Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders’ 400% raise is a reminder of how little female athletes get paid

If you are among the millions which were riveted by America loversDocuseries de Netflix on the Dallas Cowboys cheerlers, so you already know that the 36 women who make the team are nothing less than professional athletes.

Most come from a dance background formed in the studio. They end up exhausting training programs and must meet intense physical requirements – their Mark-Line of brand and strip jumping moving is so punishing that some of them have torn their hips to the point of requiring surgery.

From July to the end of the cowboys season, they repeat three to four times a week for two to three hours at a time and perform at all home games. Practices in themselves can be a 40 -hour commitment per week, notes People magazineAnd that does not include their promotional appearances.

And for all this, until recently, they were would not be paid enough to support each other. As the cheerlers of the program themselves pointed out themselves, many of them work second or even third jobs.

Now the second season of America lovers fell, in parallel with an important announcement: a 400% salary increase.

“Our efforts have been heard and they wanted to give us an increase,” said four -year -old veteran Megan McElaney, in the show, calling for the increase “that changes life”.

The show did not reveal what the cheerlers had won before the increase in wages, or what their compensation would look like. But the old cheerleader Jada McLean said to the New York Times On Wednesday, she won US $ 15 per hour as a five -year -old veteran in the team, and with the pay bump, it could be more at US $ 75 per hour.

While many have been shocked to learn how paid the cheerfuls of the NFL, it is part of the overall account of the gap of the sexes in women in female sport, said Cheri Bradish, director of the future of the sports laboratory of the Toronto Metropolitan University.

“There are inequalities for women in sport in all kinds of roles, not just Cheerleading,” Bradish told CBC News.

“Their trip is very similar to what we have seen with other leagues and teams that find it difficult to obtain respect for having a wider and more respected salary.”

‘A volunteer position’

Being a cheerleader is an important commitment that requires a high level of athletics, dedication and professionalism, said Raeanne Milovanovic, co-founder and vice-president of the Organization of former Football Canadie.

The remuneration varies according to the team and was “historically a subject of discussion,” said Milovanovic. The allowances generally do not work at the minimum wage, she said, but there are other advantages and promotion opportunities-and for many, it is more experience.

“For many, it’s a volunteer position,” she said.

CFL cheerlers do not generally receive a regular fixed salary, but rather receive payments per game from around US $ 50 to US $ 100 per game, according to the CFL News Hub.

Salary differences draw more attention because sports women experience a massive increase in popularity.

Superstars like the WNBA Clark Caitlin, the American gymnast Simone Biles, the rugby player Ilona Maher and the Canadian Record swimmer McIntosh helped attract more eye globes to events, as is the emergence of new hockey and professional football leagues.

Paycheques, however, did not follow the pace.

Paige Bueckers, for example, the choice of WNBA recovery n ° 1, should earn only US $ 78,831 for its recruit year – approximately $ 109,480 CDN, or less than real median household income in the United States. The players of Professional Hockey League for Women can earn as little as US $ 35,000 per year.

In March, A FIFA report on women’s football noted that the average salary of high -level teams was $ 24,030 worldwide, less decent salary in many places. And despite 2024 see a wave of viral female athletes, No woman has list the 100 best paid athletes around the world last year.

Battle for salary

Dallas cheerlers have been pressure for salary increases for years, part of a Battle of cheerle. In 2017, a federal judge thrown Accusing the NFL and the conspiracy team owners in order to remove the salaries of the cheerlers.

In 2019, the Cowboys set a trial with a former cheerleader that led the team to double the salary per match, from US $ 200 to US $ 400. The last increase is four times that.

“” Happy “is not even the right word,” said the old cheerleader Jada McLean on the show. “I think I was right … in a way felt, like a relief, as if everything had paid off. And that was, you know, finally, we have finished fighting.”

Robyn Pineault, 42, applauded for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and the Toronto Argonauts in the early 2000s. In addition to public practices and appearances, Pineault says that she would dance all the game on the sidelines, as well as the shows and the half-time shows between each quarter, which were all physically demanding and long.

Pineault, who now lives in Ottawa, says that she is proud of Dallas’s cheers to put pressure for a salary increase.

“They have the quintessence of the brand’s notoriety in industry. Each pom-plan girl admires the Dallas Cowboys cheerlers,” she said.

“So, see them get an increase in wages and be paid for what they are worth, not just having the opportunity to dance and have this career but also to make a fair salary, is a very good story for dancers around the world.”