Instagram/James Christian Legette
When the Philadelphia Eagles took the field at Super Bowl LIX this past February, history was kicking into gear on the fields and the sidelines.
With his appearance at the game, Philadelphia Eagles cheerleader James Christian LeGette was the only male cheerleader to perform at this year’s Super Bowl in New Orleans. And in the weeks since his big moment at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Legette has continued to receive praise as more members of the queer community learn about his history-making appearance.
Leading up to the Super Bowl, LeGette took to social media to share his journey to NOLA with his fellow Eagles cheerleaders. He also shared a video on Super Bowl Day and several clips and photos following the Eagles’ exciting win against the Kansas City Chiefs.
With his performance, he became just one of six male cheerleaders to ever cheer at a Super Bowl. The first Super Bowl to have male cheerleaders was the 2019 game against the New England Patriots and Los Angeles Rams.
LeGette first joined the Eagles cheerleading team in 2021 — after previously trying out for the team and not making it.
“When I first started thinking of becoming an Eagles Cheerleader, I wasn’t too certain because I didn’t have the right confidence in myself,” LeGette said in an interview with the Philadelphia Eagles site during his rookie year in 2021. “Then two years ago, when Kyle [Tanguay] made the team, it inspired me to give it another try. Now, I also have the opportunity to break boundaries, show the world that you can be anything you want to be and be a role model.”
“I was also inspired by all the community service projects the Eagles Cheerleaders are involved in,” he continued. “Just being on the squad for a short time, I have already participated in many initiatives, and I am looking forward to continuing to serve the community. I’m very happy that I decided to audition again.”
LeGette, who is a Philly native, has a background in competitive dance and gymnastics. He graduated from Temple University with a degree in Special Education. And along with his duties as an Eagles cheerleader, he currently works as a special education teacher.
As one of the few Black queer men cheering for an NFL team, LeGette remains a groundbreaking inspiration for the Black queer community and cheerleading professionals of all experience levels.
And clips of his performance continue to rack up views and celebratory comments, proving that even though football might’ve been the main event at the Super Bowl, LeGette brought some game-day Black Boy Joy of his own.
Subscribe to Native Son‘s newsletter for more news, information, and conversations about Black gay and queer everything.