Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders pressured to look like supermodels but perform like athletes: docuseries
The docuseries "America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders" takes a look behind the scenes of one of the most iconic squads in the National Football League.
Executive produced by Greg Whiteley, Netflix's seven-part series follows the team's class of 2023 through the demanding audition process, rigorous training camp and the NFL season.
Auditions are overseen by the Dallas Cowboys' executive vice president and chief brand officer Charlotte Jones, the team's director director Kelli Finglass and choreographer Judy Trammel as they assess the physical appearances, dance technique, skills, showmanship and personal attributes of candidates.
"You need to look like a supermodel but perform like an athlete," one cheerleader said during the show's opening scene.
The docuseries "America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders" takes a look at one of the NFL's most iconic squads. (Matthew Pearce/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Every year, hundreds of women apply to become members of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, known as the DCC, vying to be one of the 36 chosen.
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Rules stipulate that members can only be part of the team for five years total, though the years don't have to be consecutive. Every potential member must audition each year with veterans competing for their spots against the rookies.
Since its premiere in June, "America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders" has rocketed up the Netflix charts to become a hit show, but it has also sparked controversy with critics slamming the cheerleaders' historically low pay and the intense pressures faced by the squad's members.
Kelli Finglass and Judy Trammel are pictured with members of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. (Joe Scarnici/Getty Images for Netflix)
The Dallas Cowboys are the most valuable franchise in the NFL with an estimated worth of $9 billion. The lowest-paid football player earns an annual salary of $832,500 per year, though many players have contracts worth millions. Quarterback Dak Prescott is approaching the end of his four-year, $160 million contract and is expected to make substantially more when he signs a lucrative extension.
Meanwhile, the members of the DCC are paid approximately $500 per game and $15-20 per hour for practices for a total salary of $75,000 per year, according to a 2022 report by NBC Boston.
Most of the cheerleaders balance the team's rigorous schedule with full-time jobs. During the first episode, the show addressed the members' low salaries.
"I would say I'm making like a Chick-fil-A worker that works full-time."
— Dallas Cowboys cheerleader Kat Puryear
Jones recalled that when her father, Jerry Jones, bought the team, it was in "financial disarray" while the Cowboys were "losing money every year with the cheerleaders." She tapped Finglass to turn the DCC into a "profit center," which the director achieved through swimsuit calendars, the CMT reality show "Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team," public appearances and merchandise, including the special edition DCC Barbie.
However, the DCC members see little of those profits. During the premiere episode, DCC veteran member Kat Puryear got candid when asked about her pay.
"I would say I'm making, like, a substitute teacher," she said.
"I would say I'm making like a Chick-Fil-A worker that works full-time," Puryear added.
Charlotte Jones is the executive vice president and chief brand officer of the Dallas Cowboys. (Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
In the same episode, Jones acknowledged that the cheerleaders "are not paid a lot."
"But the facts are, is that they actually don't come here for the money," she said. "They come here for something that's actually bigger than that to them. They have a passion for dance. There are not a lot of opportunities in the field of dance, to get to perform at an elite level."
Jones continued, "It is about being a part of something bigger than themselves. It is about a sisterhood that they were able to form, about relationships that they have for the rest of their life. They have a chance to feel like they're valued, that they're special, and that they are making a difference. When the women come here, they find their passion, and they find their purpose."
"When you ask the question of how the Cowboys became the biggest brand in professional sports, I think the cheerleaders are a central part of that equation," Dallas Morning News writer Sarah Hepola said during the episode.
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In a recent interview with the BBC, medical sales rep Ariana McClure, a candidate who was featured on the show, shared her thoughts on the cheerleaders' salaries.
"I definitely [don’t think we have to earn] anything near what the football players are making," she said. "But I do think that these organizations have enough money.
"We like to say it's a part-time job with a full-time schedule," McClure added. "Apart from just the hours of practicing, it's also two hours beforehand, getting ready, you have to have your hair and make-up done. It's also finding time within the day to work out so that you stay in shape, not only physically but to make sure you can get through the routines."
"We would all ultimately do it for free because we love it, and it's our passion, but it is at the end of the day a job, and they treat it as a job, and so I think we should be rewarded for our work a little better — but it's getting there."
Hundreds of candidates apply to become cheerleaders for the team, but only 36 are selected. (Netflix)
"America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders" also examined the emphasis on the candidates' physical appearances during auditions, with Jones, Finglass and Trammel often offering blunt assessments of the hopefuls.
McClure, who has tried out for the DCC twice, personally experienced the impact of that aspect of the audition process. In the middle of the series, McClure burst into tears when she was eliminated from the team during the final round with Finglass simply telling her that there were only 36 spots.
However, the series showcased conversations among Jones, Finglass and Trammel in which they critiqued McClure's height, which is 5'2.
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"Some little girls are going to go just like, 'Oh, she's my height,'" Trammel said." I think sometimes I like the little bitty ones, but she is little bitty."
McClure's height was discussed again during a scene in which Jones, Finglass and Trammel were seen leaving practice.
"I think the challenge is a little bit like, comparatively, [she] kind of looks like a junior," Jones said. "It looks like a little girl running from behind."
"Well I mean, if that's the case, then do we need to start having a minimum height?" Finglass asked.
"I think it is something to consider," Jones replied. "I definitely do."
Regarding height and weight requirements, the DCC website currently states, "You should look well-proportioned in dancewear. We DO NOT have specific height and weight requirements."
The show became a hit but sparked controversy online. (Netflix)
Later, the trio decided that McClure would be cut due to her height, while the official explanation given would be that there were only 36 spots.
During her interview with the BBC, McClure said that she learned of the reason why she was dropped from the team "at the same time as everyone else" while watching the show.
"I found out details that I didn't know," McClure said.
"And I think it allowed for me to not so much blame myself, not be so hard on myself — knowing it's the one thing God gave me that I can't change or fix," she continued.
"Had I known even going in the first year that height was a concern, I probably wouldn't have tried out for Cowboys again," McClure added. "I do think they need to install a height requirement.
"But I also I know that the team changes throughout the years, and the demographic of the team, and they may have more taller rookies, may have shorter rookies."
McClure is now set to be a cheerleader for the Miami Dolphins when the NFL's season kicks off in the fall.
"It's nice, because the new director of the Dolphins squad was at the Cowboys, and so I knew her in Dallas for a little bit," she said.
"And so a lot of the things I loved about Cowboys in that organization, she's taking over to Dolphins — but it is the most mentally positive, happy environment I've been in."
Jones tapped Finglass to turn the DCC into a "profit center." (Netflix)
Though the DCC doesn't have specific weight requirements, the cheerleaders' uniforms are custom-tailored to their bodies, and they must fit into them through the season.
During the show, four-year veteran Victoria Kalina explained that the returning cheerleaders must maintain the same weight over years so that they fit into their uniforms when they re-audition for the team.
"America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders" also scrutinized the toll that the physical demands, grueling schedule and pressures that come with being a member of the DCC take on the cheerleaders' mental health.
In an episode of the show, Kalina opened up about her own struggles with mental health issues and eating disorders.
"My depression, like, it turns into this bad cycle," Kalina said. "And whenever I get into a bad depression, I turn to bad coping skills, which causes bad eating habits. And as a dancer, the hardest thing you can fight are eating disorders plus depression."
The show explores the physical demands placed on the cheerleaders. (Netflix)
"And I go through the cycle when that depression zone hits," she continued. "It's a binge-purge cycle. It's a binge to get that feel-good, that empty feeling filled again. But then game time comes, so then you gotta get into those baby clothes, get into that baby uniform, and that cycle just keeps going."
Kalina explained that she took a "gap year" after the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns, opting out of auditioning again for the team.
"After COVID year, after lockdown and everything, I didn't feel like my dancing was up to par, my body wasn't up to par, and I just felt very out of it," Kalina said. "And so, I needed a little gap year. Without that year off, I did not feel I could be my best to represent DCC."
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"When I decided to take my year off, I got into therapy," she continued. "I've learned that I'm a words-of-affirmation person. I've also learned that I do not like to feel my feelings. So I think that's why I cover that up, I cover up any emotions that I have."
"I think we all kind of have a tendency to put up a front and that's just not okay, because when you're not feeling good, you need to let people know," Kalina added.
Jones, Finglass and Trammel shared blunt assessments of the candidates throughout the show. (Netflix)
"I applaud Victoria for being so brave to speak about it, because it's a vulnerable thing, and it's hard to speak about that, and we all have the same thoughts," McClure said during her interview with BBC News.
McClure told that outlet that she began journaling and going to therapy to cope with her emotions during training.
However, she said that she believes the organization should provide sports therapists for the cheerleaders to more specifically address their needs.
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"My therapist was great, but she's not a dancer, or wasn't an athlete," McClure said. "And so having just some tools offered for the girls to talk to would be really beneficial."
A representative for DCC told BBC News that "immediate, independent and confidential support resources" are available to the cheerleaders as well as the football players.
"Also, just like our Cowboys players, they have access to our dedicated team Mental Health and Wellness Consultant on staff, as needed," the spokesperson said.
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Kalina ultimately decided to part ways with the DCC after conversations with Finglass and Trammel, in which they indicated that they wouldn't make her a group leader should she make the team for her fifth and final year.
According to a recent Instagram post, Kalina has moved to New York City and plans to audition for the Radio City Rockettes.
Fox News Digital has reached out to a representative for the DCC for comment.
Earlier this week, DCC revealed their newest squad, the 2024 team, in an Instagram post. The team is made up of 24 veterans, 10 rookies and two dancers who were initially cut during the auditions.
DCC's official account posted a photo of the squad along with the caption "WE MADE THE TEAM!"
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