12 July 25 - 31, 2024 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents Hit Her Again, Harder Fans are coming for Cowboys Cheerleader director after Netflix series. BY ALEX GONZALEZ A new docuseries on Netflix exposes the harsh working conditions the Dallas Cow- boys Cheerleaders have en- dured for decades.The seven-part series America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders shines light on the squad’s intense audition and training process, as well as the low wages the women are paid for each game. While the audition and training process isn’t new to viewers, having been the subject of CMT’s Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team for 16 seasons before the show’s end in 2021, America’s Sweethearts brings attention to these conditions to a larger audience. Since the premiere of America’s Sweet- hearts, fans have started a trend on TikTok reenacting one of the squad’s routines. But they’re also demanding better pay and treat- ment for the Cowboys Cheerleaders, who revealed that their pay was only around $12 per hour and $400 per game. As a result, some fans have written petitions via Change.org. As we approach the 2024 NFL season, training camp for the cheerleaders is underway, and it appears that some viewers and fans have hope that the docuseries and the backlash will incite change. When director Greg Whitley captured the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders over a year, he sought to create an “authentic portrait of one of the most storied and beloved institutions we have in American pop culture,” as he said in a press statement. The series’ unfiltered nature (despite some of the subjects being tied up with NDAs) has prompted much dis- course on body image and pay equality. In the series, fourth-year Cowboys Cheerleader veteran Victoria Kalina was open about her struggles with eating disor- ders and mental health, saying, “Whenever I get into a bad depression, I turn to bad cop- ing skills, which causes bad eating habits. And as a dancer, the hardest thing you can fight are eating disorders plus depression.” Since the premiere, many viewers imme- diately pointed to the Cowboys Cheerleader director Kelli Finglass as the villain. “Kelli Finglass I am praying for your down- fall daily,” wrote one viewer on X. “If you have 1 hater it’s me, if you have no haters I am dead & gone from this earth. Count your fkn days. I will read EVERY memoir that comes out once you retire & those NDAs expire & those girls can finally fuckin GET YOU!!” Another fan posits that the docuseries, as well as Kalina’s mental health revelations, barely scratch the surface. “I can’t even imagine how many women Kelli Finglass and Judy Trammell have sent into extremely unhealthy eating habits and lifestyles,” posted another viewer. Neither Finglass nor representatives of the Cowboys responded to our request for comment. However, Finglass, whose salary is estimated to be $1.5 million annually, has since gone on record to defend the cheer- leaders’ pay. “The cheerleaders are paid for all re- hearsals, performances, appearances,” Fin- glass said via Netflix’s Tudum. “They’re paid for all time worked, and it’s increased through the years. Outside of that, they’re part-time employees — like any company, we don’t quote specific wages or salaries.” But sugary PR quotes can only hide so much. Elsewhere in the docuseries, DCC alumna Caroline Sundvold is seen walking on crutches or using a walker. The docu- mentary reveals that the Cheerleaders are allotted a maximum of five years on the squad. Over Sundvold’s five years, she said on the series, her jump-splitting resulted in her hips tearing to the point of requiring surgery along with foot surgery. Through her long run on the DCC, Sundvold shared a studio apartment with her sister Anna Kate when the series was filmed. Despite the medical toll her time as a Cowboys Cheerleader took on her, Sundvold still looks back on the experience positively and even encouraged her sister to try out for the squad. But now that this is all out in the open, where do the Cowboys Cheerleaders go from here? One of the cheerleaders we meet in America’s Sweethearts is Ariana McClure, who moved from California to Dallas in hope of making the coveted cheer squad. At the time of filming, it is McClure’s second attempt, having been cut during training camp the previous year. McClure told the BBC that she had started seeing a therapist to cope with the stress of the intense training and that thera- pists and mental health professionals should be offered to each of the cheerleaders. “My therapist was great, but she’s not a dancer, or wasn’t an athlete,” said Mc- Clure. “And so having just some tools of- fered for the girls to talk to would be really beneficial.” In a statement, reps for the DCC claimed that such resources are available to the squad members, “Just like our Cowboys players, they have access to our dedicated team Mental Health and Wellness Consul- tant on staff, as needed.” The Cowboys’ estimated value is $9.2 bil- lion, and the team topped $1 billion in reve- nue in 2022. Though public interest in documentaries, movies and series tends to dwindle even days after their premiere in the streaming era, America’s Sweethearts hasn’t left the Netflix top 10 in the weeks since its premiere. And with training under way, and football season inching closer and closer, fans have their feet on Finglass’ neck, applying pressure to improve working conditions and pay. Courtesy of CMT ▼ Culture Some fans are just now learning that the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders make $12 an hour, and they’re coming for the director online. Pledge your support of local journalism and get cool perks by becoming a member.