Reece Weaver, a former Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader, credits the real economics of the job for her retirement path—alongside details about how pay works for cheerleaders and what some former performers say it compares to.
When Reece Weaver stepped away from the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, it wasn’t just about the lights, the routines, or the spotlight that comes with game day. It was also the kind of truth people rarely see: what the job actually pays, and what it takes to make a life around it.
ESPN reported in 2017 that NFL team cheerleaders made roughly $75 to $150 per game. For many fans, it was a shock. The uniforms look like a ticket to a bankable lifestyle, but the pay—at least at the time—wasn’t built to support a full life on its own.
In the first season of “America’s Sweethearts,” Kelcey Wetterberg, a DCC alum, is shown as a pediatric registered nurse. And then-newcomer Reece Allman (née Weaver), who returned for the 2024 season, was working at a Dallas florist to supplement her earnings from cheerleading.
As the years have passed, the picture has shifted. According to the Dallas Morning News, cheerleader pay has since risen to closer to $400 per game. The change didn’t stop at per-game figures either—there are also hourly wages for time spent preparing for games and making appearances.
Even with that increase, the job’s money still doesn’t always land where the public imagines it should. On the Netflix show, DCC alum Kat Puryear said, “I would say I’m making, like, a substitute teacher [salary]…I would say I’m making, like, Chick-fil-A worker that works full-time” money.
That’s the tension that hangs around the retirement conversation: the performances are glamorous. but the pay reality doesn’t automatically translate into financial security. For Weaver. and for the alumni shown alongside her. the conclusion seems to be the same—cheerleading may be the headline. but it isn’t always the whole paycheck.
Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Reece Weaver Reece Allman retirement America’s Sweethearts Kelcey Wetterberg Kat Puryear cheerleader pay NFL cheerleaders earnings
Wait so they don’t get paid like, a lot? Kinda blows my mind.
I always thought they got like team salaries or something. ESPN saying $75-$150 a game and now it’s $400 like… still not enough to live off right? Sounds like they just do it for the experience and the pics.
Reece Weaver broke retirement truth but I don’t even get why people are surprised. Don’t they also get endorsements and stuff? Maybe Kat Puryear is exaggerating because Chick-fil-A full time seems like it would be way more than cheerleading depending on hours. Also substitute teacher pay is random too, like what state.
So basically they get paid per game and then the rest is volunteer? That’s wild. I saw another post saying cheerleaders make “real money” because of the brand, but then this says it’s still not a full life paycheck. Makes sense though, because they look like they’re always putting in work hours. Not sure why the headline is “retirement truth” when it’s just pay details… but yeah, I feel bad for them.