The Netflix docuseries America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders has put NFL cheerleaders into the limelight during the sport’s offseason. And with all eyes on the hardest-working fans in the stadium, it begs an obvious question: Just how much do NFL cheerleaders get paid?
It turns out, not a whole lot.
NFL cheerleaders are contract workers, meaning they do not work for teams full-time and do not receive a salary. They are, instead, paid on a per-game or hourly basis.
That’s why on America’s Sweethearts you see the cheerleaders working second jobs, like group leader Kelcey Wetterberg, who is a pediatric nurse. Meanwhile cheerleading rookie Reece Allman works at a flower shop.
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Cowboys cheerleaders do make more than the league average, but it may not be enough to make a living.
How Much Do NFL Cheerleaders Make?
The answer varies. Cowboys cheerleaders are rumored to earn around $75,000 per year, but that doesn’t seem to match up with what current and former cheerleaders say on America’s Sweethearts.
“I would say I’m making, like, a substitute teacher [salary],” former Cowboys cheerleader Kat Puryear says in the docuseries. “I would say I’m making, like, Chick-fil-A worker that works full-time.”
As of a 2017 ESPN report, NFL cheerleaders made an average of $150 per game, plus additional money for practice time and public appearances, adding up to around $22,500 per year. Cowboys cheerleaders earned considerably more, around $500 per game, according to a 2022 report from NBC Boston.
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The cheerleaders work grueling hours to earn that money, too. The series highlights one stretch in December 2023 when the Cowboys cheerleaders worked 21 days straight on top of their outside jobs.
Despite the rumors, not even the series director knows exactly how much the cheerleaders make.
“I think that’s because it varies depending on how senior you are in the group,” Greg Whiteley told Glamour. “You may even get paid more if you’re a group leader, though that was never clear to me.”
Cheerleaders Have Sued the NFL to Improve their Pay
Former Oakland Raiders cheerleader Lacy Thibodeaux-Fields filed a class-action lawsuit against the NFL in 2014 for wage theft and gender discrimination. She claimed that she was only paid for the hours she was performing, not the countless hours that went into practicing her craft. That resulted in her making only $1,250 for the season.
A former Buffalo Bills cheerleader then sued the league, saying she made only $105 for the season but had to pay $600 for her uniform.
By 2020, 10 of the NFL’s 32 franchises faced a lawsuit from the cheerleaders, The Guardian reported.
Thibodeaux-Fields’ lawsuit prompted an investigation from the US Department of Labor that determined Raiders cheerleaders were only earning around $5 per hour, well below the $8 minimum wage in California at the time.
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How Does the NFL Cheerleaders’ Pay Compare to Other Gameday Staff?
Naturally, the players make by far the most money of anyone working on gameday. Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, the highest-paid player in the NFL next season, is set to make $65.7 million in 2024 alone. Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce will make $17.1 million, and the league’s minimum salary will be $795,000.
While other staff working on gameday don’t come close to the players’ bloated contracts, many make considerably more than the cheerleaders. Waterboys, for example, take home between $50,000 to $60,000 per year, according to Pro Football Network — and that’s without the grueling practice schedule that cheerleaders must endure. They are also full-time employees, entitled to holidays, a benefits package and other perks.
That’s about on par with what mascots make as well. Pro Football Network estimates they earn around $60,000 per year.
