{"id":62642,"date":"2025-06-20T01:28:31","date_gmt":"2025-06-20T01:28:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=62642"},"modified":"2025-06-20T01:28:31","modified_gmt":"2025-06-20T01:28:31","slug":"dallas-cowboys-cheerleaders-400-raise-is-a-reminder-of-how-little-female-athletes-get-paid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=62642","title":{"rendered":"Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders’ 400% raise is a reminder of how little female athletes get paid"},"content":{"rendered":"
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If you’re among the millions\u00a0who have been riveted byAmerica’s Sweethearts<\/em>, Netflix’s docuseries about the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders, then you already know that the 36 women who make the squad are nothing less than pro athletes.<\/p>\n

Most come from studio-trained dance backgrounds. They endure gruelling training programs and\u00a0have to meet intense physical\u00a0demands\u00a0\u2014 their trademark kick-line and jump-split move is so punishing that some of them have torn their hips to the point of needing\u00a0surgery.<\/p>\n

From July to the end of the Cowboys season, they rehearse three to four times per week for two to three hours at a time, and perform at all home games. Practices alone can be\u00a0a 40-hour-per week commitment, notes People magazine, and that doesn’t include their promotional appearances.<\/p>\n

And for all this, until recently, they were reportedly not paid enough to support themselves. As the cheerleaders on the show themselves have pointed out, many of them work second or even third jobs.<\/p>\n

Now, the second season of America’s Sweethearts<\/em> has dropped, alongside a significant announcement: a 400 per cent pay increase.<\/p>\n

“Our efforts were heard and they wanted to give us a raise,” four-year veteran Megan McElaney said on the show, calling the increase “life-changing.”<\/p>\n

The show didn’t disclose what the cheerleaders had earned before the pay raise, or what their compensation would look like after it. But former cheerleader Jada McLean told the New York Times\u00a0Wednesday she used to make $15 US per hour as a five-year\u00a0veteran on the squad, and with the pay bump, it could be more like $75 US per hour.<\/p>\n

While many have been shocked to learn how little\u00a0NFL cheerleaders are paid, it fits into the overall narrative of the gender pay\u00a0gap in women’s sport, said Cheri Bradish,\u00a0the director of the Future of Sport Lab at Toronto Metropolitan University.<\/p>\n

“There are inequities for women in sport in all kinds of roles, not just cheerleading,”\u00a0Bradish told CBC News.<\/p>\n

“Their journey is very similar to what we have seen with other leagues\u00a0and teams who are struggling to get the respect of having broader and more respected pay in general.”<\/p>\n

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\"Dallas<\/p>\n

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Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders perform their famous jump split before an NFL football game against the Washington Commanders on Jan. 5 in Arlington, Texas. (Matt Patterson\/The Associated Press)<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

‘A volunteer position’<\/strong><\/p>\n

Being a\u00a0cheerleader is a significant commitment that demands a high level of athleticism, dedication\u00a0and professionalism, said Raeanne Milovanovic, co-founder and vice-president of the\u00a0Canadian Football Cheerleaders Alumni Organization.<\/p>\n

Compensation varies by team and has “historically been a\u00a0topic of discussion,”\u00a0Milovanovic\u00a0said. Stipends typically don’t work out to minimum wage, she said, but there are other perks and promotional opportunities \u2014\u00a0and for many, it’s more about the experience.<\/p>\n

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\"Dallas<\/p>\n

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Calgary Stampeders cheerleaders celebrate a touchdown during second half CFL football action against the B.C. Lions in Calgary in July 2024. (Jeff McIntosh\/The Canadian Press)<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“For many, it’s a volunteer position,” she said.<\/p>\n

CFL cheerleaders typically don’t receive a regular fixed\u00a0wage, but instead receive per-game payments of about $50 US to $100 US per game, according to the CFL News Hub.<\/p>\n

Salary discrepancies are gaining more attention as female sport experiences a massive rise in popularity.<\/p>\n

Superstars like the WNBA’s Caitlin Clark, U.S. gymnast Simone Biles, rugby player Ilona Maher, and Canadian record-smashing swimmer Summer McIntosh\u00a0have helped attract more eyeballs on events, as has the emergence of new female professional hockey and soccer leagues.<\/p>\n

Paycheques, however, have not kept pace.<\/p>\n

Paige Bueckers,\u00a0for instance, the WNBA’s No. 1 draft pick, is projected to earn just $78,831 US for her rookie year \u2014 about $109,480 Cdn, or\u00a0less than the real median household income in the States.\u00a0Players in the\u00a0Professional Women’s Hockey League\u00a0can earn as little as $35,000 US per year.<\/p>\n

In March,\u00a0a FIFA report on women’s soccer\u00a0found that the average salary for top-tier teams was $24,030 US globally, less than a living wage in many places. And despite 2024 seeing a surge of viral female athletes,\u00a0not one woman made the top 100 list of highest-paid athletes\u00a0worldwide last year.<\/p>\n

WATCH | The PWHL on its latest\u00a0expansion:\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

The battle for pay<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Dallas cheerleaders have been pushing for pay increases for years, part of an overall NFL cheerleader battle for minimum wage.\u00a0In 2017, a federal judge tossed out a lawsuit\u00a0accusing the NFL and team owners of conspiring to suppress wages for cheerleaders.<\/p>\n

In 2019, the Cowboys settled a lawsuit with a former cheerleader that led to the squad doubling the per-game pay, from $200 US to $400 US. The latest raise is four times that.<\/p>\n

“‘Happy’ isn’t even the right word for it,” former cheerleader Jada McLean said on the show. “I think I was just … kind of felt, like, a relief, like everything had paid off. And it was, you know, finally, we were done fighting.”<\/p>\n

Robyn Pineault, 42, cheered for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and the Toronto Argonauts in the early 2000s. On top of practices and public appearances, Pineault\u00a0says she would dance the entire game on the sidelines, plus the halftime shows and shows between each\u00a0quarter, all\u00a0of which was physically demanding and time consuming.<\/p>\n

Pineault, who now lives in Ottawa, says she’s proud of the Dallas cheerleaders for pushing for a pay raise.<\/p>\n

“They have the\u00a0epitome of brand awareness in the industry. Every single cheerleader looks up to the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders,” she said.<\/p>\n

“So to see them get a wage increase and actually be paid what they are worth, not just be given the opportunity to dance and have that career but also get fair pay, is a really great story for dancers everywhere.”<\/p>\n

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\"Dallas<\/p>\n

<\/dialog><\/div>
The Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders perform before a football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in December 2024 in Arlington, Texas. (Jeffrey McWhorter\/The Associated Press)<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you’re among the millions who have been riveted byAmerica’s Sweethearts, Netflix’s docuseries about the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders, then you already know that the 36 women who make the squad are nothing less than pro athletes.Most come from studio-trained dance backgrounds. They endure gruelling training programs and have to meet intense physical demands \u2014 their trademark kick-line and jump-split move is so punishing that some of them have torn their hips to the point of needing surgery.From<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":62646,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-62642","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"\nDallas Cowboys cheerleaders' 400% raise is a reminder of how little female athletes get paid - NEWS USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=62642\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders' 400% raise is a reminder of how little female athletes get paid - NEWS USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"If you're among the millions who have been riveted byAmerica's Sweethearts, Netflix's docuseries about the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders, then you already know that the 36 women who make the squad are nothing less than pro athletes.Most come from studio-trained dance backgrounds. 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