The modern Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders launch in 1972 and rocket to national fame. For episode transcripts and bonus content related to the show, <a href="https://www.texasmonthly.com/podcasts/series/americas-girls/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">visit texasmonthly.com</a>.<br />

The modern Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders launch in 1972 and rocket to national fame. For episode transcripts and bonus content related to the show, visit texasmonthly.com.

The modern Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders launch in 1972 and rocket to national fame. For episode transcripts and bonus content related to the show, <a href="https://www.texasmonthly.com/podcasts/series/americas-girls/" rel="noopener noreferrer">visit texasmonthly.com</a>.<br>

The Rise to Fame

The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders squad burst onto the field back in 1972—the same year Title IX passed, the same year Deep Throat came out, and a year before Roe v. Wade. Sarah Hepola digs into the untold stories behind the global pop culture phenomenon, from the stripper who allegedly inspired the squad's creation, to a scandalous Playboy cover shoot that was actually a battle over fair wages, to the ongoing debate about sexuality and women’s bodies in a post-#MeToo world. The result is a vibrant mix of history, cultural criticism, and storytelling, featuring interviews with New Yorker writer Jia Tolentino, award-winning novelist Ben Fountain, Oscar-nominated director Dana Adam Shapiro, local television sports legend Dale Hansen, folk-writing hero Joe Nick Patoski, and a whole bunch of cheerleaders whose names you don’t know yet—but should.

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The Rise to Fame

The Rise to Fame