Minnesota Vikings male cheerleaders respond to critics
The online backlash, which included criticism from figures like Kevin Sorbo, Jesse Kelly and Antonio Brown, intensified last week over the presence of male cheerleaders in the NFL.
The Minnesota Vikings organization has publicly supported Shiek and Conn, affirming that all cheerleaders undergo the same rigorous audition process and are valued ambassadors for the team.
Male cheerleaders have been part of NFL teams since 2018, with approximately one-third of clubs now including them, and have a long history in collegiate and high school sports.
This controversy is indicative of a wider conservative push to reinforce traditional gender norms within professional and amateur sports.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
32 minutes ago
- BBC News
Article: published on 20 August 2025
Emma Raducanu has hired a new is a sentence which we have heard several times since the 22-year-old Briton emerged from nowhere to win the 2021 US Open title as a teenage the appointment of Francisco Roig – a wily Spaniard who helped Rafael Nadal win all of his 22 Grand Slam titles - feels like a longer-term bet as Raducanu looks to continue her upward into next week's US Open - their second tournament together - the world number 35 is hoping Roig can take her even higher."Francis is the best coach I worked with by far," former Spanish number two Feliciano Lopez, who worked with Roig for several years, told BBC Sport."He's patient but also demanding. He will push you until whatever he thinks needs fixing is fixed." What can Roig provide? Everyone you speak to about the 57-year-old Catalan says the same thing early in the conversation – that his technical knowledge is after he stopped working with Lopez, Roig linked up with Nadal in 2005 as a second coach behind his uncle Toni and helped the swashbuckling left-hander become an all-time Roig left the team in 2022 for a different challenge, former world number one Nadal hailed the former ATP Tour player for making him "better and better"."Francis is a very good coach and a man who can help Raducanu to improve technically - he puts a lot of attention on this," Toni Nadal told BBC Sport."In today's game every player hits the ball very fast. But in the end tennis is about power and control - when you hit the ball fast without a good technique it is difficult to put five or six balls inside the court in a row."This is what Francis explains to players. I think he can help Raducanu to become a very good tennis player again."Having missed the bulk of the 2023 season following operations on wrist and ankle injuries, Raducanu has steadily rebuilt her revolving door of new coaches has slowed down and another full-time appointment was always a priority after Nick Cavaday stepped back in January because of health reasons. Since Mark Petchey plugged the gap on an informal basis in March, Raducanu has reached a WTA semi-final in Washington, plus the Miami and Queen's relaxed and happy, she has climbed back to the cusp of the world's top 30 and played some of her best tennis since that memorable fortnight in New York four years Raducanu feels Roig can add another layer to complement the increasing resilience she has discovered this year."I can definitely improve on the quality of a lot of my shots," Raducanu said."I've been good at being creative, scrapping, playing the big points well, but the overall quality of my game needs to be better."Lopez says Roig achieves that by using unique coaching drills, which are "practical" and "specific", with his comes after he identifies technical issues by observation rather than the need for forensic video analysis."His eyes are special," close friend Jordi Vilaro, who has known Roig for more than 40 years and co-owns the BTT Academy in Barcelona with him, told BBC Sport."He can see things other coaches can't see in a 1000th of a second - they maybe need video or slow motion."Every player who trains with him for an hour plays better tennis. Win or lose is another thing, but they hit the ball better and cleaner." How's the partnership going so far? With Petchey making it clear he was unwilling to sacrifice his role as a television commentator to coach on a full-time basis, Raducanu continued to assess her availability came to attention over the summer and the pair worked together in a covert trial following likes to learn and once put her high turnover of coaches down to asking "provoking" questions. She found Roig's sessions to be stimulating, challenging and instantly encouraging."Francis is very passionate for tennis," said Vilaro."What's amazing is he can watch a match on TV and he doesn't care about the result - he's checking how they are moving, the positioning and how they are hitting the ball. He's watching many specific things."When we created the academy he said, 'I want to do it but I don't want any paperwork. I just want to be on the court'. The court is his passion."Raducanu has already impressed Roig with her work his first tournament at the helm, the pair had multiple daily practices at the Cincinnati Open, where she confidently breezed past Serbia's Olga Danilovic before – more notably – pushing world number one Aryna Sabalenka to her Raducanu fell short of a shock, it was a promising performance which provides optimism for the US Open."I spoke to Francis after Raducanu beat Danilovic and before she played Sabalenka," said Vilaro."He said, 'It's amazing, I like working with this player a lot because she loves to be on court. We spent two hours training the return, the return plus second shot and what to do when the opponent attacks'."He enjoyed it a lot. The most important thing for him is having a player who loves being on court - and it looks like this is the case." How long will Roig last? In the early part of her career, Raducanu became infamous for hiring and firing a string of full-time the past two years, working with a tight-knit group - led by people she trusts in Cavaday and Petchey - has been a better did not fare well with outsiders entering the inner circle after her US Open title and it feels like building a strong bond with Roig will be imperative to a successful future."Francis is a very good person, he is a man who you can be relaxed with and he is funny," Toni Nadal said."It is important when you are with someone with a good character, I think that is much better."But to change someone who used to do one thing is difficult. What I explain to the players - I explain simple - is that if you are happy with your level and ranking don't change anything."If you are not happy then you have to change something - something emotional, tactical or technical."But normally you need a little time and I think Raducanu has to give a little time to Francis."Judging by the smiles in a mixed doubles practice session with Carlos Alcaraz and his team at Flushing Meadows on Tuesday, Raducanu and Roig look at ease in each other's pair have already spent lots of time together in Cincinnati, where long road trips to the tournament saw Roig taking driving still described Roig as one of his "best buddies", while Roig's bond with Nadal led to the pair going fishing and playing golf and football together away from the court."There are a lot of things which great coaches need to have - to be good technically, a good psychologist and a good person," added Lopez."He has got all these qualities."
Reuters
32 minutes ago
- Reuters
Mariners look to end trip on winning note vs. Phillies
August 20 - The Seattle Mariners have not had a pleasant experience on the East Coast over the past 10 days. The slumping Mariners, looking to end a four-game losing streak, will turn to Luis Castillo in the finale of their nine-game road trip Wednesday afternoon against the Philadelphia Phillies. Seattle lost two of three in Baltimore last week before dropping two of three over the weekend against the New York Mets, including a 7-3 defeat on Sunday in the Little League Classic at Williamsport, Pa. The disappointing results have since made their way to Philadelphia, where the Mariners lost 12-7 on Monday and then 6-4 on Tuesday. In the latest setback, Seattle rallied to forge a 4-4 tie on Eugenio Suarez's two-run double in the seventh inning. However, J.T. Realmuto responded with a two-run homer against Matt Brash in the eighth as the hosts prevailed. "A road trip's a road trip. You know, it is what it is," Mariners manager Dan Wilson said. "I think we anticipated that it was going to be a long one. It's been a long one. But there's nothing out of the ordinary here for us. We've just got to continue to come out each day ready to play. And tonight, these guys were ready to fight. They fought and it just didn't go our way." Realmuto, who has homered in both games of the series, was particularly emotional in celebrating with his teammates after the go-ahead blast. "That's a really good team over there," Realmuto said. "That was a pretty intense game with them coming back and tying the game on us. Emotions were definitely high after that swing." Like his team, Castillo (8-6, 3.48 ERA) is hungry for a win. The right-hander is coming off one of his worst outings of the season, when he gave up six runs and nine hits -- including three homers -- in four innings against the Mets on Friday. Castillo is 1-1 with a 2.75 ERA in three career starts against the Phillies. The 32-year-old veteran certainly will be looking to fare better than teammates Logan Gilbert and Bryce Miller, who have surrendered a combined 10 runs over seven combined innings while starting the first two games of the series. "This is where we're at," Wilson said. "This time of the season, we've got to put this one behind us and come out (Wednesday) and be ready to play. Quick turnaround, but we've been here before." Philadelphia will give the ball to Jesus Luzardo (11-6, 4.21 ERA), who took his first loss in more than a month on Thursday against the Washington Nationals. Still, the lefty was effective in that contest, allowing three runs and striking out seven over six-plus innings in an eventual 3-2 defeat. "Being able to land the sweeper has been big all year," Luzardo said. "Being able to throw it for strikes, for chase, throwing it in high-leverage counts, has been a good weapon for me. I went through a rough stretch where I didn't have a good feel for it, and lately it's been good for me." Luzardo has made six previous appearances (three starts) against Seattle, posting a 2-1 record with a 4.15 ERA. --Field Level Media
The Guardian
32 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Can any club match Liverpool's impressive run of top-eight finishes?
'A mate mentioned the impressive statistic that Liverpool have not finished lower than eighth in the league since being promoted to the old First Division in 1962. Taking the 1962-63 season as the starting point, what is the lowest position that all current Premier League teams have finished between 1963 and the present?' ask the lads at the Star and Dragon Pub, Carbondale, Illinois. 'And what is the lowest any team has fallen that has played at least one season in the top division since 1962-63?' How the mighty haven't fallen. Liverpool have shown remarkable consistency since they were promoted to the top flight 63 years ago. They've finished eighth on four occasions (1962-63, 1993-94, 2011-12 and 2015-16) and are the only English team in that period never to end a season outside the top half of the top flight. Thanks to Pete Salmon and Mike Slattery in particular for doing the work on this answer. Let's start with the lowest positions in the league ladder achieved by the current Premier League teams. Liverpool 8th (1962-63, 1993-94, 2011-12, 2015-16) Arsenal 17th (1975-76) Everton 19th (1979-80)* Manchester United 23rd (first in second tier, 1974-75) Tottenham Hotspur 25th (1977-78) West Ham United 29th (1979-80) Chelsea 40th (1982-83) Newcastle United 42nd (1991-92) Manchester City 47th (third in third tier, 1998-99) Aston Villa 48th (1970-71) Leeds United 49th (2007-08) Nottingham Forest 51st (2005-06) Sunderland 52nd (2019-20) Crystal Palace 55th (1962-63) Wolves 72nd (fourth in fourth tier, 1986-87) Fulham 85th (1995-96) Brentford 87th (1973-74) Bournemouth 89th (2008-09) Burnley 90th (1986-87) Brighton 91st (1996-97, 1997-98) * Everton were not relegated as there were 22 teams in the English top flight. Fifty-eight teams have played in the top flight since Liverpool's promotion in the summer of 1962. Six have dropped out of the Football League at some stage: Carlisle, Leyton Orient, Luton, Notts County, Oldham and Oxford. The lowest finishers of the six were Leyton Orient, who came 13th in the National League (105th overall) in 2017-18. While we're here, we looked at the lowest positions achieved by various European giants in the same period. Before anyone starts foaming at the exclusion of Beloved Superstars FC, we restricted it to teams who have won the European Cup/Champions League more than once. Here's how the European Super League (Legacy Edition) looks; the big numbers are the lowest league position for each team. Barcelona 1962-63, 1964-65, 1987-88, 2002-03 Benfica 2000-01 Liverpool 1962-63, 1993-94, 2011-12, 2015-16 Porto 1969-70 Real Madrid 1976-77 Bayern Munich 1977-78 Ajax 1964-65 Internazionale 1993-94 Milan 1980-81, 1982-83 (first in Serie B) Juventus 2006-07 (first in Serie B) Manchester United 1974-75 Chelsea 1982-83 Nottingham Forest 2005-06 'I've now seen Crystal Palace lift four different trophies at Wembley (Zenith Data Systems Cup, Championship playoff trophy, FA Cup, Community Shield),' writes Toby Kinder. 'Manchester United and Liverpool never managed the ZDS, but have both won the European Cup there, as well as all the domestic trophies, so are probably on four too. Can any other club beat that?' Selhurst Park, Sunday, 2pm is all we have to say on this subject. 'I feel bad for doing this, given the manufactured beef stirred up between our clubs this summer, but Nottingham Forest can go (at least) one better than Palace when it comes to winning different trophies at Wembley,' says Jim Hearson. 'Forest can see the Eagles' FA Cup (1959), Charity/Community Shield (1978), Championship playoff trophy (2022) and Full Members' Cup – both Simod and ZDS varieties (1989, 1992) – and raise them a handful of League Cups (1979, 1989, 1990). Jim adds: 'Forest were also victorious at the Wembley-held Football League Centenary Tournament in 1988 but, as they weren't full-length matches, some uncharitable types may not wish to count it.' Chelsea have also won five trophies at Wembley: FA Cup, League Cup, Community Shield, Full Members' Cup … and the League South Cup in 1945. 'Chelsea beat Millwall 2-0 in front of a crowd of 90,000,' writes Julian Croker. 'Eight of the team were actually guest players registered to other clubs.' Tom Solano nominates West Ham, whose five trophies were the Football League War Cup, FA Cup, Charity Shield, Cup Winners' Cup and Championship playoff. Sadly, we can't count the 1966 World Cup, won by a Hammers-heavy England at Wembley. In the Knowledge last week we looked at footballers whose names were song titles, a question inspired by CMAT's Vincent Kompany. Thanks to the dozens of you – we had no idea there were so many readers – who sent in some of the songs we'd missed. We've included links for the most popular/interesting ones, with the rest rounded up at the bottom. Thiago Silva – Dave ft AJ Tracey George Best – The Wedding PresentThis is an album rather than a song The Scent of Roy Keane – SHLUG Hamish (the Goalie) – Michael MarraA tribute to Dundee United's Hamish McAlpine, covered here by – yep – Leo Sayer Bob Wilson, Anchorman – Half Man, Half Biscuit Roger Milla – Pepe Kalle 'It's been my ringtone for years,' writes Billy. 'Nothing better.' Ich, Roque – Sportfreunde Stiller 'Roque Santa Cruz even stars in the video,' writes Jonas Jessen. The Ballad of Paul Tierney – Lonely Tourist'Includes the glorious lines: 'The gaffer wants a word with you / We're sending you on loan to Crewe',' says Declan Kehoe. God's Footballer – Billy Bragg (about Peter Knowles) Strachan – The Hitchers Zola – Wonder Villains'The man himself appears in the video!' writes Meabh in Belfast. We've rounded up the rest below, splitting them by position to avoid one never-ending list of songs we'll possibly never hear anyway. Goalkeepers Kasey Keller – Barcelona | Edwin van der Sar – Dackelblut Defenders Titus Bramble – Kruz Leone and Duppy | Julian Dicks, the Terminator – Flat Back Four | Bobby Moore Was Innocent – Serious Drinking | Joey Jones – The Declan Swans | Sliding In (Like McGrain) – Big Wednesday | Nice One Cyril – Cockerel Chorus Midfielders Declan Rice – ODUMODUBLVCK | Paul Scholes – Yukari Fresh | (Jamie) Jamie Pollock – International Strike Force | Dele – Taco Hemingway | Bakayoko – Taco Hemingway | Roy Keane – Brame and Hamo | Gary Speed – Lars Vaular Forwards Romário – Depth Charge | #RiyadMahrez – RK ft Sofiane & Hornet La Frappe | Ashley Barnes – Bacchus | Charlie George on Super 8 – Flyscreen | Mario Balotelli – Ruff Sqwad | Wayne Rooney – Johnny Flynn & The Sussex Wit | Johnny Rep – Mickey 3D | Drogba (Joanna) – Afro B | Hitti-litti Litmanen – Martti Servo | Messi – Neo Pistea | Kubala – Joan Manuel Serrat | Robin Friday – Mirror Pictures | When Robin Friday went to Cardiff – The Deckchairs | My Friend Cubilas (sic) – Badly Drawn Boy | Riquelme – Lukid | Eric Cantona Stomp – Superpunk | Johnny G (The Guidetti Song) – Badpojken ft Frida Green | Bergkamp – Midfield General Manager Jurgen – Scorcher ft D Double E Finally, Brendan Herron comes bearing information about an entire album of songs about footballers. 'A couple of years back, a Belgian DJ (and amateur footballer) in Berlin by the name of Gratts asked each of his fellow DJ mates to contribute a track to a compilation album. There's more background on this Bandcamp page. And here is the track list in full: Paco Buyo Tony Yeboah Tony Vairelles The Flying Dutchman Ik West Het, Philippe Albert O Fenomeno Discorentin Martins Romário's Pants Gheorghe Boy George Best Clayton Blackmore We'll be honest, we did not expect to be finishing a section on songs named after the footballers with the words 'Clayton' and 'Blackmore'. 'On Sunday Scott Brown, Celtic midfielder and Scotland captain, scored against Scott Brown, Aberdeen goalkeeper,' wrote Paul Reilly in 2015. 'Are there any other instances of a player scoring past his namesake?' As Scott Walden emailed to point out, in 2012-13 Gloucester City had the pleasing combination at the back of goalkeeper Mike Green and central defender Mike Green. Confusion was always likely to be a risk and it came to a calamitous head in September in an FA Cup second qualifying round fixture against Thatcham Town. Four minutes before the break, the Tigers were 1-0 and cruising. Then disaster struck. The Gloucester Citizen picks up the tale: '[Jack] Coventry worked some space on the left but his cross looked to be nothing more than a speculative effort. However, left-back Green and Matt Coupe got their wires crossed in trying to clear and the former poked out a foot and sent the ball past his goalkeeper and into the net.' A bad day for Mike Green and Mike Green ended well however, with Gloucester running out 2-1 winners. 'Seven of the nine matches in Ligue 1 last weekend finished 1-0,' notes Liam Togher. 'That's 78% of the games. Has there ever been a more common instance of one specific scoreline in a single gameweek?' 'Shelbourne and Linfield meet in the Conference League tomorrow, just over a month after they played each other in Champions League qualifying. Has this happened before? If so, who were the first teams to play each other in two different European competitions in the same season?' asks Mad Mac. 'Every member of Tottenham's starting XI in the Uefa Super Cup represented a different nationality: Italy, Austria, Argentina, the Netherlands, Spain, Uruguay, Portugal, England, Senegal, Ghana and Brazil. Add Lucas Bergvall for Sweden, Mathys Tel (and several PSG players) for France, players representing Morocco, Ecuador, Georgia and South Korea turning out for PSG, and unused subs from Russia, Czechia, Wales and Croatia. I make that 17 nationalities on the pitch and 21 in total. Is this the most nationally diverse football match of all time?' wonders Jack Hayward. 'While the league table on gameweek one is pretty meaningless, I do like the anomaly of a team who hasn't played yet being comfortably mid-table with zero points. The question is, how long into a season has it ever been where the bottom three failed to score any points, so hypothetically a team who hadn't played any games at all would still be outside the relegation zone?' wonders James Rowland. Mail us with your questions and answers
