Lauren Herington was 19 years old when she learned that she'd been selected to be a NBA dancer for the Milwaukee Bucks 2013-14 season. She never thought just a few years later, she would be suing the team for unfair pay. When Herington joined the Bucks, to say she was excited would have been an understatement; working for the NBA had long been a dream of hers.
Within 24 hours of receiving her offer she'd moved to Milwaukee, and shortly after she started attending the cheerleading training camp. But quickly, her dream began to unravel. It was only after the month-long camp ended that anyone brought up pay to Herington.
According to the lawsuit , Herington would be paid $30 for practices; $65 per home game; and $50 for every public appearance. "Appearances could be 30 minutes or four hours, it just depends. Regardless, you were given the flat rate of $50.
" "I was in shock seeing the pay," she tells PS. At the time, Herington was paying $1,000 a month for her new apartment and a couple hundred for a car note, plus the expenses of living and being in a city — much different from the rural town she grew up in, five hours away. "I immediately thought, 'Oh my gosh, how am I going to survive?'" she says.
Her living expenses weren't the only cost she was concerned about. According to Herington's lawsuit, the Bucks required that dancers must conform to all image standards set by the coach. This could mean that a woman with short hair would be required to get extensions , or continue .