How Netflix's Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Series Put the Organization on Low-Wage Blast
Anyone who watched the first season of Netflix’s America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders probably walked away with the thought that the women were not paid enough for the job they were doing.
The cheerleaders were constantly scrutinized for their dance ability, looks, and behavior on and off the field. Still, this was a low-paying, part-time job. Dallas Cowboys executive vice president and chief brand officer Charlotte Jones emerged as an unexpected villain when she addressed the salary situation in Season 1.
“There’s a lot of cynicism around pay for NFL cheerleaders — and as it should be. They’re not paid a lot,” Jones bafflingly said. “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.”
“They have a passion for dance,” she added. “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.”
It should be noted that her father, Jerry Jones, is the owner of the Dallas Cowboys organization, so she could have influenced her father to pay the women more. As expected, the social media discourse began immediately after Season 1 aired and it seemed to empower some of the veteran team members to lead the way and push back on the money they were offered the following season.
Jada McLean, a five-year Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders team member who retired after the 2024-25 season, spoke to The New York Times about their decision to organize.
“We are more than just cheerleaders,” she explained. “We’re talented, strong, educated women and we’re hard-working athletes who deserve to be seen as such.”
They were cheering for athletes like quarterback Dak Prescott, who was making $60 million a season, while they were earning $15 per hour for rehearsals and $500 for appearances, per McLean. They worked full-time jobs outside of their cheerleading gig during football season, and other women held down three or four jobs to make ends meet.
It shouldn’t have taken the exposure from the Netflix docuseries to make change happen in 2025. Longtime fans know that the cheerleaders had another series, Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team, that aired on CMT for 16 seasons and there was even a legal case — the organization was sued in 2018 by former cheerleader Erica Wilkins for underpaying the women.
She claimed that she was making less than $7.25 per hour, working over 40 hours per week during the football season, and earning less than the team’s mascot, per Today. Depending on the season, Wilkins alleged that she was paid from $5,800 to $16,500 annually, earning only $200 per game. The case was eventually dismissed due to an out-of-court settlement, and it took another seven years before the women were given the 400 percent raise, taking them from $15 to $75 per hour.
It’s a long overdue pay raise that shouldn’t have been a 64-year fight.
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