How Much do Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders Make
Do you fancy yourself a young and energetic person with aspirations of joining the cheerleading squad? You may be wondering, though, whether or not cheerleaders receive financial compensation for their services or whether they do it purely out of a love of the sport. Today, we’ll discuss the salary of Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders.
Who is a Cheerleader?
But before we go further, we’ll like to know who a cheerleader is and what cheerleading is.
According to the dictionary definition, a cheerleader is a member of a team that performs organized cheering, chanting, and dancing in support of a sports team at matches.
- An enthusiastic and vocal supporter of someone or something.
According to Wikipedia: Cheerleading is an activity in which the participants cheer for their team as a form of encouragement. It can range from chanting slogans to intense physical activity. It can be performed to motivate sports teams, entertain the audience, or compete.
Cheerleading combines dancing, acrobatics, and chanted slogans to entertain and motivate crowds.
It’s gone from a school activity to an extracurricular sport. Cheerleading expresses school pride, leadership, youth, and sexuality.
Modern cheerleading is popular throughout the U.S. and other nations, but the south (particularly Texas) is its center.
How Much do Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders Make
It wasn’t until the 1954 season that the Baltimore Colts introduced cheerleaders to an N.F.L. game, and ever since then, they’ve become an essential part of the atmosphere.
There have been cheerleaders at N.F.L. games since the 1954 season when the Baltimore Colts were the first to introduce them. Since then, cheerleaders for the National Football League (N.F.L.) have been an inseparable part of the league, often traveling abroad to perform for U.S. military personnel through U.S.O. Inc.
Cheerleading in the N.F.L. is huge, but cheerleaders have never been paid the same as players. Sportskeeda claims that junior cheerleaders earn $20,000 annually, significantly less than N.F.L. waterboys’ salaries ($53,000) and matchday mascots ($25,000). Cheerleaders typically earn $150 for each home game and an additional $50-$75 for making appearances at club-sponsored events such as school visits, conferences, and corporate parties.
Many cheerleaders start as students or new grads, but the industry pays much beyond minimum wage. Most N.F.L. cheerleaders don’t last more than two seasons, and those who have been in the industry longer, taking on more leadership roles, and likely cheered for more than one N.F.L. team earn the most. Cheerleaders with more experience pay a higher matchday fee and receive larger bonuses than those just starting.
Despite the growing number of male cheerleaders, seven of the N.F.L.’s 32 teams (the Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears, Cleveland Browns, Green Bay Packers, New York Giants, Los Angeles Chargers, and Pittsburgh Steelers) will not have a cheerleading squad in 2021. However, the Packers frequently hire a college cheerleading squad at home games.
The Dallas Cowboys have the most recognizable cheerleaders of any N.F.L. team. Erica Wilkins sued the franchise in 2018 for failing to compensate her for any time spent working that was more than a standard workweek of 40 hours. She remarked how much money the Cowboys’ mascot, Rowdy, made.
Wilkins earned $16,500 annually during her four years as a Cowboys cheerleader, while Rowdy was rumored to have received $65,000. She was also underpaid for participating in Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team.
The lawsuit resulted in a $12 increase in the Cowboys’ cheerleaders’ base hourly compensation for the 2019 season and a $400 increase in the team’s per-game payout.
How Much Do Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders Make Per Game?
Let’s talk about how much Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders make. A Dallas Cowboy cheerleader might receive $500 for each match or $15 to $20 per hour. Cheerleaders for the Dallas Cowboys can earn up to $75,000 annually.
This wage is a steal for the world’s most popular cheerleading squad. It may be a shock to find that former Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders were not treated well.
The Requirements To Become A Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader?
Cheerleaders for the Dallas Cowboys must be at least 18 years old and high school graduates. Applicants should be in good health and able to commit to the team’s busy rehearsal and performance schedule.
You’ll need to prove that you have the legal right to work in the U.S. Except for these, anyone over 18 is welcome to apply to try out DCC, and there are no restrictions on body size.
While applying, you also cannot have any visible tattoos or piercings. In addition, cheerleaders for the N.F.L. can find other ways to supplement their pay. And some of them are even settled down with families of their own.
Unfortunately, the topic of cheerleaders’ relationships with N.F.L. players is fraught. Almost no team would let them flirt or date while employed there.
How much do N.F.L. cheerleaders Earn?
The salary of an N.F.L. cheerleader is low. A few clubs still paid them less than the bare minimum, but that has changed in recent years. Their salary is higher than most people working in the N.F.L., but it is still significantly less than the players’.
According to various media reports, N.F.L. cheerleaders earn between $50 and $75 for each public appearance and their $150 per game day salary.
One former cheerleader told Cosmopolitan that she only made $3,000 a season after spending money on manicures, makeup, and personal trainers. Several N.F.L. teams do charge audition fees to potential cheerleaders.
However, cheerleaders with extensive experience and training can potentially earn as much as $75,000 per season. Postseason and Super Bowl triumphs increase bonuses.
Professional cheerleaders are replaced by backups when sick or injured.
They have a pay range of $5 to $9 per hour. Their maximum allowable annual pay is $20,000.
Questions People Usually Ask
How Much Do Professional Cheerleaders Make?
On average, N.F.L. cheerleaders earn between $15,000 and $20,000 per season. This includes $15 to $20 per hour, $500 to $700 every game and an additional $2,500 per season. It is estimated that a professional N.F.L. cheerleader can earn between $8,000 and $15,000 every season or an annual income of $75,000.
Are The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Famous?
When it comes to N.F.L. cheerleading squads, nobody beats the Dallas Cowboys. This group is so well-liked that it has its reality program. The group now has over half a million (500,000) followers on Instagram.
These stunning cheerleaders earn extra money by performing at promotional events and home games.
What Is the oldest Dallas Cowboys cheerleader’s age?
Kelli Finglass, the Cowboys’ cheerleading director, said the eldest lady ever performing with the squad was 37 years old.
Although there were 50-something women who tried out, none of them cut. On the 2011 squad, the oldest lady was 31, and the youngest was 18.
Teams without cheerleaders in the 2023 season.
A total of seven different teams don’t have any cheerleading unit.
In alphabetical order, they are the Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns, Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, Los Angeles Chargers, New York Giants, and Pittsburgh Steelers. At home games, the Packers often use college cheerleaders.
After going through all of this, would you mind if we looked at a concise history of cheerleading down below?
History of cheerleading
Despite cheerleading’s modern association with womanhood, the sport’s explorers were guys.
Cheerleading emerged and formalized in Ivy League universities and institutions in the mid-1800s. In the second half of the 19th century, college football attendance soared, leading to the construction of large stadiums.
Sideline cheerleaders, or “yell leaders,” led audience support and crowd management. Cheerleading became a popular extracurricular sport for boys in the 1920s, akin to marching bands, drum corps, and drill teams.
While university athletics and cheerleading began in private, all-male schools, several publicly financed institutions admitted women around 1900. In the 1920s and 1930s, when university athletics increased and men and women mixed more openly, women began cheerleading. During the same period, a distinct cheerleading tradition emerged in black educational institutions.
World War II draftees gave women more cheerleading chances. 95% of cheerleaders were women in the 1960s and 1970s. Cheerleading emphasizes physical and sexual beauty due to women’s participation. This may have devalued cheerleading.
Second-wave feminism and Title IX have reduced cheerleading’s popularity in U.S. schools. Cheerleading was sexist since it promoted male-dominated sports. Many objects to professional cheerleading groups because of their sexualized activities.
A new golden age for cheerleading
Cheerleading recovered rapidly and is today more popular and profitable than ever. Cheerleading’s resurrection is due to the sport’s increased athleticism and the addition of contests, summer training camps, and strenuous practice regimens.
Traditionally, cheerleading squads have only done things like leading cheers and dancing on the subsidiary. They also did jumps and stunts, pyramid builds, and complex tumbling passes at sporting events and cheerleading competitions.
Because of these alterations, cheerleading has seen a comeback in male involvement, particularly at the collegiate level. It is now more appealing to a generation of girls and women with more options than previous generations for participating in athletics.
Cheerleading is the leading cause of tragic sports injuries, exceeding gymnastics and track. American girls and women suffer significant brain or spine damage.
Conclusion
A Dallas Cowboys cheerleader can make anything from $15 to $20 per hour, plus $500 every game day. Although attractive on the surface, this compensation is below average for the league.
The Dallas Cowboys pay its cheerleaders more today than most other teams. When airing a reality show, the crew performs a great job of being in touch with viewers. When they’re no longer cheerleading, popular individuals might take advantage of their fame by working in fields such as K.O.L.
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