Pro sports remain one of the last bastions of rigid masculinity. Athletes are celebrated as the ultimate “real men,” and fans police that culture with jeers and slurs. It’s a space where gay men - whether or not they are masculine - are still seen as outsiders, not equals.
That’s why male cheerleaders matter. They could challenge this culture — but only if they project strength and leadership, as their predecessors did in the 1920s–40s, when the role was masculine and commanding.
When men mimic their female teammates, they get slotted beneath women in the patriarchal order, making them easy targets for ridicule. That doesn’t destabilize the NFL’s culture; it reinforces it.
The real challenge to patriarchy would be male cheerleaders who were attractive in a conventionally masculine way — visibly manly, confident, and yes, gay. That would be far more transgressive than confirming homophobic stereotypes. Which would unsettle the NFL more: a Rock Hudson archetype, or the caricature its fans already expect?
Aww, are those cute boys getting in the way of men who want to ogle women?
If shaking your T&A is "proudly feminine," that's not entertainment I support. I say if the job of cheerleading is to sexually excite men, then the cheer squad may as well have some gay men on it.
As George Perry pointed out though, this is an adjacent concept. Blaize does not claim to be a woman, and depending on how far back in history you want to go, may actually be resurrecting a traditionally male role
This is the part that fries my bacon. There are likely some more experienced women on the squad but the one man is chosen? For his leadership qualities? Not at all because he's male?
Hm, so what you're saying is we should start taking bets on how long it'll be until a male NFL cheerleader files a good ol' on-the-basis-of-sex discrimination lawsuit with the EEOC claiming that he was passed over for promotion to cheer captain despite years on the squad, high levels of performance / ratings / evaluations, community outreach, social media followers, etc.
On behalf of the Women on his squad, I can only hope that the presence of his male self ends up exerting some sort of upward pressure on wages (“market forces", She said, with the world's most massive finger quotes). NFL cheerleaders work grueling, highly irregular hours—overwhelmingly evenings and weekends—for miserably low pay, so that’d at least be kinda nice even if it came with the chef's kiss of only happening because dudeski.
.
TBH I don't rlly get the magnitude of the outrage here (unlike in the case of the Carolina Panthers cheerleader who pretends he's a woman). Male cheerleaders and “yell leaders” are nothing new—they're a necessary part of any cheer squad in the South, where cheer is a competitive sport (who else could possibly be the bottom row of one of those human pyramids?)—and even if we're considering dance teams as a separate enterprise, NBA dance teams have been co-ed for almost their entire existence. The Dallas Mavericks have even had an ALL-male dance team for, I wanna say, 25 years now.
Maybe the pompoms are part of what's getting the visceral reaction? This is admittedly the first time in my entire life I've ever seen a boy with poms. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Vestal virgins were tasked by ancient Romans with maintaining the sacred hearth fire, symbolized by the flare of pom-poms, here before gladiators fought symbolic battles to cathartize violence.
Keep in mind if the vestal virgins had sex they were buried alive and the partner was beaten to death.
One must always keep in mind what is going on when one wants to refer to tradition. I’m sure everyone recalls ancient history from elementary school, eh?
Pro sports remain one of the last bastions of rigid masculinity. Athletes are celebrated as the ultimate “real men,” and fans police that culture with jeers and slurs. It’s a space where gay men - whether or not they are masculine - are still seen as outsiders, not equals.
That’s why male cheerleaders matter. They could challenge this culture — but only if they project strength and leadership, as their predecessors did in the 1920s–40s, when the role was masculine and commanding.
When men mimic their female teammates, they get slotted beneath women in the patriarchal order, making them easy targets for ridicule. That doesn’t destabilize the NFL’s culture; it reinforces it.
The real challenge to patriarchy would be male cheerleaders who were attractive in a conventionally masculine way — visibly manly, confident, and yes, gay. That would be far more transgressive than confirming homophobic stereotypes. Which would unsettle the NFL more: a Rock Hudson archetype, or the caricature its fans already expect?
Aww, are those cute boys getting in the way of men who want to ogle women?
If shaking your T&A is "proudly feminine," that's not entertainment I support. I say if the job of cheerleading is to sexually excite men, then the cheer squad may as well have some gay men on it.
His name is *Blaize Sheik*? You can't make this stuff up.
Imagine if one of the Female cheerleaders was called Candi Caliph.
This is definitely a stripper name, or so I've heard.
The Carolina Panthers have a man cosplaying as a woman on their cheerleader squad.
As George Perry pointed out though, this is an adjacent concept. Blaize does not claim to be a woman, and depending on how far back in history you want to go, may actually be resurrecting a traditionally male role
And he was chosen over all the Women to be the captain of the squad, because of course he was. 🙄
This is the part that fries my bacon. There are likely some more experienced women on the squad but the one man is chosen? For his leadership qualities? Not at all because he's male?
Hm, so what you're saying is we should start taking bets on how long it'll be until a male NFL cheerleader files a good ol' on-the-basis-of-sex discrimination lawsuit with the EEOC claiming that he was passed over for promotion to cheer captain despite years on the squad, high levels of performance / ratings / evaluations, community outreach, social media followers, etc.
Totally coincidental, surely. 🙄
On behalf of the Women on his squad, I can only hope that the presence of his male self ends up exerting some sort of upward pressure on wages (“market forces", She said, with the world's most massive finger quotes). NFL cheerleaders work grueling, highly irregular hours—overwhelmingly evenings and weekends—for miserably low pay, so that’d at least be kinda nice even if it came with the chef's kiss of only happening because dudeski.
.
TBH I don't rlly get the magnitude of the outrage here (unlike in the case of the Carolina Panthers cheerleader who pretends he's a woman). Male cheerleaders and “yell leaders” are nothing new—they're a necessary part of any cheer squad in the South, where cheer is a competitive sport (who else could possibly be the bottom row of one of those human pyramids?)—and even if we're considering dance teams as a separate enterprise, NBA dance teams have been co-ed for almost their entire existence. The Dallas Mavericks have even had an ALL-male dance team for, I wanna say, 25 years now.
Maybe the pompoms are part of what's getting the visceral reaction? This is admittedly the first time in my entire life I've ever seen a boy with poms. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Vestal virgins were tasked by ancient Romans with maintaining the sacred hearth fire, symbolized by the flare of pom-poms, here before gladiators fought symbolic battles to cathartize violence.
Keep in mind if the vestal virgins had sex they were buried alive and the partner was beaten to death.
One must always keep in mind what is going on when one wants to refer to tradition. I’m sure everyone recalls ancient history from elementary school, eh?