Power
Cheerleaders don't have a whole lot of power relative to the overall structure of a football team. They're not part-owners, so they don't make any personnel decisions. They're not coaches, so they don't come up with plays or make substitutions late in the game. Obviously they're not players, otherwise they wouldn't stand on the sideline all game.
The list goes on. They have less power than the officials who get paid to make the right calls (we hope). They're not the media that can decide who gets on TV, when, and how great they look. Cheerleaders aren't even on the same page as equipment managers or trainers or even the retired players who are just there to wave at the crowd at halftime.
So does that make cheerleading a completely powerless and pointless profession? Not even remotely. Your power is something unrelated to football, yet something the game can't do without: the power of psyching up the crowd. Because of the cheerleader, sad fans become happy, and happy fans become raucous, and raucous crowds help the home team win.
Obviously, the team would crumble if it wasn't for your coordinated dance routine set to the latest Beyoncé song. Obviously.