Minnesota Vikings Defends 2 Male Cheerleaders From NFL Fan Backlash
The Minnesota Vikings are tackling some online criticism.
Five days after the NFL team's cheer squad announced the addition of two male cheerleaders, Blaize Shiek and Louie Conn, the organization addressed an uproar from haters who didn't necessarily agree with the pair's addition.
"While many fans may be seeing male cheerleaders for the first time at Vikings games,' the football team said in a statement to NBC News Aug. 14, 'male cheerleaders have been part of previous Vikings teams and have long been associated with collegiate and professional cheerleading."
The team added, 'We support all of our cheerleaders and are proud of the role they play as ambassadors of the organization.'
In response to claims that spectators would be canceling their season tickets due to the male cheerleaders, the Vikings told NBC News that no fans have done so.
The Minnesota Vikings showcased the upcoming 2025 season's new cheer squad on Aug. 9 with an Instagram video that prominently featured Conn in the beginning. The caption read, 'The next generation of cheer has arrived!'
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Following the reveal, users sounded off with mixed reactions in the comments. While many fans shared their support with positive messages, others responded negatively, like one user who wrote, 'I'm not a Viking fan no more.'
Another commented, 'I just lost all of my respect for the Vikings.'
On X (formerly Twitter), former NFL star Antonio Brown responded to the video by calling Conn a homophobic slur.
Amid the backlash, two-time Super Bowl champ Torrey Smith chimed in with his support of squads featuring male cheerleaders.
'I started a youth football program in West Baltimore a few months ago,' the NFL alum wrote on X Aug. 13. 'We added cheer and I was asked if I would have a problem with a boy cheering. If he wants to cheer, let him cheer.'
Smith added, 'Zero Bullying will be allowed!'
Read on to learn all about another NFL cheer squad that has captured the public's attention: the Dallas Cowboys' cheerleaders.
(E! and NBC News are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)
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