For the first time in more than five decades, the Washington Football Team plans to take the field without a cheerleading squad.
The change is part of the overhaul of the team’s culture, which included removing Redskins from the team’s name, a new logo, team and football operations power structure, and a potential change in the ownership group.
The Washington Football Team made the decision, in part, because the contracts of their current cheerleaders have expired.
Petra Pope, the club’s new senior adviser, told USA Today the dance team will be modern and diverse.
“We want to be more inclusive, so we are going to invite a coed entity (to audition),” Pope said. “We’re able to do more things with the strength of a male, and lifts, so that’s changed a great deal. The inclusivity, strength and interest of choreography has changed.”
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The club came under fire after an expose by the Washington Post detailing members of the 2008 and 2010 cheerleading squads alleging club employees made videos without permission of squad calendar shoots with women in various stages of undress for scene changes required by the photographers.
The Washington Football Team has denied those claims.
–Field Level Media