Right on cue, homophobes lose it over the NFL’s new male cheerleaders
The Minnesota Vikings are the latest NFL team to add male cheerleaders to their dance squad. And homophobic trolls are melting down.
Mark
The Minnesota Vikings are the latest NFL team to add male cheerleaders to their dance squad. And homophobic trolls are melting down.
The Vikings’ two newest cheerleaders, Blaize Shiek and Louie Conn, have gone viral. At least 12 NFL teams are expected to have male cheerleaders this season, continuing a years-long trend. The Los Angeles Rams broke barriers when they brought aboard two out gay male cheerleaders in 2018, and many clubs have since followed suit.
Last season, there were 18 male cheerleaders on seven teams.
Like their peers, Blaize and Louie seem to be quite athletic. The former is a content creator and ambassador for the activewear company ALO, while the latter was a star on Iowa State’s cheer and dance teams.
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Every Sunday this fall, they’ll be on the sidelines supporting the Vikings. They’re already standouts!
While it’s hard to imagine any person having an issue with two talented 20-somethings showing their stuff each week, a parade of trolls are outraged. Their caterwauling has resulted in a number of engagement farming NFL accounts “reporting” that fans are canceling their season tickets over the non-issue.
“TRENDING: Multiple Minnesota #Vikings fans have announced that they are CANCELLING their season tickets because the team has a male cheerleader this season,” posted one of them.
Despite the noise, a perusal through social media doesn’t show any evidence of people doing that. It’s also unclear if season-ticket holders would be permitted to cancel their packages just weeks before the season over such a foolish matter.
As many people on Reddit pointed out, male cheerleaders are far from a new concept. In fact, many ex-presidents were cheerleaders, including Dwight Eisenhower, Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush
The animus appears to be rooted in jealousy.
“These neck beard losers wouldn’t make it as a cheerleader if their lives depended on it,” added an astute commenter.
Similar sentiments were expressed on X.
I’m sorry but paying full tag for front row tickets at an NFL game so you can see the cheerleaders better is gayer than just being gay and liking to look at a guy dance. https://t.co/2uZNGWSdbv— Haydn,
(@bilbosfootcomb) August 11, 2025
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The two Los Angeles Rams cheerleaders were recently named team captains, marking the first time an NFL cheerleading squad was led by two out gay men.
While it’s unclear how Blaize and Louie identify, there wouldn’t be a need for either of them to hide their queerness. NFL teams have embraced out cheerleaders, putting them in front-facing roles.
In addition to working on game day, NFL cheerleaders often serve as brand ambassadors, attending community events throughout the year.
Three years ago, the Los Angeles Rams made history when they had five out gay cheerleaders representing them in the Super Bowl. Two of them, Brendan Ryan and Jose Capetillo, wound up being voted team captains.
“Knowing that our teammates voted for us to be in this position is a really special feeling,” Capetillo previously told Queerty. “It makes us feel super supported.”
This past year, the Philadelphia Eagles had a gay cheerleader, James LeGette, cheer them to victory in the Super Bowl. The past four Super Bowls have featured out cheer stars.
In an especially touching moment, an out Atlanta Falcons cheerleader, Ben Ajani, got engaged at one of the team’s home games.
Despite the administration’s best efforts to backslide America to the ’50s, the widespread embrace of gay NFL cheerleaders shows that cultural progress can’t halted through executive orders. The NFL is the most popular sports league in the country, rife with super macho imagery.
Yet, out gay figures are an integral part of one of the league’s most hollowed traditions.
That’s not going to stop, no matter how many anonymous trolls through hissy fits online.
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Romero is the first out gay cheerleader in San Francisco 49ers history.
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