Redskins cheerleaders fight for fair treatment
The Washington Redskins’ cheerleaders are speaking out and fighting to eradicate mistreatment in the wake of reports that surfaced this week about how a group of powerful men took advantage of them during a team trip abroad five years ago.
During the trip to Costa Rica in 2013, the squad’s cheerleaders were asked to pose for a calendar photo shoot on the beach, and many of the women were reportedly forced to go topless for the pictures while men watched, reports claimed. The men were allegedly team sponsors and box-holders at the Redskins’ stadium, FedExField.
Reports also stated that the cheerleaders were required to escort the men to a local nightclub. Though none of the cheerleaders were asked to perform any type of sexual favors for the sponsors and box-holders or any other men who attended the trip, the women are now attempting to ensure that no incidents like this ever happen again.
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The New York Times detailed the Redskins cheerleaders story in a recent article, one of many pieces the newspaper and other media outlets have published over the last few weeks about how cheerleaders in the NFL have been greatly mistreated for years.
According to the Washington Post, some cheerleaders earn just $75 per game and are often forced to attend dozens of off-the-field team events without receiving any pay. Some Redskins cheerleaders reportedly left the franchise after the 2013 incident.
Cheerleaders from multiple other NFL teams — including the New Orleans Saints, San Francisco 49ers, the New York Jets and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — have sued their respective organizations for alleged mistreatment and wage discrimination, per the Post.
Several recent reports stated that two former cheerleaders who recently filed these types of lawsuits said they would be prepared to settle their allegations for $1 each if NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell agrees to a meeting with them.
The two women who proposed this settlement are former New Orleans Saints cheerleader Bailey Davis and former Miami Dolphins cheerleader Kristan Ware.
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Interestingly enough, some former Redskins cheerleaders have defended the team and refuted claims that the organization ever “pimped” them out in any way.
“In all my six years, I never took off my top,” former cheerleader Maya Bonello told NBC‘s Today show on Friday. “Regardless of whether you took your top off or not, that was always a choice.”
Tedi Tzinares, another former cheerleader for the Redskins, echoed Bonello’s statement about what working with the team was like.
“If it was something you didn’t feel comfortable with, you were able to not make that a part of your experience,” said Tzinares.
Other cheerleaders have flat-out said the reports of the topless photo-shoot were completely untrue.
The cheerleaders’ fight for equality has particular resonance in the “#MeToo” era, when hundreds of women across all industries — from entertainment, to sports, journalism, politics and the service industry — have spoken out about their experiences with sexual harassment and assault at the hands of powerful men.
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