The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders got a 400% pay rise. But that's not the full story.

If you've recently binged America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders on Netflix, you're probably wondering just how much the cheerleaders get paid. Because, despite being members of the most prestigious cheerleading squad, most of the women hold second jobs.

It was a hot topic in season one of the show and now, with season two being released, it's front of mind once again.

After all, each woman on the 36-person squad dedicates a crazy amount of time, effort and sacrifice to the team and its gruelling training schedule.

Now, thanks to the collective bargaining by veteran team members, the DCC girls got themselves a 400 per cent pay rise. At first, that sounds pretty impressive. But it's actually less than you think.

Watch the trailer for America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders here. Post continues after video.

Last season, former DCC Kat Puryear indicated her salary was on par with a service industry worker.

"I would say I'm making… like a Chick-fil-A worker who works full time," she said in the series.

According to Cosmopolitan, that's about $38,000 USD ($58,000 AUD). So a 400 per cent pay rise would be $152,000 USD ($235,000 AUD), right?

Not quite.

So, how much are the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders paid? Here's everything to know about them and their salaries.

What is America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders about?

America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders offers a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to become a member of this prestigious squad.

Directed by Emmy Award-winning Greg Whiteley, the series delves into the personal stories of the cheerleaders and their coaches throughout the 2023-24 season and now the 2024-25 season. It highlights the intense audition process, the demanding training camps, and the pressures of maintaining peak physical and mental performance.

Season one shed light on the dual lives many cheerleaders lead. For instance, Kelcey Wetterberg, a first group leader, is a pediatric-registered nurse, while rookie Reece Allman works in a flower shop.

Kelcey Wetterberg. Image: Netflix.

How much do the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders get paid?

Historically, NFL cheerleaders have been underpaid, often earning less than minimum wage. The Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders are among the highest-paid in the league.

"I've heard horror stories of what a typical NFL cheerleader [makes], but I think the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders fall into a new category," director Greg Whiteley told Glamour UK.

"None of them are rich. None of them are getting paid a ton, but it isn’t the same dearth of payment that I think other NFL cheerleaders have to experience."

Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders earn approximately $500 USD ($753 AUD) per game, given their hourly wage of around $15-20 an hour. This is significantly higher than the average NFL cheerleader's pay of around $150 USD ($226 AUD) per game, according to NBC Sports Boston.

This game-day pay translates to about $10,000 USD ($15,000 AUD) for a season's worth of games.

Image: Netflix.

In addition to their game-day pay, cheerleaders can earn extra money through public appearances, which pay between $50 to $75 USD ($73 to $113 AUD) per event, the publication reports. These appearances can include school visits, corporate events, and charity functions.

The total annual earnings for a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader can reach up to $75,000 USD ($113,000 AUD), for those who are more experienced or hold senior positions within the squad. This figure includes their game-day pay, hourly wages for practices and events, and additional earnings from public appearances.

In season two, Megan McElaney, a four-year veteran of the team who helped lead the effort to renegotiate contracts, described the new pay rise for the 2025-26 season as "life-changing".

"Our efforts were heard, and they wanted to give us a raise," she said.

Fifth-year squad member Armani Latimer added: "We pushed and we got back good results. I get emotional knowing that I was a part of that. I love the fact that I made change for the girls that are coming up behind me, even if I'm not getting a chance to benefit."

Based on NBC Sports' initial stats, the pay rise would see the women paid up to $50,000 USD ($77,000 AUD) for a season's worth of games. Plus any extra money through appearances.

The franchise has not publicly confirmed the new wages.

McElaney shed some light on this in the comments of a TikTok discussing the team salaries last week, sharing that she's making less than $75,000 USD.

"Hi! Many of the opportunities we get are optional and based on your schedule, so it depends on the girl! Hoping for one day to make 75K!" Megan wrote.

"This is also a part-time job, and sometimes it's only 2.5 hours a night! They're very respectful of our time and our personal lives!"

Jada McLean told the New York Times that in 2024, her fifth year on DCC, she made $15 an hour and $500 for each appearance. She confirmed the raise has them making $75 an hour, but veterans could be making more than that. However, this still doesn't include health insurance.

Health insurance could also explain why the cheerleaders often keep other jobs.

According to NBC Sports, most cheerleaders earn such low pay because they're hired as independent contractors — meaning companies can sidestep minimum wage laws and don't have to offer things like health insurance.

Sure, 400 per cent sure sounds like an eye-watering figure. But is it really enough when you take everything into account?

The celebrated squad cheer for a team whose quarterback, Dak Prescott, makes $60 million USD ($93 million AUD) a season. In 2024, the Cowboys' lowest paid footballer was the team's tight end, John Stephens Jr, who received $796,000 USD ($1.2 million AUD), according to WFAA.

Let us do the maths for you on that one. It's 960 per cent more than his fellow cheerleaders.

Clearly cheerleaders and players have different roles and attract different sponsors and audiences, but both are hardworking, dedicated and talented athletes for a NFL team that has money.

The women should be paid to reflect this.

Even America's Sweethearts' producer and director Greg Whiteley assumed it was a full-time job considering the amount of work the women put in.

"I would have thought, 'Oh my gosh, you're a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader, you must make six figures and live in a great house'," he said, per the New York Times.

Image: Netflix.

Last season, Netflix viewers were shocked by the low wages, but according to DCC expert Sarah Hepola, even the season one salary was a vast improvement on previous years.

"It's a very far cry from what they paid into the '90s, which was $15 a game. And when I say $15 a game, you're thinking, did she say $15? An hour? And I misheard her? No, $15 a game," Hepola shared on the No Filter podcast.

"When you consider that you have to put on your makeup, you've got to do your hair, you've got to like, get stretched out. You have to get to the stadium three hours early, and the game itself is three hours long, and then you have to meet with fans. I mean, these are entire days," she continued.

Listen to Sarah Hepola's full interview on Mamamia's No Filter podcast here. Post continues below.

Hepola said the pay rate of $15 per game remained well into the '90s before increasing to $50. Then, it increased to $200 per game.

"And then the lawsuits start happening," Hepola said.

"You have to pay them a minimum wage. It's got to work out to an hourly minimum wage based on the Fair Labour Standards Act. Well, I mean, none of the NFL teams were doing that when it came to their cheerleaders. And it kick-started a series of lawsuits beginning in 2013, with the Oakland Raiders, and that was a class action lawsuit that they won.

"It started to move like a contagion. Move like a wave over all the professional squads over the next four or five, six years. But it didn't come without consequences. Pushing back about the Pay Issue. Sometimes it just made the team itself go… this is too much work. Forget it. We're shutting the cheerleaders down. So, by advocating for themselves, sometimes the cheerleaders lost their jobs. And it became very tricky."

In 2018, former DCC cheerleader Erica Wilkins sued the organisation, claiming that there were times she made less than minimum wage while working as a cheerleader.

Wilkins’ case was settled in 2019 and resulted in increasing the hourly wage from $8 to $12 and the game day rate from $200 to $400 for the cheerleaders.

"The Cowboys should be embarrassed. And there is a thing that the Cowboys say again and again, which is 'Don't tarnish the star'. They love to say that. But they still don't pay the [cheerleaders] a living wage. I believe that they could be pioneers in the industry. It is completely within their ability to do this. They have just dug in their heels in."

The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders earn $400 plus an hourly rate per game. Image: Instagram.

Despite being one of the highest-paid cheerleading squads, the pay for Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders is still relatively low compared to other roles within the NFL. For example, NFL water boys earn around $53,000 per year, and mascots make about $25,000 per season, NBC Sports Boston wrote.

"There’s a lot of cynicism around pay for NFL cheerleaders — as it should be. They’re not paid a lot," Charlotte Jones, the Cowboys' chief brand officer and daughter of owner Jerry Jones said in the series.

"But the facts are, they actually don’t come here for the money. They come here for something that’s bigger than that to them. They have a passion for dance."

But honestly? Passion still deserves fair pay.

You can watch America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders on Netflix now.

Feature image: Netflix.

Continue reading about Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders:

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