Ahead of the 2026 NFL season, backlash is circulating online over the presence of male cheerleaders on NFL teams. Male cheerleaders are not a new concept. Cheerleading began as a male-dominated sport in the late 19th century, and in 2018, the Los Angeles Rams and New Orleans Saints introduced dancing male cheerleaders, with many other teams following suit.
But as the world of sport continues to be a flash point for online culture wars, over the past few years, the existence of male cheerleaders has been a point of scrutiny online. Newsweek has contacted teams with male cheerleaders for comment via email and online contact forms outside regular working hours. Newsweek has mapped which NFL teams currently have male cheerleaders on their squad.
According to posts shared on their social media accounts, the following teams have male cheerleaders this season: The backlash began to unfold online after a video of a male cheerleader for the Philadelphia Eagles went viral. That, in turn, prompted criticism from conservatives. Fox News’ Laura Ingraham wrote in a post viewed more than 120,000 times: “It looks like an SNL skit from the 80s.” American conservative social media activist Robby Starbuck wrote in a post viewed moe than 190,000 times: “There’s no demographic that attends football games that wants this.” The social media user @coldcallsniper wrote in a post viewed more than 400,000 times: “My great grandfather didn’t die in the war so this could happen.” Newsmax host Carl Higbie posted: “Friendly daily reminder to NOT watch the @NFL this year.” There has been some pushback against the criticism.
Ed Krassenstein a left-wing political commentator, wrote X: “Republicans are having a breakdown over the fact that @Eagles have male cheerleaders.” Social media user @CurtisWenis wrote in a post viewed more than 295,000 times that “the only reason that I know male nfl cheerleaders exist is bc of conservatives.” Similar criticism played out online last year, when a male Minnesota Vikings cheerleader was at the center of the criticism. A spokesperson for the Vikings told Newsweek at the time: “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.” Beyond the world of sports, male cheerleaders have had a place in pop culture for years, featuring in popular television shows like Heroes and Glee and the film Bring It On, which is about cheerleading. The NFL and sports more broadly have become a flash point for online culture wars as sports fans and social media users have criticized it for being too "woke"—from the furor over Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl Halftime Show on February 8 to the use of pride flags.
Gender-related issues often become flashpoints in sports-related culture wars. For years, the issue of transgender athletes in sports has been a lightning rod in the culture wars, from online forums to the Oval Office. The WNBA is currently evaluating its policy on transgender athletes.
The topic has divided the league’s fan base, as counter-protestors recently gathered at an Indiana Fever-Seattle Storm game in support of and opposition to Fever star Sophie Cunningham’s comments that transgender women should be barred from competing in female sports to protect young girls and women. The 2026 NFL regular season will begin on September 9. Contact Newsweek editors on this story: John Fitzpatrick and Dave Siminoff.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
