Redskins Cheerleaders Describe a Trip to Costa Rica That Crossed a Line
Source: The New York Times
By JULIET MACURMAY 2, 2018
When the Washington Redskins took their cheerleading squad to Costa Rica in 2013 for a calendar photo shoot, the first cause for concern among the cheerleaders came when Redskins officials collected their passports upon arrival at the resort, depriving them of their official identification.
For the photo shoot, at the adults-only Occidental Grand Papagayo resort on Culebra Bay, some of the cheerleaders said they were required to be topless, though the photographs used for the calendar would not show nudity. Others wore nothing but body paint. Given the resorts secluded setting, such revealing poses would not have been a concern for the women except that the Redskins had invited spectators.
A contingent of sponsors and FedExField suite holders all men were granted up-close access to the photo shoots.
One evening, at the end of a 14-hour day that included posing and dance practices, the squads director told nine of the 36 cheerleaders that their work was not done. They had a special assignment for the night. Some of the male sponsors had picked them to be personal escorts at a nightclub.
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/02/sports/redskins-cheerleaders-nfl.html
MontanaMama
(23,302 posts)bucolic_frolic
(43,123 posts)Having your passport seized in a foreign country by a non-governmental entity is tatamount to kidnapping
DorothyG
(95 posts)that something was really wrong. I can't imagine why anyone would request/surrender a personal thing like a passport.
mercuryblues
(14,530 posts)IOW they turned their cheerleaders in pole dancers, porn stars, and prostitutes.
packman
(16,296 posts)to think this DOESN'T go on?
RandomAccess
(5,210 posts)kidnap-y than this.
Response to RandomAccess (Reply #13)
Rainbow Droid This message was self-deleted by its author.
RandomAccess
(5,210 posts)I'm all ears.
Response to RandomAccess (Reply #27)
Rainbow Droid This message was self-deleted by its author.
RandomAccess
(5,210 posts)pushy and presumptuous. Sorry, I'm not playing.
Ilsa
(61,694 posts)I don't think for a second that you are off the mark. You don't have to have sex to be sexually abused.
I wonder how much they were told before the trip?
LanternWaste
(37,748 posts)I imagine the cheerleaders involved in the fight for better pay and lawsuits involving harassment, coercion, conspiracy, etc are not naive.
But I'm sure you'll allege you know better.
pecosbob
(7,534 posts)You guys better postpone your Kaepernick collusion strategy meeting...you got bigger problems.
LittleGirl
(8,282 posts)I would have refused. Fuck that shit.
TheDebbieDee
(11,119 posts)escort time with a few of the men, someone had already confiscated their passports! Outside of country w/o their passports these young women would have felt coerced to be escorts just to be able to get back home...
LittleGirl
(8,282 posts)and if someone took my passport, I would have called the Embassy. There is no excuse for leaving the country and not knowing what to do in an emergency.
I'm not going to blame the victim.
That whole mess was illegal.
Solly Mack
(90,762 posts)Damn
dalton99a
(81,442 posts)rogue emissary
(3,148 posts)and acts like criminals. Shocking!
hlthe2b
(102,216 posts)but from what I can tell, it rarely does and clearly the NFL does not think they should be accorded respect or the value they bring in supporting the teams.
Frankly, I think maybe having cheerleaders should stay at the high school and college level, but if they are going to have them, at least accord them equal respect and protection to the players.
Perseus
(4,341 posts)Why not teach their girls to be cheered instead by excelling in sports, most of these girls/women are incredible athletes, why not help them adopt a sport where they can excel and maybe have a bright future?
Sports teams have their fans, no need to have cheerleaders.
I don't intend to offend anyone who has been, or has a daughter who is a cheerleader, and I know cheerleading is not easy, it requires athleticism, and that is why I think a female can have a brighter future by practicing some other sport, one that can offer her a college scholarship and allows her to realize her full athletic potential.
hlthe2b
(102,216 posts)Stuckinthebush
(10,844 posts)Of course I do know parents who have children who are competitive cheerleaders which is akin to gymnastics. Serious athletic skill needed in that. So, i dont want to paint with too brush of a brush. , but cheerleading at sporting events seems a bit anachronistic.
PassingFair
(22,434 posts)Didnt stop one of them from trying out in middle school. I was secretly (or not so secretly) relieved when she didnt make their cut. She was totally over the idea by the time she got to high school. 👍
MountCleaners
(1,148 posts)https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/nfl-cheerleaders-fail-cash-multibillion-dollar-business
Sex workers make more money off their bodies.
Hekate
(90,637 posts)agueybana79
(56 posts)I don't give my passport to ANYONE. When I travel, I make a photo copy of the passport to hand out to the policemen of that country, in case I'm stopped and they need more official documentation. If they want the original, I tell them it's back at the place I'm staying, but they have to take me there.
I'm pretty sure there are international laws against governments taking other government's citizens' documentation to travel.
What could possibly be a legitimate reason to ask a cheerleader to give up her passport? She's there to do work, not show her tits and escort VIP men.
This is ridiculous. I hope they sue The redksins.
a la izquierda
(11,791 posts)My passport sits in a safe in my lodging place. Its comes out when I leave for the airport.
obamanut2012
(26,067 posts)niiiiiiiiiiiice
Javaman
(62,515 posts)MosheFeingold
(3,051 posts)Is long gone on this one. 2013? Any claim probably died in 2015 or 2017 at the outside.
Regarding passports; mixed feelings. Many years ago I would escort youth groups to Israel. We took up their passports -- because they were kids and did idiot kid things and would lose them. Don't know the ages of the cheerleaders, but if they are 18-20ish, I'd still be tempted.
LanternWaste
(37,748 posts)Now I get why so many half-wits argue for the existence of female-only cheer squads.
Yavin4
(35,433 posts)the team.
Cattledog
(5,914 posts)bobbieinok
(12,858 posts)IIRC the total emphasis was on the women having to conform to the sexiest stereotypes of female beauty. Everything they did was closely monitored. They were treated as commodities to sell the team image.
Series ran about same time as the one about preparing little girls to take part in beauty contests.
Our culture has a very warped view of the goals suitable for women.
robbob
(3,527 posts)It was a weeklong trip and the cheerleaders were not paid anything beyond transportation, food and lodging. So a week out of your life and no pay. How are they supposed to pay their rent with no salary?