DALLAS — Netflix’s docuseries “America’s Sweethearts” opens to a scene of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders waiting for their cue to perform. As they stretch their muscles and wave their pom-poms, the camera cuts to a cheerleader talking about the weight of being on the team. Their role is to make others happy, she said, while maintaining a “picture-perfect” image.
“You’re becoming a whole different person when you put that uniform on,” said a second cheerleader, in another cutaway. This trade-off isn’t framed as a burden, but as a duty in service of the sport and franchise they love. In the seven-episode series, which premiered Thursday, the show makers document the lives of the cheer team, from the competitive audition process to the end of the NFL season.
Since their founding more than 60 years ago, the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders have become a national icon, performing around the globe and appearing on network TV shows such as the long-running Country Music Television series, “Making the Team.” CMT and the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders split ways in 2022 after 16 seasons. Here’s what to know about the new docuseries and the team’s history.
The Cowboys experimented with different iterations of cheerleaders in the 1960s. The team hired models to stand on the sidelines, but ultimately canned the idea, according to the cheerleaders’ official website, because they were not trained to withstand the Texas sun. The Cowboys then enlisted the help of loca.
