The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, cheerleaders for a football team, have long strived for higher wages and compensation. In the second season’s seventh episode of the Netflix docuseries “America’s Sweethearts,” a pay raise for the Cowboys Cheerleaders of about 400% was announced for the 2025 season. This pay raise could mean more financial security for the cheerleaders, leading to decreased stress and better focus on the sport.

In 2018, Erica Wilkins, a former cheerleader, sued the Cowboys team for unfair pay. She claimed that her wages were around 7 dollars per hour and 200 dollars for each game. After summing that up, she declared that her annual pay was less than the pay for the team mascot Rowdy. However, in 2019, the case was settled out of court, and the wages remained low.

Another former cheerleader Jada McLean said that in 2024, her hourly wages were 15 dollars, and she earned 500 dollars for her appearances. She announced that after the raise, cheerleaders could earn more than 75 dollars per hour.

The increase in wages will not only benefit the squad of cheerleaders for the Cowboys, it will also raise the overall pay rate for all cheerleaders across the board. Daniel Kelly II, an associate dean and professor at the Tisch Institute for Global Sport at New York University, says that the new pay raise puts cheerleaders “above the entertainment staff salaries and independent contractors, like mascots.”

The fact that cheerleaders’ wages were initially lower than the mascots struck as surprising to many people, including the producer of “America’s Sweethearts,” Greg Whiteley. Most people assume that cheerleaders have a substantial income, including Mr. Whiteley. “Like a lot of people, I assumed that it was a full-time job,” he said in an interview. “I would have thought, ‘Oh my gosh, you’re a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader, you must make six figures and live in a great house.’”

The docuseries showed the financial struggles of cheerleaders in the first season of “America’s Sweethearts.” Some of the squad had full time jobs along with cheerleading. For example, Ms. McLean had a job at a dermatology clinic, which could impact her stress and anxiety levels. In the second season, the docuseries shows new rookies having regular jobs or attending college, and their efforts to obtain higher income.

In one episode, Ms. McLean and a few other cheerleaders were discussing the money issue and considering bringing it up before signing their annual contracts for the next season. However, when Ms. McLean and another cheerleader, Armani Latimer, voiced their demands, they “were met with ‘OK, we hear you and we understand where you’re coming from, unfortunately, this is just not the time for that,’” Ms Latimer said in an interview. “That was a little disheartening to hear.”

The director of the cheerleading squad, Kelli Finglass, described the financial changes as “60- plus years long overdue.” In the documentaries, she also talked about the “cost savings” that she had pursued, such as getting cheaper spray tans.

The cheerleaders have been filled with enthusiasm and performing moves at Cowboys’ games for over 50 years. This pay raise could inspire many other talented women to work for better wages.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/18/style/dallas-cowboys-cheerleaders-salary-americas-sweethearts.html