Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel-review

This past week, HBO's Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel focused a story on the wave of cheerleader lawsuits in the NFL, especially with Lacy T of the Raiderettes and Alyssa U and Maria of the Jills. Andrea Kremer talked with Lacy in Oakland as well as with Alyssa, Maria, and Jills director Stephanie Mateczun.
The segment started off with a talk with Lacy, who loved performing and sports and wound up cheering in college and for the Golden State Warriors in the NBA before joining up with the Oakland Raiderettes. Once she made the squad, she felt she was on top of the world at first. After a while, her feelings changed.
Andrea then talked to Alyssa and Maria, each of whom went into debt to pay for their uniforms and other squad-related expenses. Alyssa even used her student loan money to pay for her uniform. They described the jiggle test to Andrea and even put on a demonstration of it, relating how they felt when doing it in front of their peers and squad management.

Despite the financial issues, they did it for the love of cheering and stuck it out to honor the commitments they made when making the squad. The Buffalo Men's Show was brought up, during which some members of the squad participated in a bikini fashion show. It turns out that some of the girls were groped while doing that and were quite frightened by the experience. According to the legal complaint, more groping happened at the Calendar Release Party held at Turning Stone Casino last fall.
One thing brought up was how much your typical NFL Mascot makes, upwards of $35K. In the most popular and wealthy sports league on Earth, there's plenty of money to go around, a lot more of which could go to the cheerleaders when you consider all the work they put in in support of the teams in the areas of entertainment and public relations.
Andrea Kremer didn't stop with the plaintiffs as, even though the teams involved in these lawsuits refused to speak with her on the matter, Jills director Stephanie Mateczun was willing to be interviewed. In it, she talked about how her company, Stejon Productions, was run, a company formed after she successfully lobbied Entercom Communications to let her form to control the squad. She also related how anyone not happy with how things are done on the squad could leave at any time, which some have done over the years. Of course any money spent by the girls on uniforms and the like has always been non-refundable.

Finishing up, Bryant and Andrea touched on what the NFL wants to do this season, allowing fans to request cheerleaders come visit them in their seats, something that could, IMO, cause some serious problems safety-wise for the girls.
When it comes to the Jills lawsuit, Alyssa and Maria stated their ultimate goal is to form a union, by which cheerleaders could work together to ensure fair treatment and compensation. Most squads are under direct control of the teams they represent and that number is growing. The Gold Rush Cheerleaders are outsourced to a private company like the Jills have been, but the 49ers organization plans to change that while other NFL teams, like the Vikings, are working to improve the compensation they pay the girls in their organizations.
The fact of the matter is, the Buffalo Jills once had a union, back in the mid-1990's but when they were looking for a new sponsor, the only way Salvatore's Italian Gardens would take them on was if they dropped the union.

Personally, I've been staying neutral on the whole suit. I wasn't working closely with the squad in 2012 and 2013 when most of the allegations took place and even while Citadel radio and Cumulus media had control of the squad and I was more involved,  I stayed out of the in-depth stuff and just did what I could to support the squad, including the girls on the squad through photography, blogging, and watching out for their safety when I could.
Regarding the "jiggle test," which Stephanie Mateczun admits to running, it's apparently a new thing as Jills alum Stephanie B (2007-09), in an interview on WHAM-TV in April, said it was something that she never did. While it's definitely important that the girls have to be in shape to perform on the field, one has to wonder why the change in procedure, especially if the new procedure was uncomfortable for the girls. If the old way they determined field-readiness was working to everyone's satisfaction, it seems unnecessary to change it.
As for the groping allegations, I know that I never saw any while I photographed those bikini fashion shows at the Men's Show and at Calendar Release parties over the years. That being said, I was never able to see everything that was going on as I was trying to get photos taken. I know in the past, when Calendar Release Parties were held from 2005-2009 in Buffalo, there was at least some security keeping an eye on things like that. I'm not sure what happened when they held that Calendar Release Party in the Syracuse area in 2013  however. If anyone was misbehaving and groping anyone, they should've been escorted out immediately. At Club New York, at the 2007 Calendar Release party, I think I can guarantee that the owner would've thrown anyone out caught pulling any of that. The worst thing I saw was in 2008 when a photographer from a local website took some photos he shouldn't have. I didn't even see that until the next day when I was working on photos. The following year, I ensured that didn't happen again by making sure I was where he had been and he was elsewhere, ensuring every photo I took was one that the girls approved of.
Finally, I think the whole idea of "ordering cheerleaders" to your seats is dangerous to say the least. Bringing them into the stands around a whole bunch of drunks puts their safety at risk, even if they do have security with them. After the Jills swimsuit calendars debuted in 2000, members of the squad were out in the lots before games selling them but after a few years, that practice was put at an end for safety reasons. As it is many squads have Ambassadors who aren't on the field during the game but instead, visiting suites. Suites are generally a little bit more under control than the stands with security on hand. Putting the girls in the stands could backfire with more lawsuits filed by cheerleaders or with complaints from other fans trying to watch the game but disrupted from doing so.
I think Real Sports did a great job showing both sides of the issue but I also feel a lot more could've been talked about. Alyssa and Maria recently did an interview with Cosmopolitan magazine that will be featured in the September, 2014 issue, which hits newsstands in mid-August and I imagine it will be more in-depth.

Note:the majority of the video I included in this article did not appear on the show itself but was put up on the HBO Sports YouTube page as an add-on to the TV segment.

Cheerleaders as eye candy?

With the suspension of the 2014 Buffalo Jills season, there's been a lot of talk in the media and on social media about how necessary they are. There's even been some talk of them being nothing more than eye candy. Many of us who know better are rightfully offended but rather than go off on those people, it's better for everyone to educate them, if we can.
Consider this...a typical year for a Buffalo Jill, after making the squad, has no significant downtime. From April-December, these young ladies are practicing at least twice a week to learn several routines and performances for use in the fall football season. In 2009 and 2010, the Jills held a few open practices to work with some younger cheerleaders and I can tell you those young ladies were kept pretty busy. After the open portion was done, they went back to work on their own stuff and from what I was told, they covered a lot in that time. It's pretty rare that they get practice nights off and if they do, it's usually for a big reason, like the NFL Cheerleader Playoffs viewing parties held back in 2006. Even after the season is over, there are still appearances to fill and if there are any big events in the spring, there's practice time as well to get ready for those.
The people who write cheerleaders off as eye candy are generally ignorant of how much work goes into being a professional cheerleader as well as to the benefits of having them around. Sports leagues that employ pro cheerleaders don't do so to satisfy the drunks in the stands. As a matter of fact, those types of people aren't even a factor when it comes to having pro cheerleaders or not. A part of what pro cheerleaders do is to help grow interest in the sport. They do that with appearances and greeting fans primarily. Adults aren't usually going to be swayed by pretty girls on the sidelines, though I must confess that I only checked out my 1st Bandits game to support a friend who was on the Bandettes. After seeing the game in person though, I was hooked on that...but I digress. Children need to have their attention captured to get their interest in something. Some players appear on local tv shows and sign autographs afterwards but the players don't have the time to make many appearances with all the demand on them. During the season, players generally only get 1 day off per week. Cheerleaders though, are available for appearances year-round. The only time they can't make appearances is during home games, for obvious reasons.
Over my years working with the Jills and Bandettes, I've witnessed a lot of interactions at games, events, and appearances. Thankfully, I've never witnessed what was reported to have transpired in Syracuse last year. The worst I saw was when a photographer from a local website had taken a few photos at an event that he really shouldn't have. I myself ensured he didn't do it again the following year. There's plenty of fans of all ages who love to meet the cheerleaders and get their autographs and/or pictures taken with them. I think the most important interactions I've seen are with the children. I couldn't begin to count the times I've seen little boys and girls extra excited when they get to meet a professional cheerleader. The little girls generally idolize them while the little boys are usually pretty shy but still excited. 3 specific interactions really stick out for me, though.

Dunkirk middle school cheerleaders performing for Jess
and Angelina

In 2009, Jess, Jill D, Angelina, and Joya of the Jills were at an appearance in Dunkirk along with Bills alum Adam Lingner and what I remember the most about that day was when a group of middle school cheerleaders visited. Instead of just getting autographs or pictures, they performed one of their cheers for Jess and Angelina and got extra excited when Jess told them about the Open Practice the Jills were holding the following month.

Briana and Emily with a hopeful future Jill

In 2011, I joined Emily and Briana M at another appearance in Dunkirk. They sold raffle tickets for the Nathan George Softball Tournament and we came upon one family relaxing on this beautiful day, half-watching the softball game going on with a little interest. When their little girl saw Emily and Briana, she couldn't contain her excitement and told them that she wanted to be just like them when she grew up and cheer on the sidelines at the Bills games. The final one happened just this year at a Bandits game. I was with Erin, Jessica, and Kirsten's line while they were signing their new posters near the top of the east bank of escalators. A lot of younger fans come by when the Bandettes are signing but this one really stood out. Jessica had suffered an injury that put an end to her performing and she took a role in management, joining Erin Y running the squad. While we were standing there talking as the girls signed their posters, a lady came over to talk to Jessica. Her daughter idolized Jessica and missed getting to see her perform. After talking to her for a bit, she got her daughter to come over and she was both disappointed that Jessica couldn't perform and excited to get to talk to her. Just getting to talk to Jessica seemed to make her entire day.
The future of the Jills is up in the air after this season and we can only speculate on the reasons why their season was cancelled except that it had something to do with the lawsuit. Whether it be the Bills taking charge, new management, or a renewed focus by current management, the Jills need to be re-formed not just for what they bring to the sidelines, but for how they impact the children in Western NY. Take a look around the league. Only 3 teams have no cheerleaders at all with unofficial groups in Detroit, Cleveland, and the NY Giants. The Dallas Cowboys are one of the most popular teams in the NFL and it's all due to one thing: marketing. The team on the field hasn't been a very strong one in several years but they still keep gaining fans. Back in 1978, NFL Films put together a year-end highlight film for the team, like they do for every team every year. They entitled it "America's Team" and the Cowboys have used that in their marketing ever since along with the iconic Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, marketed as America's Sweethearts. Does anyone seriously think the the DCC isn't a huge part of what attracts fans? When you consider that the Buffalo Jills beat them out in a fan poll in 2011 for the NFL's top squad, it'd be insane to let them go the way of the Steelerettes or the Honey Bears, the defunct cheerleading squads  for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Chicago Bears.

Happy Veteran's Day

A special shout-out to the ladies who've cheered on the Bills or the Bandettes who've also served the United States in the Armed Forces.

2000-01 Jills Swimsuit Calendar Covergirl Marisa spent the 2000 and 2003 season on the Jills as well as a few years with the NY Air National Guard

Bandettes coach Erin J, pictured here with a pair of her Bandettes last season, spent 1998-2002 with the Jills before moving on to coach the Bandettes. Prior to that, she served in the US Army in Operation: Desert Storm.

Recently retired Jills Ambassador Squad captain Kelly spent 2002-08 with the Jills and was an award-winning recruiter in the US Air Force as well during her 9 1/2 year stint.

Jessica spent 2003-07 on active duty in the US Navy and while she's still in the Individual Ready Reserves until next year, she's getting set to dance with the Bandettes for her 3rd season.

These are just the young ladies I know about...I'm sure there are many more and if you'd like them to be included, just drop a line with her name and some info about her as well as, if possible, a photo of her in action as a Jill, Bandette, or Bombshell to buffalojillsphilster@gmail.com and we'll make sure to give her proper recognition

UltimateCheerleaders.com at the Bills-Lions preseason game.

A few weeks ago, James Blakey of UltimateCheerleaders.com visited us in Buffalo and got onfield access for a slew of great photos of the Buffalo Jills. You can check out his write-up at http://ultimatecheerleaders.com/2009/09/nfl-pre-season-week-4-the-buffalo-jills-2/ and see the whole gallery of photos at http://ultimatecheerleaders.com/nggallery/page-8903/album-6/gallery-52