We will monitor everything you do, the women were told.

The team’s contractor handed the women a contract and a personnel code, and told them to sign on the spot. The team dictated everything from the color of their hair to how they handled their menstrual cycle.

The contractor required they visit a sponsor who was a plastic surgeon. He offered a small discount if they opted for breast augmentation and other services. Larger breasts, however, were not a condition of nonpaid employment.

“If you complained, you were told: ‘This is a privilege. Deal with it!’ ” Alyssa recalled.

Many pro football clubs maintain cheerleading teams, although times are changing, maybe a little bit. The Oakland Raiders recently settled a pay lawsuit with the Raiderettes. The team agreed to pay minimum wage and overtime, which counts as a come-to-Karl Marx moment for the N.F.L.

Other cheerleaders have sued the Bengals, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Jets. The Buffalo Bills, however, stand out as the only one of these teams that insists cheerleaders kick and dance in heat and arctic cold for zip. Cash-flow problems have nothing to do with it. Terry and Kim Pegula, who made their fortune in fracking, recently purchased the Bills for $1.4 billion. That is the highest price yet paid for a league franchise.

The Pegulas are big donors to Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo. New York State contributed tens of millions to rehabilitate the team’s stadium before the Pegulas took over. Now there is pressure for the state to fork over for a new stadium. No doubt I am unfair to place these facts in the same paragraph.

Faced with the lawsuit, the Bills disbanded the Jills for this season. A team spokesman emailed me that the Bills appreciated this “ancillary service” provided by “third-party vendors.” Its statement complained of “allegations” that “attempt to give the impression that our organization employs cheerleaders.”