Surprise No. 1
Sexy double vision: Two sets of twins push Houston Texans cheerleaders up in NFLrankings
The Houston Texans cheerleading squad ranked No. 4 in the NFL.Photo by Mike Oropeza/Picasa
Dallas Cowboys beat us out, of course, falling in at No. 2.Photo via SuperDallas.net
New England Patriots cheerleaders took first.Photo via Boston Herald
After a dream season — the first playoff appearance and playoff win in franchise history, and almost a berth in the AFC Championship Game — the Houston Texans are on top.
The Texans cheerleaders are also riding high after getting ranked fourth in the NFL among the top 10 cheerleading squads.
The men behind the rankings — Darren Rovell and Paul Toscano of CNBC's Sports Biz — note that this year a team with a cheerleading squad will win the Super Bowl (last year saw two cheerleader-less franchises in the big game: the Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers).
In the end, the authors admit some subjectivity — and sex appeal — definitely influences the rankings.
Rovell and Toscano argue that NFL cheerleading squads are valued for their ability to engage the community and to keep up fans' interest during the off-season. They rank the 26 NFL teams (out of 32) with cheerleaders on "everything from presentation of the cheerleaders online, to fan interaction, community outreach and overall success of the cheerleading teams."
In the end, the authors admit some subjectivity — and sex appeal — definitely influences the rankings.
At No. 1, the New England Patriots' squad is lauded for its online presence. And especially a page called Cheer365, where "fans can vote on which picture they find the most attractive."
A Patriots news release calls it a way of "engaging" the fans, but really, it's a vote-for-which-one-looks-hotter-in-a-skimpy-bikini contest, with cheerleaders from past and present pitted against one another.
The Dallas Cowboys' famous cheerleaders rank No. 2, noted for a successful marketing campaign and frequent fan interactions. The authors don't like that the Cowboy cheerleaders aren't allowed individual social media profiles, but the cheerleaders do keep up blogs on the team's official site.
The No. 3 Miami Dolphins are applauded for ready access to the cheerleaders' Twitter and Facebook pages, as well as the high-quality photos and videos for perusal.
The Houston Texans cheerleaders were given extra points for posting long videos and harboring two sets of twins (who share photographs and biographies on the site). The authors also mentioned the success of the "Bulls and Birdies" golf tournament.
