It’s 2025, and yet the most fragile members of the NFL’s fan base still seem to be offended by the concept of male cheerleaders. In May, the Minnesota Vikings welcomed Blaize Shiek and Louie Conn to their cheer program. While they’re far from the first male cheerleaders to hit the field (the Los Angeles Rams incorporated men into their squad back in 2018), some fans were incensed by their inclusion. In the last few months, Shiek and Conn have received a steady stream of homophobic comments and threats on their personal Instagram accounts, as well as on the team’s official social-media channels, that have gotten increasingly more intense as preseason has approached. To combat the swirling vitriol, the Vikings are now doubling down on their support for the team members.
“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 team said in a statement to Today.com. “In 2025, approximately one-third of NFL teams have male cheerleaders.”
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“Every member of the Minnesota Vikings Cheerleaders program has an impressive dance background and went through the same rigorous audition process,” the team added. “We support all our cheerleaders and are proud of the role they play as ambassadors of the organization.”
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By the way, the Tennessee Titans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, San Francisco 49ers, Baltimore Ravens, Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints, Los Angeles Rams, Philadelphia Eagles, and New England Patriots all currently have male cheerleaders on their rosters. In 2022, the Panthers welcomed the first and only openly transgender cheerleader, Justine Lindsay, to their squad. We also can’t forget that ol’ George Bush and Mitt Romney were both cheerleaders back in the day. See? Nothing scary about men holding pom-poms!
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At least Shiek and Conn appear to be taking the unwanted attention in stride. In a joint Instagram post last week, they wrote alongside a smiling locker-room photo, “Wait … did someone say our name?” Expert troll-handling.
