In 2025, the NFL is seeing a significant increase in male cheerleaders across multiple teams.
The Minnesota Vikings added two male dancers for 2025: Blaize Shiek and Louie Conn. However, they are far from the only ones to start adding men to the squad.
With the NFL regular season just weeks away, excitement is building across the league. While preseason games are keeping fans engaged, an off-field development is catching social media’s attention.
It began with the Vikings announcing that two male cheerleaders had joined the Minnesota Vikings Cheerleaders (MVC) for the 2025 season.
While many praised the move as a step forward for inclusivity and representation in the NFL, others expressed frustration, with some even threatening to cancel season tickets or boycott the team.
Many other fan bases are now finding out that their favorite team also employs men as well.
According to Outsports, 12 teams will reportedly have male cheerleaders on the squad during the 2025 season, up from seven teams in 2024.
Here’s the full list of teams with male cheerleaders in 2025:
🚨🚨JUST IN🚨🚨
12 #NFL TEAMS WILL REPORTEDLY HAVE MALE CHEERLEADERS ON THEIR CHEERLEADING SQUAD THIS SEASON.
• #Vikings
• #Ravens
• #Rams
• #Saints
• #Eagles
• #49ers
• #Patriots
• #Titans
• #Colts
• #Chiefs
• #Buccaneers
• #PanthersThe most ever in NFL history. pic.twitter.com/A0agGixcwp
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) August 11, 2025
The Baltimore Ravens are the prototype when it comes to inclusion.
The Ravens have consecutively used men on their cheer squad longer than seemingly any other NFL cheer squad, dating back over a decade.
In fact, the Baltimore Ravens have a record 19 male cheerleaders on their dance squad for the 2025 NFL season. The New Orleans Saints come close as they will have 11 men on their cheer squad for the 2025 season.