And when it comes to dancers, much like their forehead-grazing high kicks, the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders rank highest on the depth chart.
Before their significant salary increase, NBC Sports Boston reported that DCC teammates were shaking their way to the $500-per-game McClean mentioned, the same rate as the Carolina Panthers’ Carolina TopCats. While the Xs and Os can get a bit confusing when you factor in number of games and practice sessions, the amount nets out to roughly $75,000 annually.
Meanwhile, other dancers were banking between $75 and $150 per game, with ZipRecruiter putting the nationwide average at $45,000.
So, yes, DCC members were jump splitting for joy when they learned about the boon to their paychecks.
“I was a rookie last year,” Kelly Villares told E! News last July. “I’m still just trying to do my best to work my very hardest. So having leaders like Jada, people who aren’t afraid to stand up for what is right, means the absolute world. It inspires me to hopefully, at one point, lead the team to do the exact same thing.”
As for what else it takes to don those coveted stars, we’re running through the entire routine.