America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders has cracked the top 10 of Netflix’s most-watched shows of the past week.

With the popularity of the America’s Sweethearts, which gives an inside look at what it takes to be a member of the iconic DCC, started a discussion of NFL cheerleader pay and salaries after the topic was discussed on the series.

The Cowboys cheerleaders make significantly more than other cheerleaders around the league, but it is not enough to make the gig a full-time job.

NFL cheerleaders make less than NFL water boys, who make about $53,000 per year, and team mascots, who earn approximately $25,000 per season.

MORE: How much are Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders paid?

Former Cowboys cheerleader Kat Puryear revealed she made around the same as “a substitute teacher. I would say I’m making … like a Chick-fil-A worker who works full time.”

Tina Kalina, a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader in the 1980s, told producers she made approximately $35 per game.

Cowboys executive vice president and chief brand officer Charlotte Jones, the daughter of team owner Jerry Jones, discussed the low pay on the Netflix docuseries and said that the financial incentive is not what makes being a DCC appealing.

Instead, Jones believes cheerleaders are drawn by their “passion of dance” and to “find their purpose.”

“There’s a lot of cynicism around pay for NFL cheerleaders, as there should be. They’re not paid a lot. But the facts are that they actually don’t come here for the money. They come here for something that’s actually bigger than that to them,” she said, via the Dallas Morning News.

“They have a passion for dance. There are not a lot of opportunities in the field of dance, and to get to perform at an elite level. … It is about being a part of something bigger than themselves. It is about a sisterhood that they were able to form, about relationships that they have for the rest of their lives. They have a chance to feel like they’re valued, that they’re special and that they are making a difference. When the women come here, they find their passion and they find their purpose.”

MORE: Meet Kelcey Wetterberg: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader

While the Cowboys would not directly address speculation about the cheerleader pay, a Cowboys spokesperson said the team “pays cheerleaders for games, practices and appearances and covers the cost of uniforms, some meals, health club memberships and salon services.”

The women also work as dance instructors or other jobs in-season and during the offseason. Kelcey Wetterberg, for example, is a pediatric nurse.

On the show, she was filmed caring for a patient while balancing the high-pressure job as a nurse with the stress and daily routine of going through what it takes to be a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader.

America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders is streaming on Netflix now. The series features seven episodes that run approximately one hour each.

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Don’t look now, but we are 71 days from the start of the Dallas Cowboys season.

With that comes the latest in our countdown of the best players ever to wear their respective numbers with the franchise. For No. 71, the story should be about never giving up.

The player who best represents the No. 71 for Dallas isn’t someone that anyone would have ever guessed.

Mark Tuinei’s journey to becoming one of the greatest to ever play for the Dallas Cowboys seems nearly impossible. Tuinei was a defensive tackle during his college career and, for his first two seasons in Dallas, served as a second-stringer for the defensive line.

However, moving to left tackle in 1986 changed his professional career. Tuinei started at tackle for twelve seasons in Dallas, earning Pro Bowl honors in two of those seasons (’94 and ’95).

A career that once seemed impossible is now one that can never be forgotten. Tuinei’s professional career is an excellent example for anyone who thinks the road to success may feel daunting.

To sum up what the No. 71 means to the Dallas franchise, I think the best way would be to say that if you show up every day and do the work, you will be rewarded for that time.

— Enjoy free coverage of the Cowboys from Dallas Cowboys on SI —

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Good take

Re: “Dallas Charter Plan Is a Progressive Mess — Proposed amendments have money for the council and division for the rest of us,” Wednesday editorial.

Bravo. What a refreshing change to read your outstanding opinion on amending the Dallas City Charter. I think I will keep my subscription.

Edward Walker, Dallas

Look at bail bond companies

Re: “Bail Charities Need Closer Scrutiny — State should confirm groups properly assess risks,” Monday editorial.

We agree with your recent editorial advocating for better pretrial data to inform policymaking. Transparency is essential for a fair and effective justice system. And we are pleased to see the Office of Court Administration taking steps toward this goal.

However, when it comes to charitable bail fund reporting in particular, there is a troubling double standard in the level of scrutiny applied compared to bail bond companies, which profit from struggling families without similar oversight.

To make a real difference, robust data collection must cover the entire pretrial landscape, including the bail bond industry’s practices as well as the effects of pretrial detention on those who cannot afford bail or bondsman’s fees.

Without quality data, policymakers rely on anecdotes, hindering effective, fair and informed decisions. Meaningful pretrial reform can enhance public safety while protecting the presumption of innocence and addressing racial and economic disparities in our justice system.

Systemwide data collection is indispensable for achieving this delicate balance. Only with consistent standards and transparency can we ensure that our pretrial practices are fair and effective.

Erin George, Philadelphia

national director of policy, The Bail Project

Undocumented values

Re: “Walking a thin line on border,” by Gromer Jeffers Jr., Monday Metro column.

I want to believe Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez’s statement that “Most Americans support a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants that have worked and lived in our communities for years.” Over two decades, I have been a friend to such a family whose children (all American citizens) have grown up. Everyone worked and supported Texas the same way I did — through sales and property taxes. One child serves in the military.

While undocumented, the parents have not tried to vote, although I hope their children, who have been educated in Dallas ISD, will vote at the right age.

Also, it’s an insult to associate their status with the transport of fentanyl, which has been reported to be smuggled largely by U.S. citizens.

Paul Halebian, Dallas

State electric planning lacks

Re: “Lines aren’t ERCOT’s,” by Charles E. Jackson, Tuesday Letters.

I think that most of the Texas public really doesn’t care about the details of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, the Public Utility Commission, the free market of generation or the Legislature’s action or nonaction. What they want is reliable electric power no matter what the source or how it gets to their home.

Unfortunately, the state of Texas does not have an overall integrated plan to accomplish that. Investors in supplying electricity I think are hesitant to invest hundreds of millions of dollars with the uncertainty of return on their money.

Recently, we have had an excess in wind turbine generation off the coast of South Texas without adequate lines to get the power where the demand is. The state of Texas continues to attract data centers and crypto mining firms, which use a lot of power, without an overall plan on power supply.

Some states, to avoid shorting home power demands, have made it mandatory for new high-power-demand firms to show a supply. Before homeowners can feel comfortable about reliable power in summer and winter, there is a lot more work to be done and it is not evident the state is leading the way in planning.

Robert A. Munroe, Dallas

Rethink abortion issue

Re: “Medical board tweaks rules — Abortion guidance clarifies practices for doctors, but Legislature holds power,” June 22 news story.

The “action” or lack thereof by the Texas Medical Board to clarify the existing abortion laws in Texas, while disappointing in its results, is not surprising. The board simply lacks the authority to rewrite, add to or eliminate the laws. Those laws were not only poorly thought out, but the long-term impacts on Texas women and doctors were simply not considered at all. The only consideration was saving fetuses.

These laws put women at risk of losing their lives or future fertility, and doctors at risk of extreme civil and criminal liabilities. In addition, many people of faith do not believe that life begins at inception.

Why is a woman’s right to life and religious freedom put below that of a fetus? Since the board was not able to provide meaningful guidance, it is now up to the state Legislature to modify the laws.

The legislators who support the ban do so because they say they want to protect life. Why is the life of a woman less important than any fetus she is carrying? I challenge the Texas Legislature to rethink this issue and make it safe for women in Texas to be pregnant again.

Marilee Hayden, Frisco

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