Jason Mendez/Getty Images for Netflix.

When Emmy Award-winning director Greg Whiteley first came to Dallas in preparation for "America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders" , he experienced the high-octane "Thunderstruck" dance routine for the first time.

He was surprised to see the crowds looking at their phones, slowly finding their way to their seats, not paying much attention to the girls who had bled and sacrificed so much to get the chance to perform on this stage.