The Minnesota Vikings confirmed that Blaize Shiek and Louie Conn have been selected for the club’s 2025 cheerleading squad, making the pair among a small but growing number of male cheerleaders in the National Football League. The two dancers, both with collegiate performance backgrounds, advanced through the same audition process as their female counterparts and performed publicly for the first time during an Aug. 16 preseason game at U.S. Bank Stadium. The announcement drew criticism on social media, with some fans threatening to abandon the team. In an Instagram post on Aug. 17, Shiek responded with a photo of himself and Conn in uniform captioned, “Wait…did someone say our name?”, while Conn echoed the message. Governor Tim Walz’s daughter and other supporters publicly praised the move. Addressing the backlash, the Vikings said roughly one-third of NFL franchises now include male cheerleaders and underscored that every member of the squad was chosen for “talent, passion for dance and dedication to elevating the game-day experience.” The team told NBC News it has seen no season-ticket cancellations linked to the decision. Male cheerleaders first appeared in the NFL with the Los Angeles Rams in 2018.