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Dallas Mavericks Dancers Adjust Uniforms to Be Less Revealing
July 25, 2018
Members of the Dallas Mavericks Dancers, the NBA team's cheerleading squad, will change their uniforms for the 2018-19 season in an effort to make them less revealing.
Mavs CEO Cynthia Marshall told Sharon Grigsby of the Dallas Morning News the organization wants to focus on the "dancers as artists and to highlight their skills, not be eye candy or sexualized."
"Everyone should feel comfortable—both the performers and everyone in the arena," she said Tuesday. "If someone brings a 10-year-old to the game, I don't want them having to cover the kid's eyes during performances."
Marshall said the change is part of the franchise's 100-day plan to improve workplace conditions.
In February, Jon Wertheim and Jessica Luther of Sports Illustrated found reports of a Mavericks "corporate culture rife with misogyny and predatory sexual behavior," including alleged harassment by former team president Terdema Ussery.
"It was a real life Animal House," one former Mavs employee said. "And I only say 'was' because I'm not there anymore. I'm sure it's still going on."
Another source told SI: "You don't feel safe going to work and it's not long before you look for another job. And then you wonder why there aren't more women working in sports. Really?"
"The Mavericks will provide all necessary resources to ensure that every current and former employee receives appropriate support," the team said in a February statement. "We will also conduct comprehensive training through experts and take the necessary steps to ensure that our workplace is a safe, respectful and productive one for all Dallas Mavericks employees."
Marshall, who made it clear the dancers are "doing nothing wrong," told Grigsby the Mavs' goal is to become the "NBA standard for diversity and inclusion by 2019."
In May, the San Antonio Spurs announced their Silver Dancer cheer squad would be replaced by a 35-member coed hype team.