Which sports still use ring girls?
Ring girls are attendants that carry away the championship belts and entrance gear from the ring once a wrestler takes them off before his match, including coats, robes, and other clothes. Despite not being dubbed “ring girls,” they are used in various sports and fulfill the same functions.
The following are the different sports that still use Ring girls and function:
Boxing
If you’ve ever watched a professional boxing match, you’ve undoubtedly noticed a woman wandering around the ring in between rounds while typically donning a skimpy dress.
A “ring girl” is responsible for announcing which round is about to begin by holding up numbered cards to the audience. Since the 1960s, they have been regarded as a component of the glitter of fight promotion.
They also help to remove the robes and championship belts of boxers.
UFC
UFC Ring-card females, a combat sports phenomenon, are also prominent in mixed martial arts (MMA).
Ring girls are also used by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in their fights. Similar to boxing, the ring girls also announce the match’s rounds.
Additionally, they assist the combatants in entering the ring and gather the belts, which they display to the audience.
The average UFC ring lady earns between $1000 and $5000 per fight for PPV events. UFC ring girls make between $20,000 and $50,000 per year. UFC ring girls’ salaries, including side jobs, can reach $1 million annually.
Kickboxing
Ring girls are also used in kickboxing to carry numbers to show rounds and assist fighters into the ring before the fight.
WWE
Ring girls can also be found in the WWE entertainment industry and perform a similar function to those in the boxing industry.
Rugby
The entire idea was born in America. The first female cheerleading squad debuted in 1923 at the University of Minnesota. For many years, organized cheerleading remained an exclusively male sport.
In the 1950s, professional cheerleaders entered American football and are now a common sight on almost all professional sports teams.
Cheerleading has an estimated 1.5 million participants worldwide.
Since the middle of the 19th century, cheerleading has been an element of college and university athletics.
Cheerleaders are employed in various sports today, such as basketball after halftime.
Before the commencement of American football games, cheerleaders are also deployed. In general, they provide entertainment for the audience and keep them moving.
Formula 1
The racing tradition believes that Rosa Ogawa was the first grid girl in Japan in the late 1960s.
Grid girls have been a common sight on tracks ever since all sorts of racing were swiftly introduced. In addition to posing on the podium with the top three finishers, they frequently hold up the starter numbers.
In celebration, winning drivers frequently spray the podium girls. Grid girls in Formula One often refer to the hosting nation in their attire.
Promo girls are frequently used at auto exhibitions to draw attention to their vehicles.
Darts
Since the 1970s, when darts first appeared on television, walk-on women have been featured.
Before the games begin, they mostly follow the male darts players onto the stage.
Cycling
Cycling is another sport where women have historically held promotional positions and are referred to as podium hosts. Since the 1960s, they have been utilized on the Tour de France, Vuelta a Espana, and Giro d’Italia.
The podium girls have a long-standing custom of posing with the race winners and kissing them on the cheeks.
There have long been requests to do away with podium girls in cycling.
Peter Sagan made headlines at the 2013 Tour de France when he was seen grabbing one of the girls’ butts.
Basketball
Dance squads are the basketball version of cheerleaders, another American innovation that is slightly different.
Instead of leading cheers for supporters or holding pompoms, they frequently execute elaborate street dance routines.
There are few mixed squads, but most are made up entirely of women.
Soccer (Premier League)
Some teams in the top leagues employ cheerleaders before their games start.
Crystal Palace snatched some of the glitz and glamor with the creation of the Premier League by introducing the Crystal Girls.
At Selhurst Park, you can still see the dancing group.
Leyton Orient (Cherry-Os) and West Ham (Hammerettes) also had squads. However, they have since disbanded.