Latest news with #malecheerleaders
The Independent
21 hours ago
- Sport
- The Independent
Minnesota Vikings male cheerleaders respond to critics
Two male cheerleaders for the Minnesota Vikings, Blaize Shiek and Louie Conn, have received extensive homophobic online abuse from right-wing commentators. 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.
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Fox News host weighs in on NFL's male cheerleader controversy and calls on Pete Hegseth to put an end to it
Fox News' Will Cain has called for his former co-host and current U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to weigh in on male cheerleaders in the NFL after the Minnesota Vikings became the 12th team make its dance squad coed. The lighthearted suggestion was met with laughter on a recent episode of Fox News' Saturday Night With Jimmy Failla, where both the guest and host earnestly objected to men dancing with female cheerleaders. 'A good third of the league is focusing, perhaps, on the wrong thing,' Cain said, alluding to the number of teams with male cheerleaders. But Cain wasn't blasting all male cheerleaders. The native Texan did give a 10-gallon hat tip college cheer teams, which have traditionally included men. 'I don't have anything against male cheerleaders,' he began. 'The Texas A&M Aggies have been doing this for decades,' he continued, playfully making the hook'em hand gesture of the rival Texas Longhorns. 'There have been male cheerleaders around a long time.' Minnesota Vikings cheerleader Blaize Shiek performs before a recent preseason game Minnesota Vikings cheerleader Louie Conn lines up with his colleagues on Saturday The Vikings are one. of a few teams to include male performers on their dance team The problem, as Cain sees it, is that the NFL's male cheerleaders are more dancers than the burly guys who spend Saturdays pumping up the crowd at college stadiums. 'There is something different than what is going on in the NFL,' Cain said, arriving at his point. 'And if we're really being honest, we're talking about male cheerleaders being female cheerleaders. That's what's happening with these men who are cheering on the Minnesota Vikings.' Failla agreed saying 'this is not good,' Of course, since Hegseth is a Minneapolis native and diehard Vikings fan, Cain naturally thought the defense secretary might be able to get involved. 'I do know somebody who is a Minnesota Vikings fan, and I imagine he had a pretty big hand in those B-52s flying over Vladimir Putin's head today in Alaska,' Cain said, referring to Donald Trump's brief meting with the Russian President. 'So I don't know, maybe we need to call the Secretary of Defense.' Failla responded by yelling: 'Oh d***.' He then made it abundantly clear whom Cain was discussing. 'For those of you who don't follow cabinet positions, that man he was mentioning rhymes with 'Pete Hegseth,'' Failla joked. Hegseth is a big Vikings fan, but it's unlikely he would be able to influence the team Hegseth (right) and Cain are seen during a Fox & Friends Weekend segment in 2021 Cain then added: 'And the man who would show up to Fox and Friends weekend ever Sunday dressed in purple. Several places. Socks, wristbands, tie.' The Vikings recently added Blaize Shiek and Louie Conn to the cheer squad. There has been some uproar over their inclusion on the team, but the Vikings have since defended their position in a statement. 'While many fans may be seeing male cheerleaders for the first time at Vikings games, male cheerleaders have been part of previous Vikings teams and have long been associated with collegiate and professional cheerleading,' the statement read. 'In 2025, approximately one-third of NFL teams have male cheerleaders. Every member of the Minnesota Vikings Cheerleaders program has an impressive dance background and went through the same rigorous audition process. Individuals were selected because of their talent, passion for dance and dedication to elevating the game day experience. We support all our cheerleaders and are proud of the role they play as ambassadors of the organization.'
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Minnesota Vikings Defends 2 Male Cheerleaders From NFL Fan Backlash
Originally appeared on E! Online 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!' More from E! Online Will Taylor Swift Be the Super Bowl 2026 Halftime Performer? All the Signs Jason Kelce Gets Emotional Over Taylor Swift's Adorable Comment About Travis Kelce Bryan Kohberger Said Kaylee Goncalves' Name During Idaho Murders, Police Documents Reveal 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.) Jump Splits Look Painful Because They AreOuch, but OKDon't Quit Your Week-Day JobCalendar GirlBody PoliticAs the World TurnsPs & QsThe Glam Squad? You're Looking at ThemSheer Energy LegsBronze MedalThey Don't Just CheerPost-Cheer Support System For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News App
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Joy Taylor defends male cheerleaders in the NFL with brutal 'slavery' attack on critics
Joy Taylor has slammed ' conservatives ' taking issue with the rise in male cheerleaders in the NFL, accusing them of confecting 'outrage over nothing'. It emerged earlier this week that the New Orleans Saints have hired more male performers for the upcoming season. The Saints will reportedly be one of a dozen NFL teams to include male cheerleaders on their squad - up from seven in 2024. The trend has sparked outrage in some quarters but those critics were mocked by former Fox Sports host Taylor. 'So teaching kids (that) slavery was not a big deal is acceptable but male cheerleaders is where "conservatives" draw the line,' she wrote on social media alongside three laughing emojis. 'Also this isn't new so as usual, OUTRAGE over nothing.' The Los Angeles Rams claimed to have made history in 2018 when they added Quinton Peron and Napoleon Jinnies to their dance squad. Jesse Hernandez soon followed, becoming the first male member the New Orleans 'Saintsations'. This season, New Orleans will have a total of 12 men on the 2025 Saints Cheer Krewe Roster after three women were replaced following tryouts. The other teams with male cheerleaders are the Panthers, Buccaneers, Chiefs, Colts, Titans, Patriots, 49ers, Eagles, Rams, Ravens and the Vikings. Minnesota also faced a backlash from some fans after footage of two new male cheerleaders went viral. The team have since released a statement. It read: 'While many fans may be seeing male cheerleaders for the first time at Vikings games, male cheerleaders have been part of previous Vikings teams and have long been associated with collegiate and professional cheerleading. 'In 2025, approximately one third of NFL teams have male cheerleaders. Every member of the Minnesota Vikings Cheerleaders program has an impressive dance background and went through the same rigorous audition process. 'Individuals were selected because of their talent, passion for dance and dedication to elevating the game day experience. We support all our cheerleaders and are proud of the role they play as ambassadors of the organization.' Meanwhile, Taylor's nine-year stint at Fox came to an abrupt end last month after the network reportedly failed to renew her contract.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The Minnesota Vikings just hired two male cheerleaders and MAGA is melting down
If they're not crashing out over the latest celeb they think is trans or the fact that their votes actually have consequences, MAGA is spiraling over their favorite sport being infiltrated by… wait for it…male cheerleaders. The Minnesota Vikings have announced that two male cheerleaders will be joining their ranks, and when videos of the cheerleaders performing hit social media, conservatives got angry. Dancers Blaize Shiek and Louie Conn are making their debut at Saturday's game and preseason home opener, which has fans threatening to cancel their season passes and InfoWars host Owen Shroyer making derogatory comments, complete with a misspelled word. 'Imagine you buy front row season football tickets and when you sit down there's some man girating [sic] right in front of you,' he wrote on X. @gator_gum had the perfect response, pointing out the hypocrisy of loving such a homoerotic sport but being applied by male cheerleaders, writing, 'Yes, he's blocking your view of the husky man in tights putting his hands between the legs of the other man in tights. Do you know they shower together after the games too? But that dancing guy! Draw the line!' Other right-wing social media users took to X to voice their displeasure at having men join an NFL cheerleading team, with one person posting, 'The Minnesota Vikings HIRED a MALE as their LEAD CHEERLEADER for the 2025-26 NFL football season. This is just disgusting…' Another person reposted the video announcement and wrote, 'I just threw up in my mouth." But former NFL star Antonio Brown took things a step further by reposting a video of Shiek in his new Vikings cheerleader uniform with the caption that used a homophobic slur. MAGA might be up in arms about these particular male cheerleaders, but they are far from the first. In fact, according to Outsports, last season there were 'seven teams had a total of 18 men on their cheer squads,' a trend that was started in 2018 by the Los Angeles Rams. And in 2023, two out gay men became the cheer captains for the Rams' cheerleading squad. Another social media user pointed out that while the sport is dominated by women today, the first cheerleaders were men, a fact backed up USA Cheer, which makes the whole rage debate even more ridiculous. Instead of being focused on the sport they supposedly care so much about, they are worried about who is cheering on the sidelines, in the ultimate 'No homo!' This article originally appeared on Pride: The Minnesota Vikings just hired two male cheerleaders and MAGA is melting down RELATED Why Donald Trump's suits are a sign that he's separating himself from his MAGA base How to survive Thanksgiving with Trump voters without vomiting or getting arrested Why MAGA supporter Yulissa was removed from 'Love Island' & more controversial exits
