In response to a scandal involving the Dallas Mavericks organization, its cheerleaders will show less skin and focus on artistry instead.
This move is an effort to clean up the organization's culture after accusations of negligence and harassment involving its former CEO, Terdema Ussery, tarnished the brand. The Mavs' new CEO, Cynthia Marshall, is implementing several steps in cleansing the company's culture.
“We want the focus to be on the dancers as artists and to highlight their skills, not be eye candy or sexualized,” she told Dallas News' Sharon Grigsby.
“Everyone should feel comfortable — both the performers and everyone in the arena,” Marshall said. “If someone brings a 10-year-old to the game, I don't want them having to cover the kid's eyes during performances.”
Apart from Ussery, Chris Hyde — the company's former senior account executive — used to watch porn in his office. Reports reveal that he also shows his co-workers photos of naked women on his phone. Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, after receiving complaints from employees, warned Hyde to stop or he'd be fired. But the deed continued on after six years. Hyde was finally fired in 2014.
Marshall added that they are continuing to re-evaluate every aspect of the organization, taking note of the values that they want to instill:
“We love our dancers,” Marshall added. “But we are re-evaluating every aspect of this organization to make sure they are living up to the values we are instilling in the entire Mavericks operation.”
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