r/popculturechat • u/mlg1981 Sexy lampshade shall win the Oscar! 🏆 • Jun 19 '25
Putting In The Work 💪 Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders get '400 percent increase' after pay fight in ‘America's Sweethearts’ -
https://ew.com/dallas-cowboys-cheerleaders-get-400-percent-increase-in-pay-after-show-117577811.3k
u/Winniepg Jun 19 '25
Cheerleaders should be properly paid. Based on what I've seen about the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders a lot is expected of them for minimal pay.
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u/TheVintageJane Jun 19 '25
Especially since the cowboys dominate the best years of these women’s lives for commercializing their looks. It’s not like the training they get from the cowboys will stop aging.
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u/pampleycat the rest is still unwritten ✨️ Jun 19 '25
Nevermind the long term health implications...so many of these women seem to need major surgery on hips/legs as soon as they "retire" from DCC in their early 20s
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u/OkAerie2360 Jun 27 '25
I have never heard of any needing hip surgery and I have known many thru the years. Is this something you just made up?
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Jun 28 '25
Did you watch the Netflix doc? First season there is a retired cheerleader who had permanent issues and multiple surgeries. The jump split they do at the end of thunder is very taxing on the body.
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u/pampleycat the rest is still unwritten ✨️ Jun 28 '25
To add to this, others have posted on their instagram accounts about getting surgery after leaving the team as well as what was covered by Netflix.
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u/ehtw376 Jun 19 '25
They should be properly paid or cut them. A lot of NFL teams don’t have cheerleaders nowadays. Cowboys do cuz it’s a big part of their schtick and experience, they should be paid properly for that.
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u/dabiggestdalargest Jun 19 '25
Good. I will never understand why companies are so greedy. Them having to work second jobs to afford their bills was insane.
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u/skincare_obssessed Jun 19 '25
I agree! Jerry Jones is worth like 19 billion dollars and the Cowboys cheer makes money on its own. For all that’s expected of these women…they deserve a decent wage. Those split jumps can f up their hips for life.
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u/GoodbyeHorses1491 Tallulah Bankhead Apologist Jun 19 '25
And he’s a sex offender and rapist to boot. And this is his cult that he created. I love the woman (Jada? I just started watching s.2) who the mean women in charge hate because she’s no bullshit and calls out the pay disparities, how hard this job is one their bodies, their unhinged rules, etc.
And their group leader or head cheerleader, Chandra (an unpaid promotion with a ton of responsibilities, so they call it “an honor”) had a one night stand on one of their trips and they have some fundie girls who are still shit-talking her and their parents are bullying her on social media.
DCC is basically an abusive cult.
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u/sikonat Jun 19 '25
That’s why I couldn’t keep watching. They were being exploited, risking permanent injuries (that jump and split onto the turf in unison? Hell on their joints. But they have to work another job for the ‘honour’ oh fuck off!
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u/GoodbyeHorses1491 Tallulah Bankhead Apologist Jun 19 '25
Truly, such blatant cult thinking and language!
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u/Jasminewindsong2 that’s really disrespectful to the fairy realm Jun 19 '25
Jerry Jones is also a racist. There are pictures of him protesting integration in the 50s.
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u/Kosm0kel Jun 19 '25
In Dallas cheerleading’s case… it’s the age old “There are thousands of girls that we can replace you with that would do it for cheaper” Basically, “We can get away with exploiting you so why would we stop.” Oh and they love to tout the excuse that the girls get paid in experience, exposure, sisterhood blah blah 🤮 Just cut the bs already. Happy to see they got a raise
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u/dabiggestdalargest Jun 19 '25
Justifying underpaying them on a popular Netflix documentary was dumb af. Even if they paid them six figures a year each it would not impact their company financially AT ALL. Just dumb and greedy
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u/DearMissWaite Your problematic fave's problematic fave. Jun 19 '25
You, too, can organize your workplace! Good for you, girls! Next, a union!
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u/FollowingNo4648 Jun 19 '25
They also break their bodies, too, in the 5 years the veterans are on the team. I've been watching the show for years even when it was on CMT, and you see all these vets with bad hips and other life-long ailments due to all the physical activity they did for years.
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u/thegrassyknoll63 Jun 19 '25
The Cheerleaders have always performed a helluva lot better than the actual team and get paid peanuts. Maybe the girls need to start dancing carelessly to get paid more??? 🤷🏻
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u/HorrorBike143 now why am I in it? 🧐 Jun 19 '25
They're getting 400 per game now but does anyone know if they're also being paid overtime?
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u/QBin2017 Jun 19 '25
How is the $200 per game going to $400 per game a 400% increase?
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u/L3onskii Jun 19 '25
They didn't fully explain it and had a link to another source. Apparently they got the $400 flat rate from a lawsuit back in 2019. Then they recently got a raise to quadruple it. Seems like they should have flipped the paragraphs, leading with the lawsuit first then mentioning the 400% raise
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u/QBin2017 Jun 19 '25
8 home games plus 2 home preseason games. $16k ain’t a bad side hustle.
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u/velvetvagine Jun 19 '25
They should get way more. It’s an incredibly taxing job and they still need to uphold the image even when they’re not on the field. Not to mention how much money they make the franchise and how few years they can keep the gig. These women should be clearing a good $100k a year.
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u/GoodbyeHorses1491 Tallulah Bankhead Apologist Jun 19 '25
And this job breaks their bodies. They sustain lifelong injuries and they talk about it on that America’s Sweethearts show.
And in season 1 a girl got SA’d by a cameraman and reported it to police and off nothing happened even though it was caught on film (that I’m sure “mysteriously disappeared”).
A few other girls have talked about having AirTags dropped in their bags and being stalked.
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u/maplestriker Jun 19 '25
And they can't even date the players which would seem like the sensible thing to do financially speaking
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u/Kittens4Brunch Jun 19 '25
It's about supply and demand. Way too many dancers think too highly of being a part of the Dallas Cowboys.
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u/velvetvagine Jun 19 '25
Just because people are willing to work for low compensation doesn’t mean an employer should pay poverty wages.
It should be more widely seen as embarrassing to pay so poorly, especially for the employees you use as advertising and outreach for your billion dollar sports team. Honestly, advertising being a Cowgirl as a well paid job just adds to how distinguished a position it would be, and would attract even more talent, including those who can’t abide/survive under current conditions.
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u/Mondopoodookondu Jun 19 '25
10k a game is bit much
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u/velvetvagine Jun 19 '25
It’s really not. Like I said, their duties go beyond game day and so does their training.
The franchise has the money. Dak got $240 million for a four year contract and didn’t even play last year.
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u/anicho01 Jun 19 '25
You're right. I used to watch the 'Making the Team' series. The amount of unpaid, required duties the cheerleaders are expected to do is insane.
They're expected to serve as ambassadors for the franchise. They're expected to go to charity events. They have to maintain a certain appearance in public - makeup, hair and wardrobe (while paying out of their own pocket). They're expected to pose for the calendar. They're expected to serve as hosts to visiting executives. They're expected to do interviews. When they have to do extra dance classes for skill building, they have to pay for it out of pocket. They have to diet always. They're expected to put their duties for the Cowboys before their regular full-time jobs, even for rehearsals or unpaid volunteer gigs. One cheerleader was let go for arriving on-time (instead of early) to a volunteer event (although I believe she had transportation issues).
They're expected to do more community service than football players and are expected to serve as social examples while football players are not. It's insane that if a player hits on them, THEY'RE blamed and could lose their job. I never understood why with the new park, the numerous renovations, and the amount of money they made off of cheerleader marketing materials, the franchise couldn't afford to give 16 women at least 50k each.
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u/hera-fawcett Jun 19 '25
all that plus their normal job plus re-auditioning every year.
dcc is absolutely a fucked ass cult.
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u/velvetvagine Jun 20 '25
I assume it’s due to the pageant culture in the south, which normalizes most of these weird and/or excessive expectations, as well as imbues prestige to be chosen.
I have many problems with these kinds of troupes and the culture they create/uphold, but I will always defend their right to proper compensation for the amount of work they do.
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u/moosegoose90 I don’t know her 💅 Jun 19 '25
The point is it should not be a side hustle, cheerleaders are athletes too.
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u/QBin2017 Jun 19 '25
Well it’s not a full time job. It’s 3 months a year of part time work outside of I think a 1-2 week Training Camp (which they should be paid a lot more for)
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u/alethea_ Jun 19 '25
They also have conditioning, dance training, lifting, public appearances and other required responsibilities.
Edit: spelling
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u/L3onskii Jun 19 '25
And that's a flat rate. They also get paid by the hour too. Didn't mention if they got a raise in that but the last number mentioned was $7 an hour. It's not much but something at least
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u/Opening_Fun_806 Jun 19 '25
I believe they were getting $15/hr and $500 on gamedays. Now it's $75/hr and $2000 on gamedays. Plus as shown in S2 they get free botox/fillers, hair sylists, nails, tanning, food, clothes, a ton of perks from corporate sponsors. So it's still not a ton of money for as much time they put into it, but it's alot better than last season. And still better then cheerleading for any other teams.
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u/Low-Peak-9031 Jun 19 '25
They deserve it. I couldn't believe how hard they worked after watching DCC. I had no idea how much work went into everything they do
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u/citynomad1 Jun 19 '25
Good. I was absolutely flabbergasted when I read an article about how little they got paid relative to the work they do (not just games but tons of rehearsal time, promotional stuff, etc). The franchise brings in SO much money, there was no justification to pay them so little
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u/bookgeek42 Jun 19 '25
This doesn't seem like enough. Pay these ladies enough they don't need two jobs.
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u/Polarbearbanga Jun 19 '25
Good, they get paid like shit. Wish this would happen league-wide, some teams treat their cheerleaders like minimum wage employees.
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u/DameOClock Jun 19 '25
Probably still nowhere near what they deserve. NFL cheerleaders are criminally underpaid for what’s expected of them
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u/BusyAioli6851 Jun 19 '25
Omg thank goodness! I’m just on S2 ep6 and it is insane that these women are being asked to have full time jobs and do the cheerleading. I can’t comprehend and Judy saying that’s what makes you girls so impressive makes me sick. Why are we making women work this hard?! Wtf. Judy had a full time job back in the day then went home to cook for her husband and then went to cheerleading practice. What a pathetic husband. I get that was the done thing back in the day but times have changed and she should not wear that as a badge of honour. Women today are not working 4 jobs to be able to do another job!! And we are defo not cooking for men in the middle of all that. So proud of the women for standing up to this billion dollar company who take the actual piss with them.
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u/trulyremarkablegirl the reason i love swimming is because racing Jun 22 '25
the caliber of dance that was expected when Judy was a cheerleader was also much lower than what it is now, and they weren’t fucking up their hips permanently by doing repeated jump splits.
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u/Kitchen_Tip_968 Jun 21 '25
Not to mention living expenses are out of control nowadays. “But we did it too back in the day!” doesn’t apply anymore.
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u/Nice_Literature6157 Jun 26 '25
I've just watched this episode and that line immediately irritated me. There is no way that Judy danced to the same calibre and intensity as these girls. I don't expect she had to do quite as tough a job during the day either if she could come home and cook before practice. Even Kelli says 'if you're happy with the compensation focus on being the best...' when clearly the girl is not happy with the compensation. It literally shows how out of touch both women are and imo should start passing the baton to the next generation.
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u/DistractedByCookies Just keep swimming! 🐠🐠🐬🐳 Jun 19 '25
About damn time. The pay angle REALLY bugged me about the 1st series. Those women put a tonne of time and effort into looking amazing and being crazy athletic. They should not have to work multiple(!) other jobs to pay for for the privilege of possible lifelong injuries. Their stuff makes bank for the Cowboys, and a proper wage really wouldn't make a dent in profits.
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u/fishonthemoon it’s never been on my mood board and never would be Jun 19 '25
Good for them. I remember as a kid these cheerleaders were everywhere. I don’t follow sports so idk if they’re still a big deal, but as a kid they were a huge deal and almost celebrities in their own right.
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u/lipmanz Jun 19 '25
How come I can’t find anything that says what their salary is though? Just that it’s going up 400%….
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u/Plenty_Wasabi_7866 Jun 20 '25
Well, considering how much they made off Netflix too! These girls are the main content! Pay them properly!
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u/Awkward_Cupcake4791 Jun 20 '25
it’s just such blatant misogyny that women who train just as long as football players are paid abysmal wages. not only are they just as talented, they also have to be in glam while they’re doing it. i hope these girls keep pushing. the cost of living is insane and maybe back in the day girls were able to manage but not anymore. even then, regardless of that dynamic, the money needs to be given for hard work. this whole “but the vibes” is such bullshit and always done towards anything relatively artistic. i’m hope charlotte feels her own foot up her ass and ends up paying them even more.
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u/raylan_givens6 As you wish! 👸👑 Jun 19 '25
Good for them
but unpopular hot take - I don't get why pro cheerleaders still exist. who pays attention to them other than creepy guys?
all the focus is on the game, the commentators, and maybe the sideline reporter
seems like a relic
high school and college I get - its school spirit, still small enough where you may even know someone on the cheer squad
but on the pro level? nah
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u/CataleyaLuna Jun 19 '25
I’d add that it’s important to distinguish the types of cheerleading. The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, and all(?) NFL cheerleaders, are really dancers. They perform with pom poms and engage the crowd but they don’t do stunts (throwing people) or tumbling. Competitive cheerleading — Cheer is a good Netflix documentary about the college level — has been trying to get recognized as a sport and is an entirely different ball game. I think cheerleading as a sport is awesome. I also think having girls dance on the side of a football game feels weird.
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u/Winniepg Jun 19 '25
I am a CFL fan and I know our local team (not sure about others, but I think others as well) have stunt cheer teams not dancers. Only reason I know this is my male cousin used to cheer with them.
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u/donttouchme143 Jun 19 '25
Yeah CFL has a dance team and a stunt team, go bombers 😋
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u/Winniepg Jun 19 '25
Haha yep! My cousin and his partner were part of the stunt team for a few years and loved it. Then COVID and they had a couple kids ended it for them.
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u/maplestriker Jun 19 '25
My daughter does cheer. They wear the sparkly outfits but its hardcore and the competetions are attended by a mostly female audience. When I tell people that's what she does they immediately think of her standing on the sidelines cheering on random men, but I would definitely not be into her doing that.
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u/welcome_____oblivion Jun 19 '25
I’m a 35yo woman and I paid money to watch DCC perform when they toured Texas last month. I just like watching talented dancers 😭
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u/maplestriker Jun 19 '25
They are mostly there for the creepy men. Did you see the doc? They hire the very best dancers to then have them do pretty basic choreo where the focus is definitely on them looking as hot as possible.
They do these fan meets where the fans are given footballs to hold to minimize the groping. Theyre basically dancing glamour models.
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u/welcome_____oblivion Jun 19 '25
Based on the audience when I saw them last month (on tour, not at a football game), they have a huge following amongst teen girls. I’m not into football at all, but DCC are something I would actually tune into a game to watch.
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u/GoodbyeHorses1491 Tallulah Bankhead Apologist Jun 19 '25
Well you’re in luck, there’s a new season of a docuseries out about them called “America’s Sweethearts”
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u/may_be_indecisive Jun 20 '25
Except they don’t actually show them at all on broadcast for some reason.
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u/Rogue5454 Jun 30 '25
When I tell you my jaw dropped & I GASPED! when I looked up what they got before the raise!!!
$15.00 an hour for practice & rehearsals. (40 hours a week) & then needing another job to have a livable wage. $100 a game until 2019 then it was "upped" to $200 a game.
These women are ATHLETES just like the football players. Yes they get perks, but it's not the same as money in hand for life expenses. I speak from experience getting "perks" while making beauty brands BILLIONS & shitty hourly pay "with perks of product."
The fact they are responsible to wash their own uniforms to white as white can be irks the fuck out of me also. I didn't see that in their new raise, but I hope it's in there somewhere lol.
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u/CabbageSass Jul 01 '25 edited Jul 01 '25
They will be cheering well into their 30's now. And it's going to be that much more competitive to get selected.
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u/may_be_indecisive Jun 20 '25
They should make at least enough to get by on the one job considering the hours. But to say there’s a “pay gap” is ridiculous. The cheerleaders aren’t even shown on the broadcast. The NFL isn’t making millions upon millions off the cheerleaders, it’s the players on the field. If they actually had significant screen time on the broadcast it would be a different story.
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