The Minnesota Vikings’ newest male cheerleaders recently joined two of their female teammates in a social media video filmed in a bathroom.
Originally shared on TikTok by Vikings cheerleader Brianna Putney, the clip features her and teammate Jenna Kathlyn dancing alongside Blaze Shiek and Louie Conn, set to Lizzo’s “Truth Hurts.”
The video sparked backlash on social media due to the depiction of male and female cheerleaders in the same bathroom.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Vikings for comment.
Shiek and Conn have become the center of heated online debate after responding to critics, prompting the team to issue a statement defending the two male cheerleaders.
The Vikings are not the first NFL team to employ male cheerleaders. The Los Angeles Rams introduced men to their squad in 2018, and the Baltimore Ravens have also included male cheerleaders. The Carolina Panthers featured the first transgender cheerleader on their squad until this year.
However, the situation with the Vikings has drawn national attention following Sheik and Conn’s recent social media activity.
Former Vikings player Jack Brewer and Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., publicly criticized the organization for including male cheerleaders.
Brewer, a former Vikings captain, told Fox News Digital he sees the move as an attempt to “manipulate children.”
“This is purely an attempt to manipulate young children, to overtake the minds of young children with this spiritual evilness,” Brewer said. “The influence on kids is manipulating the mind of the children. They are teaching young boys that it’s OK to have pom-poms and cheer and act like women.”
Tuberville told OutKick’s Hot Mic on Tuesday that fans might stop buying tickets over the issue.
“People will actually quit buying tickets because this is the narrative they’re trying to push. This is not just about a couple of people being men cheerleaders,” Tuberville said. “It is about pushing a narrative that you want to put gender into sports and let everyone know we’re trying to show, ‘Hey, we’re going to take the masculinity out of it a little bit.’”
The Vikings have publicly supported Shiek and Conn, calling the team “proud” to have them on the sidelines this season.
“Male cheerleaders have been part of previous Vikings teams and have long been associated with collegiate and professional cheerleading,” the Vikings told NBC News. “We support all our cheerleaders and are proud of the role they play as ambassadors of the organization.”
