Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders approach $75 an hour as NFL sideline pay faces a reported reset
Professional sports entertainment has long operated on compensation terms that rarely surface in the same conversations as player salaries or officiating contracts, a gap that Netflix's "America's Sweethearts" series is narrowing…
Key takeaways
- Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders have disclosed a new hourly rate of $75 through Netflix's "America's Sweethearts" series, up from a prior $15, described as a 400% increase.
- Based on the $75 hourly figure, per-game earnings come to approximately $2,500.
- Over a full season, veteran cheerleaders can reach between $50,000 and $75,000 in total income.
- The cheerleaders' disclosed seasonal ceiling falls below entry-level officiating pay, as rookie MLB umpires earn about $150,000 and rookie NFL referees an estimated $150,000 to $200,000.
- The Dallas Cowboys organization has not publicly confirmed the specific contract terms or exact figures.
Professional sports entertainment has long operated on compensation terms that rarely surface in the same conversations as player salaries or officiating contracts, a gap that Netflix's "America's Sweethearts" series is narrowing for one high-profile squad. The Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders are heading into year two of a reported pay overhaul, with cheerleaders disclosing through the series a new hourly rate of $75, against a prior $15. The shift is described as a 400% increase over the previous scale.
What the numbers disclose
Working from the $75 hourly figure, the per-game earnings come to approximately $2,500. Over a full season, veterans can reach between $50,000 and $75,000 in total income, based on what the performers have shared through the Netflix production. Neither the specific contract terms nor the exact figures are publicly confirmed by the Dallas Cowboys organization.
Other roles in the NFL ecosystem provide a reference point. Rookie MLB umpires earn approximately $150,000 a year, and rookie NFL referees are estimated to bring in between $150,000 and $200,000. The cheerleaders' disclosed seasonal ceiling sits below both of those entry-level officiating benchmarks. The Cowboys cheerleaders have maintained their national profile throughout the franchise's ongoing playoff drought, and the Netflix series has amplified that visibility further.
Off the clock: TikTok and sponsorship income
Beyond game-day wages, cheerleaders with a TikTok following can layer sponsorship income on top of the hourly rate. No specific figures for that income stream have been made public through the series or by the organization. What the series has done is bring the broader compensation picture into view in a way the previous $15-an-hour scale never prompted.
As training camp closes and the regular season begins, the Cowboys cheerleaders move into year two of the new arrangement. The per-game rate of approximately $2,500, derived from the $75 hourly figure cheerleaders have cited, is the clearest public benchmark the squad's pay structure has produced. The prior rate of $15 an hour is the baseline from which the reported 400% increase was measured.
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