{"id":1143,"section":"sports","section_label":"Sports","url":"https://www.brokenews.co/sports/1143","headline":"Cowboys agree to recognize cheerleaders' union","dek":"The team will now begin collective bargaining with the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Association after years of pay disputes.","body":"The Dallas Cowboys have agreed to recognize the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Association as the collective bargaining representative for the team's cheer squad, and notably, the organization didn't fight it.\n\nIn a statement, the union called the cheerleaders \"an esteemed part of the Cowboys organization, deeply respected for the talent and dedication they exhibit,\" adding that the role remains \"one of the most sought-after opportunities for talented dancers worldwide.\"\n\nThe move gives the cheerleaders a formal mechanism to negotiate pay and working conditions through collective bargaining, along with the leverage that comes with the ability to strike. Compensation for the squad had already become a public talking point after the Netflix series \"America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders\" put a spotlight on how little the cheerleaders were paid relative to the attention and revenue the team generates.\n\nUnionization among NFL cheerleading squads is rare, and most teams have historically resisted it. The Buffalo Jills previously attempted a similar push.","published_at":"2026-10-24T21:21:43.533400+00:00","source_count":5,"written_from":[{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"The Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders have unionized","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/dallas-cowboys-cheerleaders-unionized-200125181.html"},{"outlet":"Pro Football Talk","publisher":"NBC Sports","title":"The Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders have unionized","url":"https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/the-dallas-cowboys-cheerleaders-have-unionized"},{"outlet":"New York Post","publisher":"New York Post","title":"Cowboys recognize cheerleaders union after years of fighting for higher pay","url":"https://nypost.com/2026/10/23/sports/cowboys-recognize-cheerleaders-union-after-years-of-fighting-for-higher-pay/"},{"outlet":"ESPN","publisher":"ESPN","title":"Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders unionize, will begin collective bargaining","url":"https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/50261267/dallas-cowboys-cheerleaders-announce-unionizing"},{"outlet":"The Athletic","publisher":"The Athletic","title":"Cowboys recognize Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders union in collective bargaining","url":"https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7718174/2026/10/23/dallas-cowboys-cheerleaders-union/"}],"more_coverage":[{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"Something To Cheer About: Dallas Cowboys Agree To Recognize Cheerleaders’ Unionization After Years-Long Pay Dispute","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/something-cheer-dallas-cowboys-agree-192416772.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders unionize, begin collective bargaining","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/dallas-cowboys-cheerleaders-unionize-begin-205628711.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"Give them a C-O-N-T-R-A-C-T: The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders are unionizing","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/them-c-o-n-t-211616575.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders unionize after years of fighting for higher pay","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/dallas-cowboys-cheerleaders-unionize-years-222457584.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders unionize, to start collective bargaining after pushing for better wages for years","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/article/dallas-cowboys-cheerleaders-unionize-to-start-collective-bargaining-after-pushing-for-better-wages-for-years-230402215.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders unionize, will collectively bargain with team","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/dallas-cowboys-cheerleaders-unionize-collectively-003246286.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"Cowboys recognize cheerleaders union after years of fighting for higher pay","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/cowboys-recognize-cheerleaders-union-years-230537477.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"Cowboys Finally Give America’s Sweethearts Their Due","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/cowboys-finally-america-sweethearts-due-140714815.html"}],"image":{"url":"https://nbcsports.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/469c7f3/2147483647/strip/false/crop/1920x1080+0+0/resize/1920x1080!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fhdliveextra-a.akamaihd.net%2FHD%2Fimage_sports%2FNBCU_Sports_Group_-_nbcsports%2F383%2F679%2Fnbc_pft_cowboysreceivers_261023.jpg","credit":"Pro Football Talk","width":1920},"embed":null,"license":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/","attribution":"Analysis data is licensed CC BY 4.0. Credit brokenews and link to the story page you took it from. Source headlines, story titles taken from a source headline, and quoted passages remain the property of their publishers and are quoted for comparison, not licensed onward.","terms":"https://www.brokenews.co/about#reuse"}