Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Score Huge Payday

Team’s Pay Soars

The Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders are celebrating a significant victory. They will experience a 400% pay increase for the 2025 season, as revealed by cheerleader Megan McElaney on Netflix’s America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders.

“Our efforts were heard and they wanted to give us a raise,” stated McElaney. “And we ended up getting a 400 percent increase, which is like, life-changing.”

The Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders are getting a 400% pay raise. pic.twitter.com/S3yS5hJ83L

— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) June 19, 2024

“‘Happy’ isn’t even the right word for it,” shared former cheerleader Jada McLean. “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.”

—Jada McLean, Former Cheerleader

This pay boost arrives at a time when the median salary for professional cheerleaders nationwide is around $30,000, according to recent figures (ZipRecruiter 2024).

Details of the Deal

The organization expressed its pleasure with the outcome, as indicated in a statement to ABC News. McLean informed the New York Times that she earned “$15 an hour and $500 for each appearance” during the 2024 season. However, with the pay increase, veteran cheerleaders could potentially make over $75 per hour.

Despite this positive change, cheerleader contracts with the Cowboys do not include health insurance. However, they are considered part-time employees with access to team doctors and physical therapists. Many of these women have other employment outside their cheerleading roles.