NFL fans criticize Dallas Cowboys executives for paying cheerleaders $400 per game

NFL fans are not having any of what the Dallas Cowboys executives are saying after revelations about how they treat their cheerleaders were showcased on a Netflix Documentary, America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.

The documentary was hardly supposed to be an expose but it has raised important questions about the plight of the cheerleaders. A former colleague, Erica Wilkins, had sued the organization to raise their gameday salary from $200 to $400 a game. But it is hardly a mammoth raise and the continued treatment of many participants remains brutal, and NFL fans are unhappy with it.

The Netflix show reveals that cheerleaders are often cut because of their height or weight, even at a very young age, leading to potential problems later on in the future. And Charlotte Jones, who heads this operation, was none too kind with her comments about the whole situation.

Here are some reactions from X, formerly known as Twitter,

Here are some more reactions on the same lines that reinforce the disgust felt my many.

"Charlotte Jones acknowledging and validating #AmericasSweethearts low pay because it’s a “dream” to even make the Dallas cowboys cheerleaders team is so gross. Yall should be lifting women up. Not perpetuating the cycle."

"So, basically DCC is perpetuating all the things women have fought years to change. Equal pay, diversity in both race & body type. Driving beautiful, talented women to depression,low self worth, & eating disorders..but go cowboys, right"

"So let me get this straight - they exploit women, pay them minimum wage, wreck their bodies, critique their looks to the extent of eating disorders, only select skinny white girls with blonde / brown hair... And then are proud enough to put on Netflix?"

What did Charlotte Jones say about Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders?

Charlotte Jones, daughter of Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, had some comments about why people should not be looking too deeply into what the cheerleaders are paid. She said:

"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."

After explaining why prospective candidates come for the role, she elaborated that it was all about passion. She continued:

“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."

Equating the job to a higher calling, she concluded:

"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."

Charlotte Jones certainly has some very interesting views on the whole matter but, based on the responses on social media so far, not many NFL fans agree with her.