A Woman’s Work: The NFL’s Cheerleader Problem sheds light on the continued fight to end the gender pay gap prevalent throughout the National Football League. For over 50 years, the NFL has employed cheerleaders—women who are lifelong athletes expected to both maintain a peak physical condition and fulfill extreme beauty standards. Many of these athletes have been historically underpaid, with some earning as little as $5 an hour, while others are never paid a salary at all. A Woman’s Work chronicles the journeys of cheerleaders from the Oakland Raiders and the Buffalo Bills, each of whom put their careers on the line to take legal action and fight for fair pay.
Through the stories of two women in particular—Lacy, a former cheerleader for the Oakland Raiders and mother of three, and Maria, a former Buffalo Bills cheerleader, both of whom take up the grueling fight for fair pay against the NFL—the film paints a vivid picture of gender inequality at the heart of America’s favorite pastime. A Woman’s Work features interviews with former cheerleaders—some who have filed lawsuits against and others who stand staunchly in support of the NFL—their family members, and labor lawyers.
The Filmmakers
Yu Gu (director) is an award-winning filmmaker born in Chongqing, China, and raised in Vancouver, Canada. Yu’s short, personal documentary, A Moth in Spring premiered at Hot Docs International Film Festival in Toronto and traveled to over a dozen international film festivals before being distributed by HBO.
Elizabeth Ai (producer/writer) has over a decade of experience producing narrative, documentary, and branded content. She writes and produces for various companies such as VICE, ESPN, and National Geographic Channels for which she and her team have won a News & Documentary Emmy in 2012.
ASSOCIATE PRODUCERS
Christopher Nguyen
Samanta Helou Hernandez
Candice Burrows
ASSISTANT TO PRODUCERS
Ashley Ball
Rachel Sine
FEATURING (in order of appearance)
Lacy Thibodeaux Fields
Linda Thibodeaux
Scarlett Fields
Michael Thibodeaux
Joshua Fields
Maria Pinzone
Jared Tulowitzki
Carol Pinzone
Leslie Levy
Sharon Vinick
Darci Burrell
Sharon Dupuis
Kathleen Carmer
Fields Saracione
Sean Cooney
Marc Panepinto
Krystal Cruz-Murolo
Alyssa Ursin
Lisa De Muesy
June Russell Beete
Stephanie Fox
Beverly Alexander
Sandra Humphers Denney
Roue Olsar
Chloe Smith
Tina Teets
Barbara Savage
Alexandria Medina
Lisa Kolby Callahan
DeMaurice Smith
Judge Timothy J. Drury
Steve Hurd
Chris Marlborough
Robin Abcarian
Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher
Carmen Pinzone
James Schwan
Sagan Fields
Kristina Tomasello
Tiffany Poliseno
Bailey Davis
ADDITIONAL CINEMATOGRAPHY
Tom Campbell
Nausheen Dadabhoy
Scott Drucker
Zac Manuel
DRONE PHOTOGRAPHY
Bryant Swanstrom
SOUND RECORDIST
Kristian Borysevicz
ADDITIONAL EDITOR
Yu Gu
Katrina Taylor
CONSULTING EDITOR
Johanna Demetrakas
Maya Mumma
STORY CONSULTANT
Jennifer Arnold
ASSISTANT EDITOR
Rudik Osorio
Set Hernandez Rongkilyo
FOLEY RECORDING
Yesol Choi
Sung-woo Kim
FOLEY ARTIST
Yong-kook Kim
Jae-hong Moon
MOTION GRAPHICS DESIGNER
Leah Nichols
MOTION GRAPHICS CONSULTANT
Aaron Benoit
ARCHIVAL PRODUCER
Pamela Gaudiano
ARCHIVAL RESEARCHER
Sam Frickleton
Christopher Nguyen
COLORIST
Robert Crosby
STYLIZED SHOOT PRODUCTION CREW DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Tom Campbell
ASSISTANT CAMERA
Jefri Meintjes
GAFFER
Edgar Gomez
KEY GRIP
Jorge Lopez
SWING
Jesse Lee
2ND AC/DOWNLOADER
Amina Zadeh
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
Samanta Helou Hernandea
KEY MAKEUP ARTIST
Yoko Kagaya
ASSISTANT MAKEUP ARTIST
Chinatsu Watanabe
PRODUCTION DESIGNER
Emily Peters
PRODUCTION DESIGNER ASSISTANT
Rachel Sine
CHOREOGRAPHER
Kelly Yvonne
ACTORS
Laura Chen
Micaela DePauli
Anna Mischio
Abbey Moody
Megan Tallon
Arista Williams
Rachel Sine
PRODUCTION ACCOUNTANT
Ameena Din
LEGAL
Donaldson & Callif
PRODUCTION INSURANCE
Film Emporium
LOCATION SUPPORT
Buffalo Film Commission
INTERNS
Lacy Wright
Sandhya Bhaskar
Brianna Lee Berger
Stephanie Lincoln
MENTORS
Marshall Curry
Greg Finton
Ali Johnes
Andrea Meditch
Freida Lee Mock
Holly Morris
Gini Reticker
Carlos Sandoval
Enat Sidi
Pamela Yates
ARCHIVAL MATERIALS
National Organization for Women
Phoenix Learning Group
Schlesinger Library
Wisconsin Public Television
YWCA
SPECIAL THANKS
Robin Abcarian
Sara Blackwell
Iyabo Boyd
Elizabeth Bradford
John Carlino
Erika Cohn
Kim DeArcangelis
N’Jeri Eaton
Adam Habib
Kathy Huang
Brian Jaton
Courtney Maccarone
David Osit
Eric Pearson
Melissa Phillips
Patricia V. Pierce
Manouchcar Pierre-Val
Nily Rozic
Susie Sanchez
Carlos Sandoval
Ray Santisteban
Diane Todd
Philip Urban
Joy Yoon + Simon Wainwright
Malika Zouhali-Worrall
IN MEMORY OF
Carol Pinzone
Frank Dolce
FISCAL SPONSOR
Women Make Movies
PRODUCTION SUPPORT PROVIDED BY
Firelight Media Next Step Media Fund
Tribeca Film Institute - Tribeca All Access
FUNDING PROVIDED BY
Sundance Institute Documentary Film Fund
ORIGINAL SERIES FUNDING PROVIDED BY
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting
John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
Wyncote Foundation
The National Endowment for the Arts
A WOMAN’S WORK is a co-production of Cheer Film, LLC and the Independent Television Service (ITVS), with funding provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
This program was produced by Cheer Film, LLC which is solely responsible for its content.