These women have nothing to cheer about, saying they’re exploited

Washington – Cheerleaders are a staple of American professional sports.

But the treatment of the scantily-clad women who encourage their teams from the sidelines is drawing scrutiny.

The New York Times published an article this week about questionable treatment of cheerleaders for the Washington Redskins, a National Football League team, during a trip by the squad to Costa Rica in 2013.

And cheerleaders for two other NFL teams, the New Orleans Saints and the Miami Dolphins, have filed lawsuits recently alleging discrimination.

The paper spoke to several members of the 36-strong Redskins cheerleading squad who went on the week-long trip to an exclusive resort in Costa Rica for a photo calendar shoot.

Speaking anonymously, several cheerleaders said they were made to be pose topless or wearing only body paint for pictures taken for the calendar – although it would not include nude shots.

They complained that sponsors and luxury suite holders at Redskins Stadium – all of whom were men – were granted access to the photo shoots.

Nine cheerleaders were also allegedly made, at the end of a 14-hour day of posing and dance practice, to attend an event at a nightclub as sponsors’ escorts.

“They weren’t putting a gun to our heads, but it was mandatory for us to go,” one of the cheerleaders told the paper. “We weren’t asked, we were told.”

The arrangement did not involve sex, the cheerleaders said, but they were not comfortable with it.

The newspaper said the cheerleaders were not paid for their participation in the Costa Rica trip but received transportation costs, meals and lodging.

The Redskins issued a statement saying the cheerleader squad “is one of the NFL’s premier teams in participation, professionalism and community service.

“Each Redskin cheerleader is contractually protected to ensure a safe and constructive environment.”

Former Saints cheerleader Bailey Davis filed a complaint in March with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission after she was fired by the team.

She alleges that the Saints impose double standards in their treatment of male players and cheerleaders.

Dolphins cheerleader Kristan Ware lodged a complaint with the Florida Commission on Human Relations last month alleging discrimination because of her gender and her Christian faith. –