The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders received a 400 percent salary increase from the NFL after fighting tooth and nail for a livable wage.
Their battle, which has been documented on the second season of their Netflix series, “America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders,” will go into effect in the upcoming 2025 NFL season.
Jada McLean, a five-year professional, told the New York Times on Monday that longtime team members can now be paid up to $75 per hour.
McLean explained that she used to earn $15 hourly and $500 per appearance in 2024.
The veteran cheerleader, however, claimed she and her teammates still don’t receive health benefits.
Before the boost, McLean told the outlet that she and several other cheerleaders struggled to sign their 2024-25 contracts since many of them still had to work outside jobs.
“Yes, we should still do something outside of just cheering,” she said. “But there’s so many ways to make this something people can actually live off of.
“Because for us all to be struggling financially, I’m kind of over it.”
At one point, McLean and a few of her dance mates considered striking to send a bigger message to management about their demand for more money.
“We pushed and we got back good results,” Armani Latimer shared on Season 2 of the Netflix show, which was released on June 18.
“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.”
According to ESPN, the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders used to make around $75 to $150 per game in 2017.
At the time, the outlet claimed that their pay didn’t include the dancer’s practices.
In 2018, retired dancer Erica Wilkins filed an unfair wages lawsuit against the team, stating she was paid $7 per hour and $200 per game, per the outlet.
Former cheerleader Kristin Westbrook revealed via her Instagram Stories Saturday that she used to be paid $15 an hour and $400 for NFL matches when she was on the team from 2019 to 2022, Us Weekly reported.
Westbrook claimed that the team would receive a “flat fee for appearances — $100 (x # of years on the team).”
The first season of “America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders” was released in June 2024, while the second season was released last week.
The series follows the girls’ intense audition and training sessions leading into the NFL season.
Read the full article here
