The new documentary series from Netflix America’s favorites: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders has taken over the internet – and for good reason. These ladies work hard, both to make the team and to be competitive throughout the season. But the show also revealed how much the cheerleaders make, and fans are not happy.
“Please say sike,” one TikToker captioned her video about DCC salaries, which currently has over 25,000 likes.
“It’s elite level but not paid like elite,” added one fan. “The football players have a ‘love and passion’ for the game and there aren’t many ‘elite level opportunities’ in football either… but how much do they get paid?!” wrote another.
As you watch the show, you may notice that many of the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders have second jobs. The leader of the first group, Kelcey Wetterberg, is a trained pediatric nurse, while rookie Reece Allman gets a job at a flower shop. And that’s because, despite all their hard work, NFL cheerleaders don’t actually make that much money.
“I would say I make something like a substitute teacher’s salary,” DCC graduate Kat Puryear says in a confessional. “I would say I make something like a full-time Chick-fil-A employee’s salary.”
Throughout the series, fans see the ladies of the DCC train for hours every day – and work through many nights – in addition to their other jobs. In December 2023, the troupe worked 21 days straight thanks to additional Christmas shows, said DCC director Kelli Finglass.
Of course, the series is about everything that comes with life as a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader, from the highs – like representing the team at charity events and performing with celebrities like Dolly Parton – to the lows – like dealing with pressure and sometimes even sexual harassment or assault.
But how much do the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders earn? Here’s everything you need to know about their salaries.
How much money do the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders make?
NFL cheerleaders typically make about $150 per game, ESPN reported in 2017, which equates to an average annual salary of $22,500. The current federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour, which equates to an annual salary of $15,080.
By comparison, NFL water boys typically earn $53,000 per year and NFL mascots earn $25,000 per season, NBC Sports Boston wrote in 2022.
There are ways to earn more: According to the outlet, cheerleaders also receive between $50 and $75 for public appearances.
The Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders are actually one of the highest paid teams, earning about $15 to $20 an hour or $500 per game. According to NBC Sports Boston, that puts their annual salary at about $75,000.
Since the show came out, America’s darlings Director Greg Whiteley said he had “never” gotten a clear answer on how much a DCC earns. “I think it’s because it depends on how senior you are in the group,” he said shine. “As a group leader, you might even earn more, but I never knew that.”
He confirmed that the DCCs make more than other NFL cheerleaders. “As far as NFL cheerleaders go, I can say with great certainty: The Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders are at the top end of the pay scale,” he said. “I’ve heard horror stories about what a typical NFL cheerleader makes, but the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders fall into a new category. None of them are rich. None of them make a lot, but it’s not the same lack of pay that I think other NFL cheerleaders have to experience.”
How much money does Kelli Finglass make?
So if the DCC makes about $75,000 a year, how much does their leader, Director Kelli Finglass, make in comparison?
Although not much is known about her exact salary, according to Celebrity Net Worth, she has a net worth of $1.5 million.
NFL cheerleader salaries have always been low.
Unfortunately, this is not a new problem. Some NFL cheerleaders made as little as $5 an hour in 2014, according to PBS. America’s darlingsArchival footage shows that the DCC once earned only $15 per game.
“I think my game day fee was $35, and we basically donated that,” said Tina Kalina, who cheered for the DCC in 1989, in America’s darlings“These millennials, the X-generation – whatever they’re called – see it as a job, whereas we old hands see it more as a privilege.”
These low salaries are due to the fact that NFL cheerleaders are independent contractors, not employees, meaning teams are not necessarily required to pay cheerleaders salaries equivalent to the federal minimum wage, according to NBC Sports Boston.
Charlotte Jones, chief brand officer of the Dallas Cowboys and daughter of team owner Jerry Jones, told Netflix cameras that the cheerleaders “don’t come here for the money.”
“They have a passion for dance. There aren’t many opportunities in the dance field to perform at an elite level,” she said. “It’s about being part of something bigger than yourself.”
Cheerleaders have sued the NFL for low salaries.
Many NFL cheerleaders have turned to the legal system to fight for better pay. In 2014, former Oakland Raiders cheerleader Lacy Thibodeaux-Fields filed the first class action lawsuit against the NFL regarding cheerleading compensation, alleging wage theft and gender discrimination. The guard.
More lawsuits followed, including one from a Buffalo Bills cheerleader who claimed she received only $105 for an entire season, despite paying more than $600 for her uniform. By fall 2020, 10 of the 32 NFL teams had been sued for wage theft, harassment, unsafe working conditions or discrimination, the newspaper writes.
Richard Dalrymple, former public relations director for the Dallas Cowboys, was accused of secretly filming cheerleaders in their locker room in 2015. A fan also accused Dalrymple of taking explicit photos of Charlotte Jones. Bleacher Report.
The team settled for $2.4 million in 2022, with each of the four accusing cheerleaders receiving about $400,000, according to NBC News. Dalrymple retired in February 2022.
Many of these lawsuits were settled privately, per The guard. In the years since, many NFL cheerleading teams have made changes, including changing their uniforms, adding male members to their squads, or even disbanding the teams entirely.
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