’s minimum wage of $15 an hour. A similar occurrence occurred in 2022 when the game was hosted at the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers’ joint home stadium, SoFi Stadium.
In that occurrence, dancers were initially offered unpaid roles, before backlash forced the league to pay them $15 an hour, which still angered dance and labor advocates.
According to Edwards, this form of wage theft is a common practice, and it is not limited to the NFL.
“The Super Bowl or the NFL isn’t any different than any other corporation in the U.S. or the world: There’s always an equity issue,” Edwards told The Intercept. “There’s always an argument that could be made that the owners should share more profits with labor.”
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