Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader Reveals The Harsh, Unglamorous Reality Behind NFL’s Most Famous Squad
This article was originally published on Total Pro Sports.
Dallas Cowboys cheerleader Marissa Phillips says the holidays become exhausting long before fans sit down for Thanksgiving football. The Cowboys always keep their holiday traditions going, and the cheerleaders have to match that pace. Phillips, 25, says she and her teammates deal with long days, quick turnarounds, and almost no breaks as the season gets busy.
The Cowboys beat the Kansas City Chiefs on Thanksgiving, but the cheerleaders still didn’t have much time to enjoy the day. Recently, a cheerleader from Los Angeles shared her tough days from the job.
Still, they had to delay their own holiday dinners so they could perform at the game. Phillips says the tough schedule actually started weeks earlier, and the pressure only gets heavier as Christmas gets closer.
“We’ve been so busy, and now we’re about to get into our really, really busy season,” Phillips told People. She says the workload builds up fast and rarely gives the squad a clear break.
Inside Cheerleaders Nonstop Holiday Push
Phillips says the cheerleaders perform 30-minute shows at The Star, the team’s headquarters, and fans show up ready for holiday fun. “It’s just really sweet, because a lot of people will bring their kids and their families and get all dressed up and get hot cocoa,” she said. The team stages the shows with festive lighting, three costume changes, and signature routines like Thunderstruck. Each show runs short, but the work behind it adds up.
“If we have a game on Sunday or a game on Thursday for Thanksgiving, that can be really busy,” Phillips said. “We just have to be really prepared and make sure we know all of our parts.” Actually, the dancers lean on muscle memory and stay sharp even when they feel exhausted. “It’s a very, very tiring show and a lot of compartmentalization,” she said. “But you just get into your muscle memory and turn your brain on a little bit and it’s really fun.”
Phillips works as an accountant during the day, and balancing that with cheerleading means she has to take good care of her body. She says she and her teammates stay disciplined with meal prep and sleep so they can perform well.
The hardest part, she says, is when the schedule becomes unpredictable. Some weeks don’t even guarantee a single day off. Even though the Cowboys Cheerleaders recently received a solid pay increase, the uncertainty still forces them to turn down family plans and skip regular appointments.
Phillips says November and December often feel like a blur. However, the squad keeps showing up because they love the job and appreciate the fans who support them.
