Early July is one of the few times of the year when there’s a lull in the National Football League calendar. The draft happened months ago, and training camp doesn’t begin until next week for many teams. What’s an NFL fan to do? Well, there are other sports to pay attention to (go Grimace-era Mets), but if you’re so football-pilled that you dismiss the Olympics as an unnecessary distraction, there’s always America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders — although, like most Cowboys seasons, it can be depressing to watch.
The seven-episode Netflix series follows the incredible athletes who make up the cheerleading squad for the Cowboys, the world’s most valuable sports team. “The women are impressive when you see them all in a kick line — they’re in a row and they’re beautiful, athletic, and strong. They seem impenetrable,” creator Greg Whiteley told Tudum. “I think that is made even more impressive when you realize that there’s a living, breathing human being underneath that facade.” But for their hard work which requires “military-levels of discipline,” the cheerleaders are paid shockingly little.
While some senior dancers may earn up to $75,000 per year, most earn about $14 per hour, and $500 on game days (which can stretch to 11 hours)… Many of the women hold second jobs, and we see them rushing to evening rehearsals after spending entire days working — in medical sales, nursing, at a florist shop. One finalist for the team is an orthodontist.
“They actually don’t come here for the money. They come here for something that’s actually bigger than that to them. They have a passion for dance,” Charlotte Jones, the daughter of team owner Jerry Jones, unconvincingly told The New York Times. “It is about a sisterhood about relationships that they have for the rest of their life. They have a chance to feel like they are valued, they are special, and they are making a difference.” You what else would make a difference? A raise.
America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders is now streaming on Netflix.
