The Minnesota Vikings sparked outrage over their decision to include male cheerleaders on the field for the 2025-2026 season.
Louie Conn and Blaize Shiek, the cheerleaders in question, have been accused of "infiltrating" a space that many associate with women after joining the Vikings dancing squad. On social media, some users announced that they would cancel their season tickets or boycott the team.
Highlights
- Football fans criticized the Minnesota Vikings for hiring two male cheerleaders for the 2025-2026 season.
- Critics claimed Louie Conn and Blaize Shiek were taking over a traditionally female space.
- Others praised the team for breaking barriers and providing new opportunities for male dancers in the NFL.
"Way to read the room, Vikings," one person fumed.
"Calling it now, NFL ratings are dropping this season. I won't be watching," said another.
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"Jesus Christ, they really won't let women have anything in sports anymore," a third shared, while someone else complained, "Why do men like to infiltrate women's spaces?"
"Wait until there are no women cheerleaders on the sidelines," a separate user shared.
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Meanwhile, others celebrated the move as inclusive, noting that male cheerleaders are common in high school and college football in the US.
"There have been male cheerleaders for YEARS. What is all this outrage?" one fan asked.
"Given the number of men on cheer lines in high school and college, I'm surprised more men aren't on cheer lines in the NFL," said a separate user. "I really don't see this as a problem."
Critics accused Louie Conn and Blaize Shiek of “infiltrating” a space that many associate with women
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"Breaking the mold and opening doors for so many more male dancers out there - so proud of them!!" someone else penned.
Another added, "This organization should be so proud of what their cheer team is doing. Talent cannot be confined. Keep going!!!"
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In addition to the Vikings, there are seven different teams in the NFL that have men in their dancing squad, including the Los Angeles Rams. In 2019, the team made history when Quinton Peron and Napoleon Jinnies became the first male cheerleaders to perform at a Super Bowl.
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The Baltimore Ravens have consecutively used men on their cheer squad longer than seemingly any other NFL cheer squad, dating back over a decade, as per Outsports.
According to the sports outlet, the Carolina Panthers have taken a step toward inclusion by hiring Justine Lindsay, the only publicly out transgender cheerleader in the NFL.
There are at least seven NFL teams with male cheerleaders
Image credits: _MLFootball
Image credits: _MLFootball
Some male cheerleaders in the NFL are used as part of stunt routines, while others dance alongside the women on the sideline and hold pompoms.
Several US presidents were cheerleaders back in their day, including Ronald Reagan at Eureka College and George W. Bush at Yale.
Still, many commenters criticized Conn and Shiek for not conforming to society's idea of masculinity, taking issue with the dancers’ appearance and speculating about their s**ual orientation.
Among the critics was former NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown, who reacted to a video of Shiek with a homophobic slur.
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"I've been around college teams with male cheerleaders. At one point in time, they were called 'Yell Kings.' They were all muscular and were the support structures for towers, etc. This guy dances like one of the girls. So gay IMO," read another homophobic comment.
Many others celebrated the decision, noting that male cheerleaders are common in college football and the NFL
Image credits: NFL
Shiek announced he would be joining the cheer squad in May, but attention was recently drawn to him and Conn due to several videos shared on social media by the Vikings TikTok account.
In an Instagram post, Shiek said he was "excited and honored" to have the opportunity to join the Vikings cheer squad for the 2025-2026 season.
Image credits: Stephen Maturen/Getty Images
"I am so grateful for this journey, the support, and the opportunity to make a little history along the way," he wrote. "I hope to represent and inspire what's possible when you stay true to who you are."
The Vikings are scheduled to face the Chicago Bears on September 8.
"There's no reason a man can't be a cheerleader if he wants to," one reader commented
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