Blaize Shiek performs with the Minnesota Vikings cheerleaders during the Aug. 22 preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens.
Blaize Shiek performs with the Minnesota Vikings cheerleaders during the Aug. 22 preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens. |
Blaize Shiek and Louie Conn danced and strutted and cheered on the Minnesota Vikings on Saturday along with the rest of the team’s cheerleaders during the Vikings’ first home preseason game. What was thankfully missing were the trolls that attacked the two men a year ago.
A summer ago, Shiek and Conn made their debuts as the first male cheerleaders in Vikings’ history, a fact that was notable, but not unusual since there were 71 men on NFL cheer squads last season and the trend had been happening for almost a decade.
But one right-winger influencer with more than 450,000 followers on X had a hissy fit when he attended the game and saw Shiek and Conn dancing. “Imagine you buy front row season football tickets and when you sit down there’s some man girating right in front of you,” the post said (yes, he spelled “gyrating” wrong) and it generated a heated debate over gender roles in sports.
A post shared by Blaize Shiek (@blaize_shiek)
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The whole thing was silly and Shiek and Conn laughed it off and the season went on.
Fast forward 12 months and their Year 2 came and went with almost zero social media pushback, unless you count the stray accounts on X with 45 followers. It’s a sign that people realize there are better things to obsess about than men dancing on a football sideline.
What always amazed me about last year’s kerfluffle was that in addition to their being dozens of male cheerleaders, there were also other gay cheerleaders in the NFL besides Conn and Shiek. They persevered and are back for a second season, having gotten the last laugh.
Los Angeles Rams male cheerleader Eswinn Diaz performs in the first half against the New Orleans Saints at SoFi Stadium on Aug. 22, 2026. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Tampa Bay Buccaneers cheerleaders entertain fans during a preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Raymond James Stadium on Aug. 22, 2026. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
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