Latest news with #CowboysCheerleaders
News.com.au
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Aussie makes history, selected to Dallas Cowboys cheerleading squad
Australian-raised Faith Ward has made history, getting selected to the prestigous Dallas Cowboys Cheerleading squad. The Cowboys cheerleading squad is one of the most competitive cheerleading squads in the world and has grown to be just as popular as the NFL team they support. Tszyu vs Fundora 2 & Pacquiao vs Barrios | SUN 20 JULY 10AM AEST | Tim Tszyu faces Sebastian Fundora in a blockbuster rematch, plus Manny Pacquiao makes his highly anticipated return to the ring to face Mario Barrios. | Order now with Main Event on Kayo Sports Two seasons of the Netflix documentary America's Sweethearts have given sport fans, and dance enthusiasts an insight into the brutal multistage audition process to get selected to the squad. Ward, a dancer from Perth, has achieved the incredible accomplishment of being selected to the squad of 36 cheerleaders for the 2025-26 NFL season. She was born in New Zealand but moved to Australia as a child — the 22-year-old is one of just six rookies selected to the team of 36, which is traditionally comprised mostly of returning 'veterans'. 'This journey has been incredibly challenging, both physically and mentally, but I wouldn't change a thing,' Ward wrote in an emotional announcement. 'I've been pushed in ways I never imagined, I've learned and grown so much already. 'I'm excited to see where this wild ride takes me. I feel so privileged to stand alongside not only the most talented dancers but also some of the most amazing women I've ever met.' Ward posted a heartwarming video of her sharing the news of her selection with her loved ones, showing off the iconic uniform. 'So beyond grateful and blessed to turn my biggest dream into a reality,' she said. 'I want to thank, from the bottom of my heart, the Cowboys Organisation for believing in me and giving me this life-changing opportunity. It is truly an honour. 'To my family, friends, coaches, and mentors who have been by my side throughout this entire journey, thank you will never be enough. I wouldn't be where I am today without you.' The Daily Telegraph reports Ward has previously performed on cruise ships. The Dallas Cowboys are renowned for their iconic blue and white uniforms and their signature pre-game routine to the AC/DC classic hit Thunderstruck. Ward wrote on Instagram: 'The best day of my life. STILL CRYING. So beyond grateful words can't describe this feeling.' The Cowboys were adopted as America's team in the 20th century, but the historic franchise haven't won a Super Bowl since 1996, so the dance troupe is arguably more successful than the football team these days. Veteran dancers successfully campaigned for a renumeration increase, and the Cowboys finally agreed to a 400 per cent pay rise last year — a welcome relief for dancers, many of whom work several jobs on top of their cheerleading commitments. The selection means Ward is the first Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader (DCC) from New Zealand and the third from Australia after Jinelle Esther and Angela Nicotera.
The Age
28-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Age
These cheerleaders secured a 400% pay rise. But it's still not enough
So the fact that salary negotiations were a major plot line throughout season two was something that I very much welcomed. The veteran team members in particular were ready to rally and fight for not only what they deserved, but the future they wanted for the next generation of cheerleaders long after they were gone. Loading Now, apologies for the spoilers (though I find it impossible to believe that anyone watching the show didn't binge it over a couple of marathon sittings), the good news is that by the end of the season and following some pretty rough negotiations, the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders secured a 400 per cent pay rise for the next season and beyond. But before you get too excited and think, 'How great! That's a salary of more than $230,000 for a part-time job, what an iconic slay for the girls!' Sadly, that's not quite the case. While the pay increase means that a cheerleader's base salary for game days alone will now be around $77,000, everything else is still up for grabs. Last week, Megan McElaney, who is a fourth-year veteran and was crucial to the salary increase negotiations, talked about her pay bump on TikTok, saying that despite the improvement, she's still earning much less than you'd think. 'Many of the opportunities we get are optional and based on your schedule, so it depends on the girl,' McElaney said, before adding that despite four years of service to the team, her position as a senior dancer and mentor to first-year rookies, she is still 'hoping for one day to make 75K ($AU$114,000)!' Don't get me wrong, a salary of $77,000 for a part-time job is something many of us would dream of. But when you consider how physically demanding the job is, the number of dancers who require corrective surgeries almost as soon as they hang up their short shorts, the lack of health insurance coverage, and the fact that the company they work for is worth $15 billion, $77,000 feels like the absolute bare minimum. But more than that, America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders highlights a much more serious and darker reality of why financial independence is so important for women. In season one, dancer Kelcey Wetterberg talks about being stalked by a fan and having a tracking device placed on her car. Team management also tell viewers why they carry a football during photo ops with fans and cheerleaders (so that male fans have something to hold on to and don't inappropriately touch the dancers). In season two, Chandi Dayle opens up about being in an abusive relationship, and experiencing harassment and stalking after she left. While the Dallas Cowboys are in no way responsible for these events, if they are truly committed to keeping women safe, decades of research, reporting, statistics and data tell us that one of the best ways to do that is through financial freedom. That could be paying them enough so that they have the savings and necessary means to leave an unsafe environment. It could be having the money to hire a lawyer and ensure you receive the representation you deserve in matters pertaining to your safety. It could be earning enough that you can afford psychological support and care to process your experiences. Too often when we discuss salaries, requests for pay rises are seen as someone simply wanting to get ahead and make it to what they feel like is the next level. But the reality is that, aside from women deserving to be adequately remunerated for their expertise and value to a company, money is also a tool to keep women safe. If the Cowboys truly care about that, it's something Jerry and Charlotte Jones would do well to remember that next time negotiations come around.
Sydney Morning Herald
28-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
These cheerleaders secured a 400% pay rise. But it's still not enough
So the fact that salary negotiations were a major plot line throughout season two was something that I very much welcomed. The veteran team members in particular were ready to rally and fight for not only what they deserved, but the future they wanted for the next generation of cheerleaders long after they were gone. Loading Now, apologies for the spoilers (though I find it impossible to believe that anyone watching the show didn't binge it over a couple of marathon sittings), the good news is that by the end of the season and following some pretty rough negotiations, the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders secured a 400 per cent pay rise for the next season and beyond. But before you get too excited and think, 'How great! That's a salary of more than $230,000 for a part-time job, what an iconic slay for the girls!' Sadly, that's not quite the case. While the pay increase means that a cheerleader's base salary for game days alone will now be around $77,000, everything else is still up for grabs. Last week, Megan McElaney, who is a fourth-year veteran and was crucial to the salary increase negotiations, talked about her pay bump on TikTok, saying that despite the improvement, she's still earning much less than you'd think. 'Many of the opportunities we get are optional and based on your schedule, so it depends on the girl,' McElaney said, before adding that despite four years of service to the team, her position as a senior dancer and mentor to first-year rookies, she is still 'hoping for one day to make 75K ($AU$114,000)!' Don't get me wrong, a salary of $77,000 for a part-time job is something many of us would dream of. But when you consider how physically demanding the job is, the number of dancers who require corrective surgeries almost as soon as they hang up their short shorts, the lack of health insurance coverage, and the fact that the company they work for is worth $15 billion, $77,000 feels like the absolute bare minimum. But more than that, America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders highlights a much more serious and darker reality of why financial independence is so important for women. In season one, dancer Kelcey Wetterberg talks about being stalked by a fan and having a tracking device placed on her car. Team management also tell viewers why they carry a football during photo ops with fans and cheerleaders (so that male fans have something to hold on to and don't inappropriately touch the dancers). In season two, Chandi Dayle opens up about being in an abusive relationship, and experiencing harassment and stalking after she left. While the Dallas Cowboys are in no way responsible for these events, if they are truly committed to keeping women safe, decades of research, reporting, statistics and data tell us that one of the best ways to do that is through financial freedom. That could be paying them enough so that they have the savings and necessary means to leave an unsafe environment. It could be having the money to hire a lawyer and ensure you receive the representation you deserve in matters pertaining to your safety. It could be earning enough that you can afford psychological support and care to process your experiences. Too often when we discuss salaries, requests for pay rises are seen as someone simply wanting to get ahead and make it to what they feel like is the next level. But the reality is that, aside from women deserving to be adequately remunerated for their expertise and value to a company, money is also a tool to keep women safe. If the Cowboys truly care about that, it's something Jerry and Charlotte Jones would do well to remember that next time negotiations come around.
Yahoo
21-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Cowboys Cheerleaders Receive Shocking Pay Raise
Cowboys Cheerleaders Receive Shocking Pay Raise originally appeared on Athlon Sports. FRISCO - The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders have long been popular. Now they're - finally - about to also be paid. In the latest episode of the America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders docuseries on Netflix, team members get the surprising news that they will each receive a 400-percent salary bump for the 2025 season. Advertisement Dating back to the 1960s, the Cowboys have been roundly criticized for underpaying their cheerleading ambassadors. Latest estimates indicate team members were making as little as $22,000 annually for a franchise estimated at more than $10 billion. "You guys have moved some mountains this year that will forever change our organization and hopefully dancers' organizations across the world," the squad's director, Kelli Finglass, told the cheerleaders at their end-of-season banquet, as documented in Episode 7 of Season 2. "It's just amazing because that has been 60-plus years long overdue." Most of the cheerleaders have full-time or part-time jobs in addition to their role with the Cowboys. The 400-percent increase would bump average salaries to around $100,000 per season. "Happy isn't even the right word for it," cheerleader Jada McClean said on the show. "I just felt relief and it was finally, we were done fighting." Advertisement The DCC is one of the most iconic brands in all of sports, not only performing at Cowboys home games at AT&T Stadium but also around the world on tours and special events. The team debuted at a Cowboys home game at the Cotton Bowl in 1961. Related: Cowboys Sign Packers Ex Cornerback as Free Agent Related: Cowboys' Jerry Jones Involved in Major Family Announcement This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 18, 2025, where it first appeared.
Cosmopolitan
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Cosmopolitan
What is the DCCs' new salary with 400% raise? Megan confirms
Thanks to collective bargaining by veteran team members, the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders got themselves a 400% raise—a huge deal considering they were previously working multiple other jobs just to make ends meet. But it looks like their new salary less than expected. As a reminder: last season on America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, Kat revealed that the DCC paid her the same amount as a full-time Chick-fil-A worker (around $37,947). With that number in mind, a 400 percent raise would be somewhere around $151,000. However, Megan McElaney—who helped lead the effort to renegotiate contracts—just hopped into a fan's TikTok comments and revealed that she's making less than $75,000 a year. "Hi! Many of the opportunities we get are optional and based on your schedule so it depends on the girl! Hoping for one day to make 75K!" Megan wrote, going on to add "This is also a part time job and sometimes it's only 2.5 hours a night! They're very respectful of our time and our personal lives!" This comes amid Jada McLean telling the New York Times that in 2024 (her fifth year on DCC) she was making $15 an hour and $500 for each appearance. She also confirmed that the raise has them making $75 an hour, but that they still don't get health insurance. Obviously, any raise is a huge win—but sounds like there's still a ways to go before the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders are truly compensated fairly! As Jada put it to the NYT, "We are more than just cheerleaders. We're talented, strong, educated women and we're hard-working athletes who deserve to be seen as such." America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders is available on Netflix now
