Two-time Super Bowl champ supports male NFL cheerleaders: ‘Let him cheer’
Torrey Smith shared his support for male cheerleaders in the NFL, saying he has no problem with them. 'He ain't bothering anyone.' The post Two-time Super Bowl champ supports male NFL cheerleaders: ‘Let him cheer’ appeared first on Outsports.
Mark
The manufactured kerfuffle around the addition of male cheerleaders Blaize Shiek and Louie Conn to the Minnesota Vikings cheer squad for the upcoming season received major pushback from retired two-time Super Bowl champion wide receiver Torrey Smith on Wednesday.
In response to yet another social media post feeding into this latest eyeroll-inducing effort steeped in homophobia by some fans and conservatives, Smith didn’t mince words about his support for men participating in cheerleading.
“I started a youth football program in West Baltimore a few months ago. It’s been extremely time consuming and expensive! We added cheer and I was asked if I would have a problem with a boy cheering,” Smith said via X. “If he wants to cheer, let him cheer.”
Smith doubled down in the replies, saying “It matters to me” after an X user derided him for expressing his opinion on the topic. “No MF he is just on the team,” he added in another response. “He ain’t bothering anyone.”
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The former Baltimore Raven’s response echoes the common sense at the root of a topic that is being mutated into a homophobic and transphobic dog whistle by a growing number of right-wing figures online.
If men want to cheer, let them cheer. If they are talented enough to make an NFL cheerleading team, they deserve to have that spot.
It’s certainly more thoughtful than former NFL wide receiver and current suspect Antonio Brown straight up calling the two f**gots.
Smith even pointed out this approach to looking beyond gender within athletic endeavors within the youth football program he started. “We also have a girl football player on one of our teams,” Smith posted. “I told her she is my favorite player … she is a beast!”
Smith won two Super Bowls, with the Baltimore Ravens and Philadelphia Eagles. In 2015, while with the San Francisco 49ers, he lead the league — amongst receivers with a minimum number of catches — in yards/catch with 20.1.
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The post Two-time Super Bowl champ supports male NFL cheerleaders: ‘Let him cheer’ appeared first on Outsports.
