{"id":12484,"date":"2025-06-25T03:38:11","date_gmt":"2025-06-25T03:38:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/12484\/"},"modified":"2025-06-25T03:38:11","modified_gmt":"2025-06-25T03:38:11","slug":"dallas-cowboys-cheerleaders-pay-raise-dcc-vet-jada-explains","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/12484\/","title":{"rendered":"Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Pay Raise: DCC Vet Jada Explains"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tSPOILER ALERT:<\/strong> This story contains spoilers for \u201cAmerica\u2019s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders<\/a>\u201d Season 2, now streaming on Netflix. <\/p>\n

\n\tFor decades, conventional wisdom has dissuaded workers from discussing their salaries publicly. But on the Netflix docuseries \u201cAmerica\u2019s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders,\u201d the star-spangled dancers\u2019 pay became a major talking point. <\/p>\n

\n\tWhile the cheerleaders\u2019 salaries have never been fully disclosed, Season 1 of the Netflix show underscored that dancing for a professional sports team isn\u2019t a particularly lucrative endeavor. In fact, the role fits the description of a \u201cpink-collar job,\u201d a term coined in the 1970s for customer-facing jobs, often held by women, that garner lower pay.<\/p>\n

\n\tFor the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders (DCC), the show revealed, the reality is this: in addition to mastering their high kicks and jump splits, most of the squad\u2019s cheerleaders have 9-to-5 jobs, ranging from working in the corporate sector and the medical or law fields to being dance or fitness instructors and online influencers. It\u2019s aspirational that the cheerleaders are so accomplished off the field, but the trouble was that most of them couldn\u2019t make ends meet without holding down a day job or two (or sometimes three). That revelation sent viewers into a tizzy, and they decried the cheerleaders\u2019 low pay online.<\/p>\n

\n\tBut there was no resolution \u2014 until Season 2.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe new episodes follow as a handful of veteran cheerleaders on the 36-member squad, including Jada McLean, Armani Latimer, Amanda Howard and Megan McElaney, confront the issue head-on, reaching out to the Cowboys organization early in the season to negotiate their contracts. Despite setbacks \u2014 including talks of a walkout, which stalled when leadership got wind of the strategic move \u2014 the cheerleaders remained steadfast in their pursuit. In the final episode, it\u2019s revealed that next year\u2019s team will receive a sizable pay raise.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe ended up getting a 400% increase, which is, like, life-changing,\u201d McElaney says, through tears. <\/p>\n

\n\tIt\u2019s been a tender and tough experience, McLean, a five-year veteran of the squad who retired after the 2024 season, tells Variety over a video call on Monday, after the world learned the cheerleaders\u2019 big news when the episodes began streaming on Netflix. (The series currently ranks in the top 10 programs globally with more than 3.3 million views in a week.) <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe conversations weren\u2019t always easy. They were very emotional and sometimes we had to tell them information that was our reality but wasn\u2019t easy to share, so I don\u2019t think we knew what to expect coming in,\u201d McLean says, recalling the moment they found out their efforts had been successful.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI ended up crying in that meeting,\u201d the now-retired cheerleader, who is known for her poise, continues. \u201cBecause it felt like there\u2019d been so much that went into trying to see this change happen, and to finally know that it was all worth it in the end. It was a really moving moment for me, for the other leaders and the team. I\u2019m just grateful they heard us out because there were moments when we didn\u2019t think they were hearing us, and we didn\u2019t feel like there was anything we could do to make them understand.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tKelli Finglass and Judy Trammell, the longtime director and head choreographer of the DCC, respectively, shared their pride in McLean and her teammates for sticking to their guns.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cAt first, it was a little uncomfortable because we weren\u2019t part of the initial discussions,\u201d Finglass says, with Trammell nodding next to her. \u201cBut we\u2019re thrilled, as coaches, that the cheerleaders are very happy with the resolution, and I think the value of their talent and their dedication is something that they will always be proud of.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tGreg Whiteley, the Emmy-winning documentarian behind the show, echoed the same praise: \u201cI\u2019m thrilled for all parties involved. I was relieved. I felt like an anxious parent waiting in the wings \u2014 like, \u2018What is going to happen?\u2019 \u2014 or a marriage counselor between these two parties. I\u2019m grateful that we got to be around for what felt like a historic moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThat leads to a bigger question: Would the pay scale have changed if millions of people around the world hadn\u2019t watched \u201cAmerica\u2019s Sweethearts\u201d? <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cLet me put it this way, the timing of this is probably not a coincidence,\u201d Whiteley concedes. \u201cThe show maybe played some role.\u201d But he\u2019s not taking any credit for creating the change \u2014 only capturing it. \u201cMy process as a documentarian, and the people who work with me, we show up as agnostics,\u201d he explains. \u201cWe are not here to tell the Cowboys how they should run their organization. We\u2019re not here to tell the cheerleaders how much they should be paid. We are there just to film. I have a high degree of faith that if we stay obedient to those principles, as any good documentarian should, something true emerges. And I believe that speeds up the arc of justice or whatever.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tWhiteley adds: \u201cAll credit has to go to the cheerleaders and the Cowboys [organization], who took a lot of heat. They\u2019re the ones who made this happen.\u201d <\/p>\n

\n\tHowever, McLean believes that the cheerleaders\u2019 visibility from the show impacted the final figures. <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI think there would have been an increase, but I don\u2019t think it would have been nearly this big,\u201d she says. \u201cI think there may have been a few dollars \u2014 as in a lot of workplaces, where you get a bit of a raise every couple of years \u2014 but I don\u2019t think anything to this magnitude would have happened.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAnd McLean wants to clarify the numbers, because the 400% figure doesn\u2019t present the full picture. \u201cThe entire pay structure has changed, so it\u2019s not just an increase of what we had. It\u2019s restructured the way we\u2019re paid in general,\u201d she says, explaining that the cheerleaders get paid different rates for rehearsals, games and other special performances or appearances.<\/p>\n

\n\tMcLean previously told the New York Times<\/a> that, in 2024, she made $15 an hour and $500 per appearance \u2014 compensation that varies based on a cheerleader\u2019s experience. Now, after the increase, some veteran cheerleaders will make than $75 an hour.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cFor some things, it\u2019s actually more than that an hour, but it depends,\u201d she tells Variety. \u201cFor practices, no, you will not be paid $75 an hour. However, at a game, you will be paid more than that an hour. Some people are like, \u2018400% of what you\u2019re making a year?\u2019 I wish! But there have been increases in certain areas of 400%.\u201d <\/p>\n

\n\tRead on as McLean reflects on having the landmark season captured for Netflix, why she declined to be featured on \u201cAmerica\u2019s Sweethearts\u201d Season 1 and what she hopes everyone can learn from the cheerleaders\u2019 push for better pay.<\/p>\n

\t\tSeason 2 of \u201cAmerica\u2019s Sweethearts\u201d started streaming on Netflix last week. What has it been like for so many people to watch your journey?\t<\/p>\n

\n\tIt\u2019s been exciting, but a little overwhelming. I\u2019ve had so many people reach out to me with positive messages \u2014 which have touched my heart and I\u2019m trying to keep up with them \u2014 but also, it\u2019s a little nerve-wracking because a lot of people now have their eyes on you. So, I\u2019ve been trying to navigate that.
My mom has been like, \u201cOh my gosh, look at your following go up.\u201d [Laughs.] That\u2019s what she\u2019s really excited about, but it\u2019s been great. I\u2019m very grateful for it.<\/p>\n

\t\tGreg Whiteley shared that you were hesitant about having the cameras follow you during Season 1, but changed your mind after watching. What made you agree to be featured in Season 2?\t<\/p>\n

\n\tWhen we started filming Season 1, I felt as though the cameras had already been following certain people more than others, so when conversation happened mid-season, I said, \u201cI don\u2019t know if the world will get a complete picture of my story, and that\u2019s not something I\u2019m comfortable with.\u201d I really want them to see the whole picture. Just out of respect for my family and those that are closest to me.<\/p>\n

\n\tThen, going into Season 2 and seeing how amazing the production team did, when everything came together, I was like, \u201cOkay, I think I\u2019m comfortable sharing as long as I feel like they get to see the whole picture.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\tTiming is everything. This season turned out to be momentous for you, and not just because you were chosen to be one of the points of the triangle. Now that you can look back, what does it mean to have all of this captured?\t<\/p>\n

\n\tThere were a lot of big conversations that needed to happen that were captured this season, and are now being shared with the world. I like that the conversation is continuing to happen, especially on the topic of pay. But it\u2019s been very special.<\/p>\n

\n\tIt\u2019s funny, when you\u2019re living in the moment, yes, we have cameras around, but you kind of forget and continue on with your day-to-day life. It\u2019s almost been a year since we started filming this season, so to watch it back and see everything that we\u2019ve accomplished over this year \u2014 the conversations that we started and the movement that we\u2019ve made \u2014 it is really rewarding.<\/p>\n

\t\tYour group of veterans said you wanted to leave a legacy, and that was accomplished with the pay raise. At what point did you decide to let the cameras in on these private conversations about the negotiations?\t<\/p>\n

\n\tOnce Season 1 was released, we had an influx of publicity and everyone reaching out to us, and we were like, \u201cOK, hopefully when we see these new contracts, it\u2019s going to reflect kind of everything that shifted.\u201d Unfortunately, they didn\u2019t. That\u2019s when we came together, and we just put ourselves out there. We just had a docuseries that went No. 1 globally on Netflix, and to feel like we weren\u2019t getting anything in return, even financially, sparked the conversation.<\/p>\n

\n\tWe decided to let cameras in because we had a lot of people reaching out to us expressing their concerns about our pay. We were like, \u201cPeople are talking about this, we might as well share this with them and show them that we hear you and we agree with you, and it\u2019s not that we don\u2019t value ourselves.\u201d We do value ourselves, but it\u2019s tough. It\u2019s tough to fight for what you\u2019re worth, but we\u2019re willing to do it. So, we thought it\u2019d be special to show people that we\u2019re women who see our worth and we\u2019re able to stand for that.<\/p>\n

\t\tWhat is your advice to other women in the workplace? Because this fight will affect others in the professional dance world, but will also inspire people beyond that.\t<\/p>\n

\n\tMy mom always told me, growing up, \u201cNever be afraid to use your voice. Because the worst they\u2019re going to say is \u2018No.\u2019 Never be afraid to ask questions, to have conversations.\u201d That was something that I kept in the back of my head during these conversations. \u201cThe worst that comes out of this is \u2018No.\u2019\u201d And, if that\u2019s the worst that can happen, I\u2019m okay with that. I can accept that. That\u2019s obviously not what we want, but I can take a no, so what can I do to get that \u201cYes\u201d?<\/p>\n

\n\tI would encourage people to use their voices. I feel like women, especially, feel like we have to be quiet and we have to accept things, and that\u2019s not the case. I know it\u2019s easier said than done. I hope women can see that it\u2019s okay to have tough conversations; say what needs to be said, even though it\u2019s not easy. Because you never know what the outcome will be. And, in our case, it was worth it.<\/p>\n

\t\tYou all were ready to walk out if need be. You were ready to stand on business.\t<\/p>\n

\n\tSeriously, and that was challenging, especially knowing it was going to be my last season. Nothing in me wanted to miss any part of this year. I had my family in town, and to think about everyone spending money and giving up their time to see me, the last thing I wanted to do was disappoint them and not be out there on the field. But, in the back of my mind, I knew this was so much bigger than just me. This wasn\u2019t about me getting to dance in front of my family. It was me being able to stick up for women who came before me and women who are going to come after me. But I\u2019m glad we didn\u2019t have to do all that, and they were still able to come to a solution.<\/p>\n

\t\tYou got a little emotional when you were named the point of the triangle this season. What was it like to be out there, front and center?\t<\/p>\n

\n\tI never thought that was something that was in my cards as a DCC. And I\u2019ll be completely honest, it wasn\u2019t because I was a woman of color; it was because of my height. A lot of people talk about that \u2014 I\u2019ve seen the comments, \u201cShe\u2019s too tall\u201d \u2014 and it\u2019s hurtful, because that\u2019s not something I can change. There are just certain things about yourself that you just have to accept, and for me, it was my height. So, that\u2019s why I was so shocked in the moment. I was like, \u201cAre you serious? Like, you want to put me there?\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tOf course, it\u2019s such an honor, being the point of our team. It doesn\u2019t make me any better of a dancer than anyone. I\u2019m not the girl who\u2019s the \u201cperfect DCC.\u201d But the fact that they trusted you, they trust that if something were to happen, they know you can lead the team. So, to know that they had that kind of trust in me, I\u2019m so grateful for that.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SPOILER ALERT: This story contains spoilers for \u201cAmerica\u2019s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders\u201d Season 2, now streaming on Netflix.…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":12485,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5135],"tags":[5229,1596,13114,13115,358,3187,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-12484","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-dallas","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-dallas","10":"tag-dallas-cowboys-cheerleaders","11":"tag-documentaries-to-watch","12":"tag-texas","13":"tag-tx","14":"tag-united-states","15":"tag-united-states-of-america","16":"tag-unitedstates","17":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","18":"tag-us","19":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114741923298257904","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12484","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12484"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12484\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12485"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12484"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12484"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12484"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}