The Dallas Cowboys have long been known as "America's Team," and their cheerleading squad is just as renowned. But there are some definite downsides that come with the prestige of being on the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, or DCC.
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00:00The Dallas Cowboys have long been known as America's team, and their cheerleading squad
00:05is just as renowned.
00:06But there are some definite downsides that come with the prestige of being on the Dallas
00:09Cowboys Cheerleaders, or DCC.
00:12Many dancers spend their entire lives training to join the DCC.
00:15Some try out multiple times before finally making the team.
00:18Becoming a member of the team instantly makes someone a global icon and celebrity, but what
00:22it doesn't guarantee is anything resembling riches.
00:25The top NFL football players make millions per year, but the cheerleaders are estimated
00:29to make a measly $500 per game and $15 to $20 per hour for practices.
00:34Charlotte Jones, the Cowboys' chief brand officer, spoke about the pay in Netflix's
00:382024 America's Sweethearts documentary.
00:41They're not paid a lot, but the facts are that they actually don't come here for the
00:48money."
00:49Jones argued that the cheerleaders are looking for something bigger, specifically sisterhood
00:53and passion.
00:54Many, if not all of the cheerleaders work full-time jobs to survive.
00:57In 2018, former cheerleader Erika Wilkins sued the Cowboys organization for wage theft.
01:03After a year of appearances, calendar shoots, and performances, Wilkins claimed she only
01:07made a measly $4,700 after taxes.
01:10The prestige, that's great, but at the end of the day that prestige doesn't pay the bills
01:16or pay the rent."
01:18Her suit was settled the following year, and the Cowboys organization did slightly raise
01:22cheerleader pay as a result.
01:24Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders must have talent, dedication, and, of course, the right look,
01:28with voluminous hair, impeccable makeup, and rock-hard abs.
01:32With the constant reminder that the revealing uniforms leave little hidden, the girls are
01:35put under an intense microscope and are subject to routine scrutiny from director Kelly Finglass
01:40and choreographer Judy Trammell.
01:42Before even making the team, DCC newbies have to get and maintain total makeover on their
01:46own dime.
01:47Former cheerleader Erika Wilkins told the New York Post,
01:50We don't have a stipend for anything.
01:52Team members are also expected to maintain their audition weight.
01:55Once you're fitted for that uniform, that size is the size that you get.
01:59You don't get to go up."
02:00The rule is strictly enforced.
02:02If you don't meet your weight requirements, your position could be at stake.
02:06The pressure of maintaining such standards can leave devastating scars on the girls.
02:09One former team member told the Daily Mail,
02:11"...I didn't have body image issues until I became a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader."
02:15Glamour aside, cheerleading is an athletic endeavor, and injuries happen.
02:19Perfecting the DCC's unique dance style can be quite challenging.
02:23The cheerleaders' rigorous training involves high-energy routines, choreography, and stunts,
02:27all while maintaining a beaming smile and almost inhuman levels of fitness and beauty.
02:32Most notably, the team's iconic jump split, performed at every game, is the biggest cause
02:36of injuries.
02:37The impressive but dangerous move requires the full team of 36 to link arms, form a kick
02:42line, and jump into a split all at the same time.
02:45Several former cheerleaders have highlighted just how brutal these ailments can be.
02:48A cat per year tore both her hips.
02:50Michelle Sharp has had 12 orthopedic operations.
02:53Carolyn Sundvold had to get reconstructive hip and foot surgery, but postponed her operations
02:58to perform her last season with the team.
03:00Team members are not provided health insurance.
03:03Another former team member told the Daily Mail,
03:04"...you kill your body for years and years for this job where you make nothing.
03:08Then at the end of the day, you are viewed as expendable, and they will replace you so
03:11fast."
03:13Keeping up with the lifestyle of cheering for an NFL team while maintaining a full-time
03:16job can be exhausting.
03:17Some DCCs work as many as 18 hours a day, almost every single day, all while balancing
03:22their personal lives and other commitments.
03:24I'm a nurse, so I work 7.30 to 4.30 every day, go to practice, and get home at 12 sometimes."
03:33In addition to rehearsals and game days, the squad has calendar photo shoots, training
03:37sessions, and charity events that may involve travel.
03:40This doesn't even touch on the time commitments of beauty maintenance, exercising, teaching
03:44junior dance classes, and handling press.
03:47Maintenance at all events is absolutely mandatory, no exceptions.
03:50One episode of America's Sweethearts revealed that the squad was scheduled to work for 21
03:54days straight with no days off.
03:55The pressure to perform with high energy and consistency can leave members exhausted, burned
04:00out, and with emotional scars.
04:02Due to their highly sexualized image, the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders often face issues
04:06with safety, including sexual harassment and stalking.
04:09The 2018 documentary Daughters of the Sexual Revolution, the untold story of the Dallas
04:13Cowboys cheerleaders, revealed that this crude behavior is actually almost as old as the
04:18team itself, dating back to unwanted phone calls and threatening letters in the 1970s.
04:22In America's Sweethearts, former DCC Kelsey Wetterberg disclosed that someone placed an
04:27air tag on her car, intending to follow her home.
04:30Police were of no help, leaving Wetterberg racked with fear and paranoia.
04:34I couldn't live that anxious all the time.
04:37I couldn't, like, not sleep, not eat, because I was so scared of, like, what could happen."
04:44TV veteran Reese Weaver explained on The Unplanned Podcast that cheerleaders are protected by
04:48their own security for game days, appearances, and practices.
04:51They're even accompanied to their cars.
04:53The Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders are global ambassadors for the team.
04:56This role requires a charismatic blend of leadership, community outreach, and positive
05:00representation to impact the local community and those across the globe.
05:04To ensure they're putting on the best face, the cheerleaders are given a book of rules
05:08for representing the brand at all times, even when out of uniform.
05:11The rules range from reasonable to almost ridiculously strict.
05:14In the 1970s, they weren't even allowed to wear jeans in public.
05:18Rules that remain include no gum-chewing, no pouting, no sponsored DCC-related content
05:22on social media, and absolutely no fraternizing with NFL players.
05:27"...not dating the players, you just couldn't even be around the players."
05:31The same rule exists on the New England Patriots, which is why cheerleader Camille Kostick was
05:36hesitant to date Rob Gronkowski.
05:38As of 2018, squad members were not allowed to go to bars, nor were they allowed to attend
05:42parties.
05:43In Daughters of the Sexual Revolution, former director Suzanne Mitchell explained that disciplining
05:47the girls is necessary to maintain the squad's squeaky-clean, girl-next-door image.
05:52The Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders have consistently faced scrutiny for their lack of diversity.
05:57For decades, the squad has been noticeably made up of similar-looking white women and
06:01only a few tokenized women of color.
06:03While dancers of all races and ethnicities are welcome at auditions, the squad even now
06:07still typically consists of mainly white women.
06:09This consistent lack of diversity has raised concerns about representation and inclusivity
06:13within the team.
06:14In America's Sweethearts, a Sri Lankan hopeful named Anisha is asked to pick a DCC Barbie
06:19to represent herself, but she is only given two options, a white blonde doll and a white
06:23brunette doll.
06:24For fans, the limited doll options only solidified suspicions that the directors might prefer
06:28casting only a specific kind of girl.
06:31Soon after this moment, Anisha, who vowed to,
06:33"...do it for the brown girls," was cut from the competition.
06:36In 2009, then-cheerleader Whitney Isleib got caught wearing full blackface for a Halloween
06:41costume.
06:42The shocking incident left many fans outraged, especially when Isleib wasn't immediately
06:46kicked off the team.
06:47Fans particularly wondered why racism was seemingly swept under the rug, but fraternizing
06:51with a player can lead to major consequences.
06:54Along with public harassment, the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders must navigate inappropriate behavior
06:59from staff, players, and even higher-ups within their own organization.
07:03Most shockingly, the Cowboys' senior vice president for public relations and communications,
07:07Richard Dalrymple, was caught red-handed in a voyeuristic position.
07:11According to court documents obtained by ESPN, four cheerleaders claimed to have seen Dalrymple,
07:16quote,
07:17"...standing behind a partial wall in their locker room with his iPhone extended toward
07:20them while they were changing their clothes."
07:22The cheerleaders alleged that the VP may have used his security card to sneak in through
07:25the back door, and sued the Cowboys over the incident.
07:28The Cowboys quietly settled the lawsuit with a payout of $2.4 million, granting each cheerleader
07:33just under $400,000.
07:35Still, the cheerleaders are vulnerable to harassment at every corner.
07:38In Netflix's America's Sweethearts, when a cheerleader is inappropriately touched by
07:42a photographer on game day, her teammates immediately encourage her to file a police
07:46report.
07:47The Cowboys' organization told the Huffington Post of the incident,
07:49"...safety and security are always a core imperative for us with the cheerleaders."
07:53In this specific situation, on-site Arlington Police Department officers were immediately
07:58That said, all charges were dropped after an investigation deemed,
08:01"...any contact was determined to be unintentional."
08:04The Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders' skin-tight blue and white uniforms completely revolutionized
08:08the team.
08:09Since its introduction in the 1970s, the uniform has taken on a life of its own.
08:13Putting on that knotted blue chemise with the white vest and tiny starred shorts turned
08:17these girls into overnight celebrities.
08:19But with that kind of exposure came responsibility.
08:22Because the team is based in Texas, many dancers had religious, conservative backgrounds, especially
08:26back in the 70s.
08:28At the same time, the sexual revolution was also in full swing.
08:31The cheerleaders, like other women of their time, were eager to enjoy their newfound freedom.
08:35But then-director Suzanne Mitchell felt that they needed more poise.
08:38Yes, the uniform is selling sex, but that didn't mean that the girls wearing it couldn't
08:42be classy and respectable.
08:44Giving the example of a squad member getting up and dancing on a bar, she explained,
08:48"...you have to understand that they don't see you.
08:53She's the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader, I guess they're all like that."
08:56The toning down of their overt sexuality did help the public respect them as icons, but
09:01this idea of a respectable, perfectly behaved, scantily clad woman may be seen as problematic.
09:07Using a cheerleader's youth, beauty, and body to please the eyes in the stadium for profit
09:11while stifling their autonomy can be interpreted as hypocritical.