Super Bowl Workers Were Paid Less Per Hour Than The Cost Of One Beer At Caesars Superdome

Concession prices were even more outrageous than normal at Super Bowl LIX, which is saying a lot considering $15 hot dogs have practically become the norm. However, despite the fact that menus included a $100 salad and $80 crudites, Caesars Superdome employees were paid less per hour than the cost of a single beer.

Stadium workers—including those who set up and broke down the elaborate Super Bowl half-time show stage—were paid as little as $12 per hour, per a "field team" job listing. They were tasked to "push, pull, bend, and lift" heavy objects up to 50 pounds and move and assemble large rolling stage carts. To put that pay rate into perspective for you, a large beer at the same stadium costs $16.

"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," professor at North Carolina State Michael Edwards, who researches ethics and social responsibility of sports, told The Intercept. "These are all service industry event-type gig jobs that are going to be low-paying with no benefits at all."

Technically, the $12 an hour pay wage is compliant with Louisiana's labor laws and it's well above the $7.25 federal minimum wage rate. However, considering the fact that the Super Bowl rakes in around $1 billion on average, you'd think they'd pay more than they're making on a drink. According to the outlet, most fast food employees make nearly $18 on average. Even the low end of that range hovers around $13 an hour.

"There is always this vague, but highlighted, statement about X number of jobs created by hosting the Super Bowl,” Edwards added. "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."

Sadly, though, this is hardly news. The Super Bowl and its halftime show have become known for exploitative pay. The NFL as a whole is notorious for using unpaid and volunteer work despite its astronomical profit. Just this year, the league recruited "ambassadors" (ahem, unpaid volunteers) to work the event. Concession workers at last year's Super Bowl made as little as $14.25 per hour, which is just barely over the state's minimum wage, while 200 workers at the 2019 Atlanta Super Bowl worked 14-hour days without pay, The Intercept reports.

"The front-line staff are always going to be paid as low as, in some cases, management can get away with," Edwards said.

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