The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders are making history, becoming the first professional sports cheerleading squad to form a union.
The iconic 36-member squad recently announced the formation of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Association, a significant move that comes after years of conversations about pay and working conditions — and a Netflix series that brought those issues into the international spotlight.
The move gives the cheerleaders a new opportunity to negotiate for themselves as part of one of the most recognizable brands in professional sports.
“It gives you a voice and your voice has power behind it,” said Camille Avant, a labor and employment attorney with Dallas-based Crawford, Wishnew & Lang.
“Usually what drives someone to unionize is because they are wanting better benefits; they’re wanting better pay,” Avant said.
The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, known as America’s Sweethearts, have long been part of the Cowboys’ billion-dollar brand.
But the Netflix series “America’s Sweethearts” changed the game, giving viewers an unfiltered look at the squad’s demanding tryouts, training camp and performances.
The series turned members of the squad into household names while revealing how many of the women balanced full-time jobs with the demanding Cowboys schedule — often for relatively little pay.
The attention also brought renewed focus to a years-long fight for better compensation.
“We were getting $8 an hour,” said Erica Williams, a former Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader.
Williams sued the Cowboys in 2018 over pay. The team eventually settled the lawsuit, leading to a doubling of the cheerleaders’ per-game pay from $200 to $400.
“It was scary. It was hard; it came at a great personal cost,” Williams said.
Williams spoke with NBC 5 in 2025, after the Netflix series helped empower current team leaders to push for additional compensation.
That push led to a 400% pay increase announced in 2025.
Now, the formation of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Association marks another significant step for the squad.
In a joint statement, the union and the Dallas Cowboys emphasized the cheerleaders’ importance to the organization.
“The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders are an esteemed part of the Cowboys organization, deeply respected for their talent and dedication they exhibit. They remain one of the most sought-after opportunities for talented dancers worldwide.”
The historic unionization effort could also have implications beyond Dallas, potentially inspiring other professional cheerleading squads to pursue collective bargaining.
Avant said the Cowboys Cheerleaders have something that sets them apart — a recognizable brand and following that extends beyond the football team itself.
“Because they can stand on their own without the Cowboys players, they have the ability to come to the table and leverage and negotiate what’s best for them. And I think they are the first of what is probably many to come at this point,” Avant said.
For a squad known around the world for its boots, beauty and precision performances, the formation of a union represents a new kind of bargaining power.
And it could be just the beginning for professional cheerleaders across the country.
This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC DFW. AI tools helped convert the story into a digital article, and an NBC DFW journalist edited it again before publication.
