Overview

• Megan McElaney and her teammates secured a 400 percent wage increase in Season 2 of Netflix’s America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.
• Under the new structure, cheerleaders earn at least $75 per hour for rehearsals and appearances and up to $2,000 for each home game.
• The raise follows a 2019 lawsuit that doubled game-day pay from $200 to $400 after former cheerleader Erica Wilkins sued for unfair compensation.
• Although the Cowboys franchise is valued at over $10 billion, current squad members remain part-time employees without health insurance or long-term benefits.
• Advocates say the development underscores persistent gender pay disparities in professional sports and could influence compensation standards across the NFL.