Latest news with #America'sSweethearts:
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders' documents pay win for the group
The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders have scored a salary touchdown. The new season of the Netflix docuseries 'America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders' includes the women getting a pay raise. ''Happy' isn't even the right word for it. It kind of felt like a relief, like everything had paid off,' former cheerleader Jada McLean said. 'And finally, we were done fighting.' Netflix bills the series as viewers get to 'Follow the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders from auditions to training camp and the NFL season as they chase their dreams and a coveted spot on the squad.' During the first season the audience learned that because of the low pay many of cheerleaders had to work second jobs. The women have advocated for more money for years. 'Our efforts were heard, and they wanted to give us a raise,' Megan McElaney, a four year veteran of the team, said. 'And we ended up getting a 400 percent increase, which is, like, life-changing.' The Dallas Cowboys have long been called America's team and according to Forbes magazine the franchise has 'been the most valuable pro sports team in the world for almost a decade' as reported by Associated Press. Season two of 'America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders' is currently streaming on Netflix.
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Finally Earn a Livable Wage After 400 Percent Raise
Break out your pom-poms and get ready to celebrate: the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders are finally getting a much-deserved raise. The team revealed the news on the second season of their Netflix documentary series America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. According to Megan McElaney, a fourth-year veteran on the team, the cheerleaders are getting a 'life-changing' 400 percent pay raise for the 2025 season. Advertisement This is a huge win for the cheerleaders, who have been fighting for better fair pay since former cheerleader Erica Wilkins sued the team back in 2018, alleging that she made less than the team's mascot for her work. The case was settled a year later, resulting in an increase of wages from $8 to $12 and the game day rate from $200 to $400. When Season 1 of the series premiered back in 2024, the world was shocked to learn that the cheerleaders were barely making minimum wage. During the show, former Dallas Cowboy cheerleader Kat Puryear compared their wages to a 'substitute teacher' or a 'Chick-Fil-A' worker that's full time.' The revelation about the cheerleaders' unfair salaries sparked outrage online, with many people pointing out the irony that players make millions of dollars a year, while the cheerleaders are essentially told to be 'grateful' for minimum wage. In an interview with the New York Times, former cheerleader Jada McLean provided more details about the raise. In 2024, McLean claims she made around $15 dollars an hour and $500 per game. With the raise, cheerleaders can now make $75 per hour or more, depending on the number of years spent on the team. Advertisement People on social media celebrated the win, reiterating that the raise was 'long overdue.' 'About time. They deserve it and had been exploited for far too long,' an X user commented. Another user was happy for the squad, but still thought they deserve more. 'Hope they are getting paid better. I see veterans now get $75 per hour. But honestly should be more given how much they make for that company. Also, tbh, they are the talent because who are even the cowboys at this point without their cheerleaders,' they wrote. It's a good day for the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. Maybe they should change their nickname to America's Fairly Paid Sweethearts.
Toronto Sun
19 hours ago
- Business
- Toronto Sun
Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders get a huge, long-wanted pay bump
Published Jun 19, 2025 • 2 minute read The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders perform on the track before the F1 United States Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas in Austin in October. Photo by Thomas Simonetti / For The Washington Post In a shocking victory, the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders will receive a roughly 400% compensation increase for the 2025 season, in response to years of the cheerleaders fighting for higher pay and recent heightened scrutiny NFL teams have faced for low pay. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account News of the raise was announced on the second season of the Netflix docuseries America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders , which premiered Wednesday. Although the details of pay rates weren't discussed on the show, the season showed how squad veterans Megan McElaney, Armani Latimer and Jada McLean were among the team members helping to push for increased wages. McLean, who was a fifth-year Cowboys cheerleader during the 2024 season, told the New York Times that she was making $15 an hour and $500 for each appearance, meaning veterans could be currently making more than $75 an hour. For years, the treatment of cheerleaders on NFL squads has come under scrutiny, with documentaries and media reports highlighting complaints of wage theft and sexual harassment across several teams. Former Washington cheerleaders told The Washington Post in a 2020 article that as they learned of unofficial lewd videos taken of the team's cheerleaders, they felt exploited by an organization that paid them about $1,000 a year. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. When Charlotte Jones, the Cowboys' executive vice president and chief brand officer, was asked about the issue of cheerleader pay during the first season of 'America's Sweethearts,' she emphasized the women's 'passion for dance.' 'There's a lot of cynicism around pay for NFL cheerleaders, as there should be. They're not paid a lot. But the facts are that they actually don't come here for the money. They come here for something that's actually bigger than that to them,' Jones said. Erica Wilkins, who was a Dallas cheerleader from 2014 to 2017, sued the team in 2018, alleging that she was paid less than the Cowboys' mascot, Rowdy. She accused the organization of not paying her overtime when she regularly worked more than 40 hours in a week and paying her less than the $7.25 minimum wage based on the number of hours she worked. Wilkins later dropped the lawsuit and reportedly reached a settlement. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. In 2022, the Cowboys reportedly paid a settlement of $2.4 million after four cheerleaders accused the Cowboys' longtime senior vice president for public relations of voyeurism in 2015, according to ESPN. One of the women said the executive, after using a key card to enter their locker room, was standing behind a partial wall with his iPhone extended toward the cheerleaders while they were changing, the report said. Before 'America's Sweethearts,' the competitive audition process was chronicled in 16 seasons of 'Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team,' which aired from 2006 to 2021. NHL Soccer Columnists Editorial Cartoons Toronto Maple Leafs
Chicago Tribune
19 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders say they're getting a ‘life-changing' 400% increase in pay
FRISCO, Texas — The Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders say they are getting a serious increase in pay. One of the cheerleaders has said during the second season of the Netflix series 'America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders' that the members are getting a 400% boost in pay. The cheerleaders have been pushing for pay increases for years. In 2019, the Cowboys settled a lawsuit with a former cheerleader that led to the squad doubling the per-game pay, from $200 to $400. The latest raise is four times that. 'Our efforts were heard and they wanted to give us a raise,' four-year veteran Megan McElaney said on the show. 'And we ended up getting a 400% increase, which is like, life-changing.' According to ESPN, the Cowboys agreed to pay four cheerleaders a total of $2.4 million nine years ago to settle claims by the women that the team's longtime public relations chief, Rich Dalrymple, filmed them in the dressing room. Dalrymple denied the claims, and the club said its investigation found no wrongdoing by him. Dalrymple retired not long before the settlement became public in 2022. The Cowboys have been the most valuable pro sports team in the world for almost a decade, according to Forbes magazine. That number was $10.1 billion in rankings published late last year. 'Happy' isn't even the right word for it,' former cheerleader Jada McLean said on the show. 'I think I was just … kind of felt, like, a relief, like everything had paid off. And it was, you know, finally, we were done fighting.'
Cosmopolitan
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Cosmopolitan
America's Sweethearts: Where is Kelcey from Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders now?
One of our favourite sports documentary reality series has finally returned to our screens for season two, yep that's right America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders are officially back in action on Netflix. However, while we are loving catching up with the OG cast and meeting the new rookies, we can't help but majorly miss season one legend Kelcey Wetterberg. So where is she now and what is she up to? If you watched season one you'll remember Kelcey was a veteran member of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders (DCC) and was entering her fifth year during the filming of the show. For all the non-cheerleader fans out there, cheerleaders generally only serve in the DCC for a maximum of five years, and this was the case of Kelcey who entered her last year during season one. But what a year it was. Kelcey was named group leader and became a main character in both the team and the show. By the end of the season Kelce retired from being a DCC and this is everything she's up to now. During season one of America's Sweethearts we learnt Kelcey was also a paediatric nurse alongside her career as a DCC. Part of her decision to leave the cheerleaders was to fully pursue her job in nursing, which she has continued to do since leaving. Exciting news! On New Year's Eve 2024, Kelcey officially tied the knot to her partner Nate Crnkovich, who is also a nurse and actor. During the first season we saw Nate pop the question and Kelcey accept. The couple had two wedding ceremonies, an intimate church service on 30 December, with just their families, and then a big party with all their friends and family on NYE. The second wedding featured a six tier wedding cake and of course a performance by Kelcey and her fellow cheerleaders from the DCC. Not only have they tied the knot by Kelcey and Nate also bought their first home together. The couple shared the very exciting news on their Instagrams earlier this week in the cutest video, with Kelcey captioning the post: "We've got exciting news 🥹🏡 we bought a house! @lexiejsmith_ we cannot thank you enough for being our guiding light through this process! You were so helpful even when the process felt discouraging at times. Thank you for getting us our dream home 🤍." We can't wait to see the home content. Speaking of content, since appearing on the Netflix docu-series Kelcey has gone onto gain quite the social media following. She now has nearly half a million followers on Instagram and over 200,000 on TikTok. Alongside her nursing work she also does sponsored posts on TikTok and Instagram for brands such as Westmore Beauty, Tanceuticals and PrettyLittleThing. Once a DCC, always a DCC. Though she may have officially left the squad, she's still very much part of it in spirit. Ahead of the release of season two of America's Sweethearts on Netflix, Kelcey shared a sweet post to celebrate the women. Writing on Instagram she said: "I am so excited to watch season 2, and more importantly, watch the world embrace even more women that have worked their whole lives to be here. Let me tell you, they are pretty special 💙." We couldn't agree more! America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders is available on Netflix now
