Minnesota Vikings Defend Male Cheerleaders After Claims of Fans Denouncing Loyalty

Male cheerleaders aren’t new to football, but two new additions to the Minnesota Vikings cheer squad has resulted in online backlash, the team defending its dancers and the men speaking out.

The Vikings in recent weeks announced the addition of two male cheerleaders, Blaize Shiek and Louie Conn. The team showcased their cheer squad for the upcoming 2025 season on Aug. 9 when they posted an Instagram video that prominently featured Conn.

“The next generation of cheer has arrived!” the caption read.

Claims of Vikings fans denouncing their loyalty and cancelling their season tickets appeared on social media in recent days. But the Vikings told NBC News on Aug. 14 that no fans have done so. That didn’t stop derogatory comments from X accounts, however.

Vikings, Ex-player Comes to the Cheerleaders’ Defense

The only public comments from the men regarding the public loathing from some online, was a joint Instagram post on Aug. 16 from Shiek and Conn.

“wait…did someone say our name?” the caption read.

The Viking said in a statement to NBC News, “We support all our cheerleaders and are proud of the role they play as ambassadors of the organization.”

Two-time Super Bowl champion Torrey Smith defended the men online as well, writing on X, he sees no problem with his youth football program in Baltimore adding male cheerleaders.

“If he wants to cheer, let him cheer,” he wrote. “Zero Bullying will be allowed!”

Male Cheerleading is Not New to Football

The Vikings note that male cheerleading has long been associated with collegiate and professional football.

More than ⅓ of NFL teams have male cheerleaders. In addition to the Vikings, the following teams have male cheerleaders: Tennessee Titans, Kansas City Chiefs, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, San Francisco 49ers, Baltimore Ravens, Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints, Los Angeles Rams, Philadelphia Eagles and New England Patriots. 

Between 2022 and 2024, the Panthers had featured the first ever and only openly transgender cheerleader in the NFL.

Cheerleading began as an elite activity for men at Ivy League schools in the late 19th century, until about the 1920s, when women were allowed to cheer. Collegiate male cheerleading is common. Former U.S. Presidents Dwight Eisenhower, Ronald Reagan, and George W. Bush all cheered in college. Women slowly took over cheerleading during the two World Wars as many young men went off to war.

The world-famous Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders will not be adding a man. They’ve done their part to bring awareness of pay and fair treatment to the NFL sideline by gaining notoriety in the popular Netflix series “America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.” The Dallas girls secured a 400% pay increase due to in-part the popularity of the program, according to NBC News.

The Vikings said that Shiek and Conn went through an audition process before joining the cheer squad. The Vikings open the season on the road at the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football, Sept. 8. The team’s home opener is Sunday Night Football against the Atlanta Falcons on Sept. 14.