Latest news with #McElaney
The Herald Scotland
12 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders: Members get a 400% pay raise
It was revealed on the Netflix series "America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders" when member Megan McElaney, a four-year veteran from Oceanside, California, mentioned the increase. "Our efforts were heard and they wanted to give us a raise," McElaney said, via the Associated Press. "And we ended up getting a 400% increase, which is like, life-changing." In 2019, the group fought for a raise in game rates, which doubled from $200 to $400 at the time. Former member Kristin Westbrook took to Instagram, where she revealed some of the pay structure. "When I was on the team, it was: hourly for practice [of] $15/hour," she wrote on her Instagram Stories on Saturday June 21, via US Weekly. She added that members would also get "flat fees" for various other performances. "Flat fee for appearances - $100 (x # of years on the team)," Westbrook added, pointing out that a rookie would make $100, while a second-year veteran would earn $200 and so on. Veterans and rookies are on different pay scales, with the former earning more money with more experience. The El Paso Times noted that "a veteran will see her pay increase from a reported $15 per hour to $60 per hour, and there will be many appearances by the team outside of game days." Salaries are not disclosed, but reports indicate that a veteran will make around $150,000 per year. Even though they received an increase in compensation, the group still does not receive health insurance from the team. Former cheerleader, Jada McLean, told the New York Times in an interview that she made $15 an hour and $500 for each appearance in 2024. It's been a long battle for raises from cheerleaders, who have cited concerns dealing with financial stress in recent years. They are a key component of the game day experience for many teams, giving them a unique position to negotiate from. Now that the Cowboys cheerleaders have received their raise, the hope is that the new deal will provide some financial security that was previously lacking under the old compensation package. In December 2024, Forbes listed the Cowboys as the most valuable franchise in sports at $10.1 billion. It appears their cheerleaders are now going to be paid like it.
7 days ago
- Entertainment
Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders get 400% pay raise
America's sweethearts are getting a raise. The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders secured a pay raise of approximately 400% for the 2025 season. The pay bump is revealed in episode 7 ("Saturn Returns") of the second season of "America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders," which began streaming on Netflix June 18. In the episode, Megan McElaney, a four-year veteran of the team, speaks to the camera, telling the audience there are "new changes" this season. "Our efforts were heard and they wanted to give us a raise," McElaney says. "And we ended up getting a 400% increase, which is like, life-changing." "'Happy' isn't even the right word for it," former cheerleader Jada McLean says separately. "I think I was just... kind of felt, like, a relief -- like everything had paid off. And it was, you know, finally, we were done fighting." "We pushed, and we got back good results," fellow team member Armani Latimer adds. When reached by ABC News about the matter, the Dallas Cowboys said, "We're pleased, as you'll see in the series, that the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders were happy with the outcome." In September 2019, the Cowboys settled a lawsuit with former cheerleader Erica Wilkins and doubled the cheerleaders' game-day pay from $200 to $400. The Dallas Cowboys are one of the most valuable NFL teams in the league. Forbes ranked the organization as the No. 1 richest league at over $10 billion in 2024.
