Entertainment
NFL Faces Fury For ‘Woke’ Changes To Upcoming Season
NFL fans are threatening to cancel their season tickets after the league permitted a record 12 teams to add male cheerleading squads to their sideline routines.
The latest “woke” controversy in professional football stems from new definitions around gender, performance, and fandom in the teams’ dance and spirit squads. Liberal broadcasters cheered the inclusion while longtime fans cried foul, accusing the NFL of reneging on its previous commitment to repealing social commentary from its games.
Among the dozen participating teams, the Minnesota Vikings have drawn outsized scrutiny for dedicating space on the sideline for an all-male cheerleading division lead by Blaize Shiek and Louie Conn. After former NFL player Antonio Brown lit into Shiek with an anti-gay slur on social media, Shiek shot back, “See you at 3.”
In New Orleans, fans are voicing their displeasure after the team hired 13 men and dismissed three women for the 2025 Saints Cheer Krewe Roster. They add to the 11 other teams who will feature male dancers on the sidelines, up from seven teams in 2024.
Although male cheerleaders have been around in the NFL since 2018, their growing ubiquity in front of the cameras has longtime fans grumbling about the social justice commentary that comes along with it.
“Yet another reason why I stopped watching the nfl,” one X user wrote this week.
Another chimed in, “Which 20 don’t have any? Time for a new team” while a third stated, “I have never been so triggered in my life.”
Other teams that have hired male cheer talent for the 2025-2026 season include the Saints, Panthers, Buccaneers, Chiefs, Colts, Titans, Patriots, 49ers, Eagles, Rams, and Ravens.
After an explosive reaction by their fanbase, the Vikings released a statement defending their hiring of Shiek and Conn.
“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 told the Daily Mail.
“In 2025, approximately one third of NFL teams have male cheerleaders. Every member of the Minnesota Vikings Cheerleaders program has an impressive dance background and went through the same rigorous audition process.
Individuals were selected because of their talent, passion for dance, and dedication to elevating the game day experience. We support all our cheerleaders and are proud of the role they play as ambassadors of the organization.”
WATCH:
Seriously. What are we doing here?pic.twitter.com/yMpKNrKxZh
— Owen Shroyer (@OwenShroyer1776) August 14, 2025
Until recently, the NFL appeared on track to pivot away from its social justice commentary that kicked into high gear following the death of George Floyd in 2020. The league had done away with anti-racism messages in end zones, and a number of embarrassing crowd reactions to the “black national anthem” led the NFL to scrap the practice in 2023.
