How Much Do the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders Make? Season 2 Sheds New Light
When “America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders” premiered in 2024, the docuseries left some viewers asking how much (or how little) the NFL cheerleaders are paid.
Season 2 of the popular Netflix series, which aired June 18, shows several members of the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders stepping up to push for more livable wages.
In light of the success of Season 1, some DCC members were emboldened to start a conversation with management about their pay, explaining their effort to make compensation better for future generations of cheerleaders.
America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders (Netflix)
Read on for what “America’s Sweethearts” reveals of how the DCC are paid.
What Season 1 Showed of DCC’s Salaries
Season 1 of “America’s Sweethearts” gave an inside look into what it takes to be an NFL cheerleader, from tryouts to playoffs.
The 36 women who end up on the team appear to spend hours at dance rehearsals, volunteering around Dallas, Texas, and performing at games. At one point in the docuseries, the cheerleaders’ coaching staff said that the dancers typically clock an 11-hour day on game days.
But the show also revealed that most of the women work an additional full-time job, on top of being a Cowboys cheerleader. In their introduction, some of the cheerleaders said they worked jobs as doctors, nurses, accountants, fitness instructors and more.
The Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders star in "America's Sweethearts," one of Netflix's newest docuseries. (Netflix)
How Much Do NFL Cheerleaders Make?
In 2024, “America’s Sweethearts” director and executive producer Greg Whiteley told Glamour that he never received a “clean answer” on the cheerleaders’ wages.
“I think that’s because it varies depending on how senior you are in the group. You may even get paid more if you’re a group leader, though that was never clear to me,” he said.
The rates for NFL cheerleaders are not made public, but some reporting, as well as the docuseries, give insights into estimates.
Chandi in America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, Season 2. (Netflix)
In “America’s Sweethearts,” former Cowboys cheerleader Kat Puryear, who concluded her tenure on the team in 2022, compared their pay to that of “a substitute teacher” or a full-time “Chick-fil-A worker.”
In a follow-up video Puryear shared to TikTok in June 2024, she explained that, when she was on the team, the cheerleaders were paid a flat fee for games, in addition to an hourly rate.
For public appearances, cheerleaders were also paid an hourly rate and flat fee, but tenure plays a role in that amount, she said in the video. Because many of the women work another job, Puryear said the public appearances were not required. She added that for practices, the athletes are solely compensated an hourly rate.
“So all in all, it’s a full-time commitment, part-time pay,” she said at the time.
As seen in the docuseries, DCC members also score several perks as part of their roles, including meal prep services, gym memberships, beauty services (tanning, nails, makeup, hair, skincare, etc.), products, dental treatments and more.
NBC Sports Boston reported in 2022 that NFL cheerleaders make, on average, about $150 per game, which comes out to about $22,500 per year. The athletes were reportedly also making about $50 to $75 for public appearances at the time.
However, pay differs among teams. The outlet reported that Dallas’ cheerleaders in 2022 were making about $15-20 per hour, which, with game and public appearance fees, totaled to about $75,000 a year.
Per old footage in the Netflix docuseries, the cheerleaders were, at one point, making $15 per game. However, in interviews with former cheerleaders, some said they were “surprised (the Cowboys) paid anything,” calling their job an “honorary position.”
Former cheerleader Tina Kalina, who was on the team in the 1980s, said in the docuseries that she made $35 per game.
“These millennials, X-Gen, whatever they’re called, they do look at it as a job, whereas us old-timers look at it as more of a privilege,” she said.
What Season 2 Reveals About DCC’s Salaries
In Season 2 of “America’s Sweethearts,” several members of the DCC have a message for Cowboys’ management: Put your money where your mouth is.
When it comes time to sign contracts for the year, a group consisting of several veteran DCC members unites to push for change.
While some DCC members are hesitant to confront management, saying they can “can see both sides,” others opened up about financial difficulties like being unable to pay rent and “exhaustion” from working multiple jobs.
In the show, the group pushing for change consults with outside legal sources and meets with management, which doesn't initially lead to changes. The team considers a walkout to protest the pay, which falls through. Many still debate not turning in their contracts unless changes are made.
America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. (Netflix)
In the season finale, however, the athletes receive great news: management has approved a 400% pay increase.
While reflecting on the achievement, DCC Armani Latimer said, “I love the fact that I made change for the girls that are coming up behind me even if I’m not getting the chance to benefit.”
“Dancers are athletes. They have so much value. That’s all I could ever want. So I’m excited to come back,” DCC Megan McElaney added.
What has DCC said about pay?
In regards to the increased salaries revealed at the end of “America’s Sweethearts” Season 2, the Cowboys told NBC News in a statement June 18, “We’re pleased, as you’ll see in the series, that the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders were happy with the outcome.”
Charlotte Jones, Cowboys’ chief brand officer and daughter of team owner Jerry Jones, addressed the cheerleaders’ pay in Season 1 of the docuseries.
“There’s a lot of cynicism around pay for NFL cheerleaders — and as it should be. They’re not paid a lot,” Jones said in the first season. “But the facts are that they actually don’t come here for the money. They come here for something that’s actually bigger than that to them.”
America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders (Netflix)
“They have a passion for dance,” she continued. “There are not a lot of opportunities in the field of dance to get to perform at an elite level. It is about being a part of something bigger than themselves. It is about a sisterhood that they were able to form; about relationships that they have for the rest of their life.”
In 2018, former Cowboys cheerleader Erica Wilkins, who danced from 2014 to 2017, sued the organization for allegedly working over 40 hour weeks, making less than $7.25 per hour. The lawsuit, obtained by TODAY.com, also alleged that the team’s mascot made more than the cheerleaders.
At the time, Wilkins claimed in the lawsuit that she was making $200 per game. During her time on the team, Wilkins also claimed that her gross wages ranged from about $5,800 to $16,500 annually.
Per court documents, Wilkins filed to dismiss the case in July 2018. In 2019, Wilkins’ attorney told WFAA that the matter was resolved.
The Dallas Cowboys declined to comment at the time on cheerleader pay and Wilkins’ lawsuit.
The Cowboys aren’t the only team to face lawsuits from cheerleaders. In 2017, more than 20 organizations with cheerleading teams were named in an antitrust lawsuit filed by a Jane Doe representing cheerleaders across the NFL, NBC News reported. The suit alleged the NFL conspired to keep cheerleader wages as low as possible.
