DALLAS — The Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders are the most recognizable cheer team in the sports world.
The new Netflix documentary, America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, revealed the iconic cheer team might not make as much as fans think.
How much do Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders make?
According to Forbes, the Dallas Cowboys are the most valuable sports franchise in the world with a $9 billion price tag.
Despite that, NBC Sports Boston reported in 2022 that Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders make around $15-20 per hour. That's about $22,500 on average annually. By comparison, the average NFL water boy makes $53,000 per year and NFL mascots make $25,000 per season, according to a NBC Sports Boston report.
"I would say I'm making, like, a substitute teacher [salary]," said former Cowboys cheerleader Kat Puryear in the documentary. "I would say I'm making, like, Chick-fil-A worker that works full-time."
The documentary depicted the lives of Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders. In one part of the series, the team works for 21 straight days to prepare for the NFL Christmas Day game.
The documentary also revealed many of the dancers have second jobs. During the course of the series, rookie cheerleader Reece Allman started working at a florist.
During the show, Cowboys chief brand officer Charlotte Jones defended the franchise's payroll for cheerleaders.
"There are not a lot of opportunities in the field of dance to get to perform at an elite level," Jones told Netflix. "It is about being part of something bigger than themselves."
Some alumni defended the pay as well. "These millennials, X-Gen, whatever they're called, they do look at it as a job," said Tina Kalina, who cheered for the team in 1989. "...us old-timers look at it as more of a privilege."
According to a PBS article from 2014, this has been an ongoing issue with some cheerleaders making below minimum wage.
