America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders was among the top 10 most-watched shows on Netflix last week.
With the popularity of America’s Sweethearts, which offers an inside look at what it takes to be a member of the iconic DCC, a discussion about NFL cheerleader pay and salaries began after the topic was discussed on the series.
Cowboys cheerleaders make much more than other cheerleaders in the league, but it’s not enough to make the job a full-time job.
NFL cheerleaders earn less than NFL water boys, who earn about $53,000 per year, and team mascots, who earn approximately $25,000 per season.
FURTHER: How much do Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders get paid?
Former Cowboys cheerleader Kat Puryear revealed she made about the same as “a substitute teacher. I’d say I’m making… like a full-time Chick-fil-A worker.”
Tina Kalina, a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader in the 1980s, told producers she made about $35 a game.
Cowboys executive vice president and chief brand officer Charlotte Jones, daughter of team owner Jerry Jones, spoke out about the low salary in the Netflix docuseries and said the financial incentive is not what makes being a DCC attractive .
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Instead, Jones believes cheerleaders are drawn to their “passion for dance” and to “find their purpose.”
“There’s a lot of cynicism around the pay of NFL cheerleaders, as there should be. They don’t get paid very much. But the fact is, they don’t really come here for the money. They come here for something that’s actually bigger than that for them,” she said, via the Dallas Morning News.
“They have a passion for dance. There are not many opportunities in the field of dance and to get to perform at an elite level. …It’s about being part of something bigger than themselves. It is about a brotherhood that they were able to form, about relationships that they will have for the rest of their lives. They have the opportunity to feel that they are valued, that they are special, and that they are making a difference. “When women come here, they find their passion and they find their purpose.”
FURTHER: Meet Kelcey Wetterberg: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader
While the Cowboys did not directly address speculation about cheerleader pay, a Cowboys spokesperson said the team “pays cheerleaders for games, practices and appearances and covers the cost of uniforms, some meals, health club memberships and salon services.”
Women also work as dance instructors or take on other jobs during and off-season. Kelcey Wetterberg, for example, is a pediatric nurse.
On the show, she was filmed caring for a patient while balancing the high-pressure job of a nurse with the stress and daily grind of going through what it takes to be a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader.
America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders is now streaming on Netflix. The series has seven episodes that last approximately one hour each.
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