After years of attempting time and time again, the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders have finally achieved a goal that will go down in history.
According to veteran Cowboys cheerleader Megan McElaney, the squad recently received a 400 percent pay increase. McElaney revealed this information in the second season of the Netflix show "AMERICA'S SWEETHEARTS: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders", which was released on June 18th.
It's a monumental moment for not only the Cowboys cheerleaders, but for a number of other cheerleaders around the NFL as well. Dallas's cheerleaders are viewed by many as the gold standard of NFL cheerleaders, and they've proven it once again by landing a massive pay increase.
Following the incredible news for the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders, will other NFL teams follow suit with their cheerleaders?
While it might seem like a dream job from the outside, NFL cheerleaders typically haven't been paid a livable wage. According to a report from NBC Sports Boston in 2022, a cheerleader in the league made an average of $22,500 per year, which includes payments received for each game and additional public appearances.
The report also revealed that the pay rate didn't even come close to matching the amount of work that is typically required by an NFL cheerleader. Some are part of squads around the league that practice 30 to 40 hours per week, and then some can spend up to 14 hours working on a game day.
Of course, there have been some outliers, including the Cowboys cheerleaders and the Carolina Panthers cheerleaders, who reportedly earn an average of $75,000 per year.
Given their popularity, Dallas's cheerleaders are likely going to always be paid more than any other cheerleading squad in the NFL. Still, the Cowboys cheerleaders earning a 400 percent pay raise should be something that is used as an example for other teams around the league to pay their cheerleaders much more fairly.