A new documentary on NFL cheerleaders is coming next month. A Woman’s Work: The NFL’s Cheerleader Problem is set to air on PBS Jan. 4. The film will take an in-depth look into the continued fight to end the gender pay gap in the NFL. According to the press release, some NFL cheerleaders earn as little as $5 an hour.
“This film is about women’s fight for value in the workplace,” Yu Gu, director of A Woman’s Work: The NFL’s Cheerleader Problem, said in the press release. “I wanted to show the work these women put in behind the spectacle, and the unjust environment where this work takes place. By breaking down what’s happening in this cultural monolith that is the NFL, we aim to shine a light on how gender inequality operates at an institutional level and inspire audiences to follow in the footsteps of these brave women who are fighting to end it. With a platform like Independent Lens, we’re hopeful that we can educate communities and spark conversations all over the U.S. on this issue as women continue to fight against inequality in all spheres of life today.”
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The documentary will focus on Lacy, a former cheerleader for the Oakland Raiders (now Las Vegas Raiders), and Maria, a former Buffalo Bills cheerleader. Both women take up their fight for fair pay against the NFL and take a stand by denouncing the league’s labor practices and employment contracts. In a 2014 article from the New York Post, it was reported that Maria made just $105 dollars for more than 800 hours of work.
“I grew up in Buffalo, and was captain of the cheerleading team in high school,” Maria said at the time. “I busted my butt to make the Jills. To make it! What a thrill.” Lacy talked to CBS San Francisco in 2019 and explained her experience with the Raiders.
“The ball was already rolling when we sat down and were handed these contracts” I didn’t even catch the part that said we’re not going to pay you until the end of the year,” Lacy said. “[Money] was such a hushed-lip subject. They said if you’re at a promo and someone asks you about money, change the subject. We actually had training sessions about how to approach these uncomfortable situations about money.”
