Male cheerleaders went viral across the NFL this weekend, and the story being told about them is not accurate. Eleven NFL teams have male cheerleaders in 2026 — the Ravens, Rams, Vikings, Patriots, Saints, Eagles, 49ers, Seahawks, Buccaneers, Titans and Commanders. Roughly a third of the league, and it has been roughly a third of the league for years. The Los Angeles Rams and New Orleans Saints added male dancers in 2018. Two Rams cheerleaders performed at Super Bowl LIII in February 2019. The Philadelphia Eagles had two male cheerleaders back in 1984 at Veterans Stadium, and Kyle Tanguay made the squad in 2019 as the first in 35 years. A widely shared post this week described a New England Patriots male cheerleader as the team's first. The Patriots added two male cheerleaders in April 2019, reported at the time by the Boston Globe. The same outrage cycle ran in August 2025 against the Minnesota Vikings, who responded with a statement pointing out that male cheerleaders had been ...