Dallas Cowboys Recognize Cheerleaders' Union as Squad Also Reportedly Pursues My Chemical Romance

The Dallas Cowboys on Friday voluntarily recognized the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Association (DCCA) as the collective bargaining representative of the cheerleading squad, according to a joint news release. The release said the decision followed "meaningful discussion," and the next step is bargaining over a contract. NBC News said the union is believed to be the first among pro-sports cheerleading squads, apart from a short-lived mid-1990s effort by the Buffalo Bills' "Buffalo Jills." The squad has 36 active members, and it is unclear how many the union will represent. Cowboys communications executive Tad Carper confirmed the recognition to The Dallas Morning News. The squad, founded in 1961, has long faced scrutiny over pay. Erica Wilkins filed a federal wage lawsuit in 2018, saying she averaged $15,000 a season. Attention from Netflix's "America's Sweethearts" helped win a 400% raise for 2025, with some veterans due over $75 an hour. Separately, reports say the cheerleaders are taking legal action against My Chemical Romance over lookalike dancers in cheerleader-style outfits in a stage gun-battle bit.

On the right, Fox News does not cover the union in its excerpt. Its Screencaps column, in a jokey tone, focuses on the band's "gun stunt," says cease-and-desist orders and a restraining order were issued, and quotes former cheerleader Stephanie Roberts, who said the real cheerleaders were not at the concert. The Daily Mail instead leads with the union, calling it a "major breakthrough" for higher pay and citing Carper and the pay focus of Season 2. The left-leaning Guardian and NBC News also lead with the union. The Guardian calls it a "watershed labor victory" and features the DCCA statement and Wilkins' lawsuit. NBC adds the first-in-nation context, the squad size and the raise. Neither left outlet mentions the band. TMZ is the one outlet focused on the band dispute as a "legal war."