America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleadersrecently premiered on Netflix, and the unscripted show chronicles the lives of the women who join the famous cheer squad. The Dallas Cowboys (an American football team) cheerleading squad is renowned the world over for its skill, professionalism, and stunning good looks. The team is located in Texas, but women from all over the country travel long distances and make enormous sacrifices just for a chance to make the team.
The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders were formed in 1967, after the Dallas Cowboys General Manager, Tex Schramm,saw a local woman walking down the aisles during a game. She was wearing a skimpy outfit and cowboy boots. Since then, the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, or DCC, has been an integral part of the NFL experience. However, being on the team isn’t as glamorous as it looks.America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleadersseason 1showcases the grueling audition process, the strict rules the women must follow, and the truth about their low pay.
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The Dark Side Of Perfectionism
America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders’Victoria Kalinahas a very complicated relationship with the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.
Not only was her mother on the team, but Kalina is a four-year team veteran. She once left and had to earn her way back.
During the season,Victoria talks about how her pursuit of perfection has driven her to vicious cycles of binging and purging. While Victoria is brave enough to talk about her eating disorder, there are likely other women on the team suffering in silence. They might benefit from her being open about it.
Learn About Their Pay Increase
Though the NFL is America’s most successful and most profitable sports league, they paid their cheerleaders relatively low wages. According toTime Magazine,theDallas Cowboys Cheerleaders didn’t make much money. The women earned about $500 per game, and around $20 an hour for practices,which added up to roughly $75,000 per year. Though this is a respectable salary, it’s not commensurate with the amount of grueling work that goes into being on the team.
Considering the record profits raked in by the NFL year after year, the low wages they paid their cheerleaders were surprising.
As of mid-June 2025, the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders are getting more pay for the same amount of work. The process of accessing higher salaries wasn’t quick and simple. In fact, some of the dancers had to fight for pay increases. While it could be argued that up to 75K a year was pretty good money, the fact that the company is worth billions made it seem like the cheerleaders didn’t get enough money - maybe there is a grain of truth to that.
Due to pressures from their dancers, and controversy surrounding their low pay, higher-ups gave their cheerleaders significant raises. In fact, the pay rate per game went up by a whopping 400 percent. They used to receive US$200 to US$400 per game - now, they get four times as much money.
The higher rate is getting rave reviews from the dancers, Megan McElaney, one of the cheerleaders who lobbied for higher pay, is thrilled that the organization finally listened. Of course, the work that goes into being picture-perfect on the gridiron is about more than dancing. There’s so much effort behind the scenes, from dieting to workouts to hair and makeup - these women are extremely hard-working. On the series, Megan stated that the raise was"life-changing."
This may attract more women to auditions, although there’s already so much interest. What it will absolutely do is improve the reputation of a company that might otherwise be perceived as a boy’s club, where women who do hard work don’t get nearly as much money as men. Football players aren’t exactly hard up at the elite level - however, they add value on the field, and often destroy their bodies and/or brains in the process. Football is a high-risk sport.
Cheerleaders get injuries too. What they do is physically challenging in a less “warlike” way than football, but it’s still very tough. Hopefully, these women will use some of their higher pay to take good care of themselves. What they do inspires the team and viewers - they give the Dallas Cowboys a touch of glamour, and dance so well in front of audiences.
Getting Rejected Just Hurts
Sometimes Your Best Isn’t Good Enough
The hardest part of watching the women who work so hard to make the team onAmerica’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleadersis knowing that many of them won’t make the cut. After all their hard work and sacrifices,some women will be sent home brokenhearted and in tears. Thankfully, many Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders didn’t make the team their first time, and the rejected women can always try again duringAmerica’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleadersseason 2.
Premiere date
Where to watch
Cast
Kelli Finglas, Judy Tramell
America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleadersseason 2 can be streamed on Netflix.
