Victoria Kalina, former Dallas Cowboys cheerleader and one of the big stars of the Netflix series America’s Sweethearts, spoke about how difficult it was for her to see the show succeed.
The 24-year-old even admitted to walking out during a screening of the docuseries, which exposed the cheerleaders’ pitiful pay and harsh working conditions.
“It had a really heavy impact on me,” she said told The Times in an interview published on Friday.
Kalina, whose mother was on the team in the 1980s, said she walked out of one of the show’s first presentations after watching a scene in which her stamina was mocked by the team’s notoriously ruthless coaches.
Her mother, Tina, refuses to watch the series at all.
Former Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader Victoria Kalina said it was difficult to watch the Netflix show
She was one of the stars of America’s Sweethearts, which was released last month
‘[It’s] “It’s obviously hard for her to see as a mother: her baby being in pain and being treated like that. So I think she has to process all that before she can watch the show,” Kalina said.
She also compared her time with the team to an abusive relationship, adding: “I think I’ve lost some of my love for dance. If you give, give, give so much and it’s not reciprocated, what’s the point?”
The report comes weeks after Mail Sport spoke exclusively to a former DCC member who revealed the “dark side” of the “toxic” environment where dancers are mistreated and seen as “expendable”.
“You become fascinated by the sisterhood of it all,” the former cheerleader told us.
“You really fall in love with the girls, they’re your best friends. But we all joke that we have a trauma bond because of the things we’ve been through.”
Despite being the richest sports franchise in the world, worth approximately $5 billion, the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders earn a salary comparable to that of a fast food worker.
The Netflix series ‘America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders’ puts the group in the spotlight
A former DCC member revealed there was a ‘dark side’ to the ‘toxic’ environment within the team
Most DCC members earn about the same amount as a full-time Chick-Fil-A employee
Charlotte Jones, Chief Brand Officer and daughter of billionaire owner Jerry Jones, claims the dancers are not motivated by money when they join the DCC.
‘They don’t really come here for the money. They come here for something that’s actually bigger than that. to them‘ she said in the first episode of Netflix’s America’s Sweethearts.
The Cowboys’ lowest-paid player makes $795,000, while quarterback Dak Prescott has a contract worth $160 million.
For comparison, the cheerleader we spoke to earned between $15,000 and $22,000 a year when he was a member of the DCC.
“It’s very insulting to hear someone in such a high position talk about the fact that we’re doing it for something bigger than ourselves,” the former cheerleader said in response to Charlotte’s comments.
“We love the work of a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader. But I believe that if you want elite dancers, you have to give elite compensation.
“We’re all athletes, we’re all incredible achievers… the problem is that every year there are women lining up who are willing to do it for less.”