America’s Sweethearts is the latest docuseries to take over Netflix – and for good reason. The seven-part program centres on the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders (DCC), otherwise known as the most prestigious and notorious NFL cheerleading squad in America.
Whether you grew up with an awareness of the team or, like many Australians, have suddenly found yourself immersed in the Texan cheerleading world, it’s hard not to be captivated by the women spotlighted in the series, as they tirelessly vye for a coveted spot on the 2023 squad.
But despite the seemingly shiny veneer of perfect uniforms, immaculate hair and makeup, and impossibly high kicks, the DCC has seen its fair share of controversy over the years. From allegations of sexual assault to wage theft, we’re rounding up the biggest scandals to rock this cheerleading institution, from its inception to now.
Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Have Long Been Subject To Contentious Physical Standards
America’s Sweethearts is not the first time the DCC has been documented for TV. Between 2006 and 2021, Making The Team was a reality show that charted the journey of cheerleading hopefuls from auditions to game day.
Fans of the original series will know that the cheerleaders have long been subject to strict regulations around their appearance – particularly when it comes to weight.
While, today, the DCC website states that cheerleaders must simply “look well-proportioned in dancewear,” Making The Team frequently showed that the women were subjected to extremely strict weight requirements.
In particular, older episodes of the program regularly showed director Kelli Finglass and choreographer Judy Trammell – both former DCC members – directly picking apart the weight gain of new and veteran cheerleaders, telling girls they were too “soft” or “heavy” for the squad.
Toni Washington, a former cheerleader and Cowboys tour secretary in the 1980s, told The New York Times in 2018, “Your shorts were custom-fitted to you, and they’d always say, ‘We’ll take it up, but we won’t let it out,’”
While explicit weight-related rules might have changed, in the 2024 documentary, one veteran cheerleader describes that the underlying mentality has endured. “You don’t get a new uniform. Once you’re fitted for that uniform, that size is the size that you get. You don’t get to go up. If you go up, they’re like, ‘Why does this not fit you?’” she said.
Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Have A History Of Being Poorly Paid
Exactly how much the DCC are paid has been a point of contention for years. When the team was first formed, cheerleaders weren’t paid at all for their time. In the 2023 documentary, it seems not a whole lot has changed, with one cheerleading alum, Kat, comparing her salary to that of “a Chick-fil-A worker who works full time.”
In 2017, former Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader Erica Wilkins sued the organisation for lost wages, saying that she earned $4,700USD for a full year’s work, which also included being a member of the ‘show group,’ an elite squad made up of the best dancers on the team. Per Wilkins account, this comprised $8 an hour for rehearsals (which took place every evening for between three and six hours), a $100 flat fee for appearances (which increased to $300 by her third year with DCC), and $250 for ‘show group’ appearances.
Wilkins also alleged that the cheerleaders were paid less than the team’s mascot, played by a man who reportedly made $65,000 a year.
“Yes, it is prestigious,” Wilkinstold The New York Post.“But at the end of the day, prestige doesn’t pay my rent. I can’t walk down to my leasing office and hand them my uniform for the month.”
According to ABC, since Wilkins’ dispute, Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders’ pay has increased from $8 an hour to $12 for rehearsals, and to $400 for game-day appearances.
In 2014, A Cowboys Executive Was Accused Of Voyeurism In The DCC Locker Room
In arguably the biggest scandal to rock the DCC, in 2015, four unnamed cheerleaders were paid $2.4 million USD, after they accused a senior male executive of filming them as they undressed in their locker room.
Specifically, one of the former team members alleged that they saw Richard Dalrymple, the then-Cowboys’ senior vice president for public relations and communications using his phone to record from behind a partial wall while the women changed. She also alleged that he used his security pass to gain access to the locker room through a back door.
In response to the allegations, Cowboys spokesperson Jim Wilkinson told NBC: “The organization took these allegations extremely seriously and moved immediately to thoroughly investigate this matter. The investigation was handled consistent with best legal and HR practices and the investigation found no evidence of wrongdoing.”
“If any wrongdoing had been found Rich would have been terminated immediately. The cheerleaders are a vital part of the Dallas Cowboys family, and in terms of the settlement, the organization wanted to go above and beyond to ensure the cheerleaders knew that their allegations had been taken extremely seriously, and immediately and thoroughly investigated. Everyone involved felt just terrible about this unfortunate incident.”
