Former college football head coach and current United States Senator Tommy Tuberville wants the NFL to not lose its masculine image amid male cheerleaders being added to league squads.
The Minnesota Vikings added two male cheerleaders to its sideline supporters for the first time a few weeks ago, a decision that has been slammed by some.
Tuberville, a Donald Trump backer in his policies against biological men competing in women’s sports, does not want to see the NFL fold into that inclusive narrative.
‘I would like to ask the ownership of the NFL and the commissioner, what the hell are you doing?’ Tuberville said to OutKick.
‘If you’re going to be woke, and if you’re going to try to take the men out of men’s sports, which is what they’re doing, they’re trying to take gender and try and make it more about gender than about masculinity, then you’re going to have a huge problem.’
‘You can see Minnesota doing it, they’re one of the blue states, we’ve lost them, and they’re more into socialism and it’s about 150 genders. But at the end of the day, I hope to God it doesn’t come South.’
US Senator Tommy Tuberville has slammed the NFL for its inclusion of male cheerleaders
The Minnesota Vikings became the latest team to include male cheerleaders this season
The Minnesota Vikings’ male cheerleader Blaize Shiek appeared to take a dig at his critics
‘This is not about just a couple of people being men cheerleaders, it’s about pushing a narrative about wanting to put gender into sports and let everyone know that we’re going to take the masculinity out of it a little bit, and that’s not going to happen in the South.’
The Los Angeles Rams became the first NFL team to have male cheerleaders, adding them in 2018. In total, 12 NFL teams have male cheerleaders, including the New Orleans Saints.
The Saints confirmed that there will be a total of 13 men on the 2025 Saints Cheer Krewe Roster after three women were replaced following tryouts.
The Panthers, Buccaneers, Chiefs, Colts, Titans, Patriots, 49ers, Eagles, Rams, and Ravens will all feature male cheerleaders in their squad.
Vikings’ male cheerleader Blaize Shiek appeared to take a dig at his critics after making his NFL debut over the weekend.
A rookie member of the Vikings’ squad, Shiek is one of two male cheerleaders joining the sidelines ahead of the 2025 season, alongside Louie Conn.
However, Shiek and Conn’s inclusion in the squad has sparked shocking backlash from NFL fans, with some of Minnesota’s supporters even threatening to cancel their season tickets.
‘wait… did someone say our name?’ Shiek wrote in the caption, referencing the furor around their inclusion.
