Alabama U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville is not a fan of what some are calling the next generation of NFL cheerleader.
Earlier this month, the Minnesota Vikings announced it would have two male cheerleaders, Blaize Shiek and Louie Conn on its 2025 squad.
The two appeared on the team’s official account for its cheerleading squad in a video on Instagram.
Tuberville, appearing on the Outkick Hot Mic podcast, blasted the move, saying the NFL should “not push it on our kids.”
“I would like to ask the ownership of the NFL and the commissioner, ‘What the hell are you doing?’ I mean, you’ve got the number one sport on planet Earth in terms of people watching. Your business is growing. It’s getting better and better,” Tuberville said.
“But if you’re going to be woke and you’re going to try to, you know, take the men out of men’s sports and say, ‘Okay, we’re gonna make it more about gender than we are about masculinity.’ Then you’re gonna have a huge problem.”
The Vikings have released statements in support of the cheerleaders, following a torrent of criticism.
“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 statement reads, according to Today.com.
“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.”
Tuberville said the team is in Minnesota, a “blue state,” which is “more about socialism.”
“And it’s about, you know, 150 genders. But at the end of the day, I hope to God it doesn’t come south to Atlanta or to Texas or to Dallas, or some of our NFL teams, because you’ll lose it. I mean, people will actually quit buying tickets and going because of the narrative they’re trying to push.”
“This is not just about a couple of people being men cheerleaders. It is about pushing a narrative that you want to put gender into sports and let everybody know that we’re trying to show that, hey, we’re going to take the masculinity out of it. And that’s not going to happen in the South.”
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