The Dallas Cowboys are being criticized over NFL team's Chief Brand Officer Charlotte Jones remarks justifying why its cheerleading squad is underpaid.
Netflix recently released a new docuseries called America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. The title references the nickname for the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders (DCC).
The show follows the squad from tryouts to training camp and through an NFL season.
On Friday, the DCC account announced America's Sweethearts was available for streaming.
In the docuseries, Jones—daughter of Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and sister of team executives Stephen Jones and Jerry Jones Jr.—recognized there was a lot of "cynicism around pay for NFL cheerleaders, and as it should be."
“They’re not paid a lot,” said Jones, facing the camera.
She continued with the Cowboys' justification.
“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 added:
“There are not a lot of opportunities in the field of dance to get to perform at an elite level."
"It is about being a part of something bigger than themselves.”
She also noted the cheerleaders become part of the squad because dancing is their passion and that being a part of the sisterhood is a driving motivator for them.
Her comments didn't land well on social media.
One disappointed fan commented on DCC's America's Sweetheart announcement:
"I don’t think the show is reflecting positively on the Cowboys organization."
"These girls are overworked without appropriate pay and then Charlotte, who has her job because her daddy is a millionaire and handed it to her, defends it by saying it’s an privilege to represent the organization. Yikes."
"Not a good look on the Cowboys. If they’re such an important brand and the organization makes so much money off of them, then pay them accordingly."
Another pointed out the cheerleaders deserved better pay given the extensive dance training required for being part of the squad.
"I loved this documentary but it made me sad to see the little pay they receive to do so much," wrote the commenter.
"Maybe the DCC from the 60’s deserved $35 because they weren’t elite athletes, but even Kelli says these girls are now the most talented in the US."
"Many have trained since they were children."
A third wrote:
"I am very much enjoying the series but the aspect of their pay is depressing."
"It may be a 'privilege' to be a DCC but these dancers worked hard to get this part time gig and they work hard during the season and should be compensated better rather than Charlotte’s attitude that they are also 'compensated' with this 'privilege.'”
More frustrated viewers piled on the criticism.
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TikToker @mara_webster said the discussion around the Cowboys cheerleaders' pay made her “blood absolutely boil.”
She also mentioned performing for the squad is an "incredibly physically demanding job" that requires a lot of athleticism and body maintenance as the women are never allowed to change the size of their shorts and must maintain the same weight as when they first auditioned.
She added:
“Meanwhile, I’m sure [Charlotte Jones is] getting paid her wages in cold hard cash instead of passion and sisterhood."
One TikToker said in the comments:
"And then they sell calendars and materials so making money out of them."
The criticism continued on X.
According to the Huffington Post, the Cowboys organization claimed they improved the DCC's compensation over the years, but the amount has never been publicly disclosed.
In the docuseries, Kat Puryear, a former Cowboys cheerleader from 2019 to 2023, revealed she was paid as much as a substitute teacher's earnings or a full-time Chick-fil-A employee.
An anonymous woman who used to cheer for the Cowboys in 2021 told the outlet she was paid $12.50 per hour for practices and $400 for each game.
According to the former Cowboys cheerleader, DCC squad members aren't allowed to use their title to secure sponsorship deals or sign with social media influencer agencies, as opposed to NFL players who rake in the cash through major sponsorship deals with companies like Nike.
She also said of Cowboys World Headquarters and practice facility, The Star, in Frisco, Texas:
“It’s kind of a running joke for the girls on the team: The guys on the practice squad, who don’t even touch the field half of the time, getting 80 grand more than we do a year."
"And I’m at every single game, dancing my ass off, and every other appearance, and my face is all over The Star.”
“You don’t even know who these guys on the practice team are.”
She added:
“It’s unfortunate that with how much they pretend or say that we are important and the face of the organization, the way they treat us and pay us does not come near to equal that.”
All seven episodes from the first season of America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders are currently available for streaming on Netflix.
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