In Netflix’s new docuseries “America’s Sweethearts,” many viewers were shocked to hear the low salary that the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders make. The docuseries follows the iconic Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders through football season, getting an inside look into the highs and lows of the job. One thing that stood out to viewers was how much money the cheerleaders make. In the series, Cowboys Chief Brand Officer Charlotte Jones told the camera that there is a lot of “cynicism” around pay for NFL cheerleaders. “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.” She continued: “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 added that women become Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders because it’s their passion and they get to be a part of the sisterhood. The cheerleaders exact salary was not disclosed in the series, but one former Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader, Kat Puryear, shared on the series that she was paid about the same as a full-time Chick-fil-A worker. Another former cheerleader, who asked to remain anonymous, told the Huffington Post that she was paid $12.50 per hour and $400 per game. “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,” she said. “And I’m at every single game, dancing my a** off, and every other appearance, and my face is all over The Star,” she said, referring to the Cowboys’ headquarters and practice facility. “You don’t even know who these guys on the practice team are.”

People on social media were outraged at the comments made by Jones, one user on Instagram said, “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 [a] 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 user shared their thoughts on X saying, “The most infuriating thing about the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders documentary isn’t the ridiculous beauty standards, it’s the fact they pay them a pittance so they have to work second jobs, while the footballers are paid millions. The women are just as much athletes as the men.”