“I’d say I’m making like a Chick-fil-A employee that works full time,” former Dallas Cowboys cheerleader Katherine Puryear tells viewers in the course of the first episode of Netflix’s newest docuseries hit America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.
The previous skilled cheerleader, a commentator all through the collection, provided the reason after being requested point-blank how a lot she made in the course of the gig, a subject of dialog all through the episode. Final weekend, Puryear took to her TikTok web page to increase on the dialogue. (On the time of publishing, the video had over seven million views on TikTok.)
The video begins with the scene talked about and an onscreen caption that claims, “Clearing some issues up,” with a blushing, hand-over-mouth emoji. “OK, right here’s my spiel,” Puryear begins earlier than providing to interrupt down her pay as a Cowboys cheerleader. She does, nevertheless, observe that she will be able to’t get into too many specifics.
“I can’t inform you each greenback quantity as a result of I don’t learn my contract all the best way full, and I believe it says one thing about not disclosing that stuff,” she says within the TikTok video. “So, I’m simply not even going to mess around with it.”
Whereas the Netflix collection hardly digs deep with regards to cheerleader pay, it’s addressed briefly early on within the collection. “I believe my sport day payment was $35, and we principally donated that again,” Tina Kalina says not even 20 minutes into the present’s first episode. Kalina is a former Cowboys cheerleader and the mom of a present Cowboys cheerleader, Victoria Kalina, who’s featured closely all through the collection.
“These Millennials, X-Gen, no matter they’re referred to as, they do take a look at it as a job, the place us old-timers take a look at it as extra of a privilege,” she provides.
Charlotte Jones, govt vp and chief model officer of the Dallas Cowboys, even broached the topic in the course of the present. “You realize, there’s lots of cynicism round pay for NFL cheerleaders… correctly,” Jones says. “They’re not paid rather a lot.”
“However the details are they really don’t come right here for the cash. They arrive right here for one thing that’s truly larger than that to them,” Jones continues. “They’ve a ardour for dance. There should not lots of alternatives within the discipline of dance to get to carry out at an elite stage.”
What’s the pay construction for cheerleaders?
Puryear explains in her TikTok video that the cheerleaders are paid a flat payment for video games, plus an hourly wage on sport day. She notes that these days can usually be 11 hours lengthy, including that “it’s fairly good.” The previous cheerleader additionally added that practices are paid hourly.
Within the video, Puryear says appearances at native occasions are additionally a flat payment plus an hourly price. Nevertheless, in line with the video, these charges differ primarily based on the cheerleader’s tenure with the staff, which caps at 5 years with the staff.
“Fifth-years make much more cash due to your tenure, your time,” Puryear says within the video. She additionally notes that appearances are voluntary.
How a lot are cheerleaders getting paid?
Puryear’s TikTok debrief, at the very least by way of construction, seemingly provides up with a 2022 report from NBC Sports activities Boston about NFL cheerleaders pay. Within the report, it states Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders earned about $15-20 per hour or $500 per sport, averaging out to $75,000 per yr.
In accordance with that very same NBC Sports activities Boston report, Cowboys cheerleaders, together with Carolina Panthers’ cheerleading squad, often called the Carolina TopCats, are paid considerably larger than different NFL cheerleading groups. The report says, on common, NFL cheerleaders earn about $150 per sport, or $22,500 per yr.
Are cheerleaders full time?
“It’s like a full-time… full-time dedication, part-time pay,” Puryear finishes her TikTok video saying. “It’s part-time job, however we do lots of work.”
Puryear herself stated she had a part-time job throughout her time on the staff, nevertheless, all through the collection, a number of of the veteran and rookie members of the staff talk about their full-time day jobs.