Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama blasted the NFL and the Minnesota Vikings after the franchise prominently featured two effeminate male cheerleaders on its official channels this month.
The Vikings promoted Louie and Blaize as part of their 2025 and 2026 cheerleading squad.
The flamboyant men are featured in team photos and on affiliated social media accounts.
This is an actual cheerleader for the Minnesota Vikings. 😂 “Blaize” pic.twitter.com/IYxyod9y2S
— Graham Banks Cull (@1GrahamDaily) August 9, 2025
The @Vikings were so inspired by Tim Walz’s jazz hands and leg kicks that they just announced the “next generation of cheer” 😅😬😂
But for real for real. No one is trying to watch dudes with pom poms twerk… pic.twitter.com/H7VM2L7KWi
— AK Kamara (@realakkamara) August 10, 2025
Tuberville, a former college football coach, said the NFL is destroying masculinity in men’s sports.
He made the remarks during an interview on OutKick’s “Hot Mic w/ Hutton & Withrow.”
“I would like to ask the ownership of the NFL and the commissioner, what the hell are you doing?” Tuberville said.
.@CoachForGov: “What the hell are you doing?”
Tommy Tuberville SLAMS the NFL for their woke cheerleader agenda!@OutKickHotMic @HuttonOutkick @TheChadWithrow pic.twitter.com/tpryXXdhMN
— OutKick (@Outkick) August 19, 2025
Do you plan to watch the NFL this season?
He added, “If you’re going to be woke and you’re going to try to take the men out of men’s sports, is what they’re doing. They’re trying to take gender and say, ‘OK we’re going to make it more about gender than we are about masculinity.’ Then you’re going to have a huge problem.”
The Vikings’ inclusion of Louie and Blaize goes further than previous uses of male cheerleaders in the league.
Men have occasionally appeared in support roles on football sidelines, typically for stunts and lifts.
This time, however, the Vikings promoted them as central performers.
Fans say the franchise is ignoring them by elevating wokeness, and some fans have vowed to walk away from the team.
I think these things are just alienating their base. Leave football alone, let fans just enjoy football and leave them alone with social issues and politics!
— TheElectraTrader (@ElectraTrader) August 11, 2025
The Minnesota Vikings HIRED a MALE as their LEAD CHEERLEADER for the 2025-26 NFL football season.
This is just disgusting…pic.twitter.com/D5mLtmLmAq
— Graham Allen (@GrahamAllen_1) August 13, 2025
Bro why do men keep trying to invade women’s spaces in sports????
— The Gambler (@Hail2DaVictas) August 11, 2025
The backlash follows a broader cultural debate over corporations — such as Cracker Barrel — forcing leftism on consumers who have spoken pretty clearly on the matter.
Many fans and consumers have shown that they want a return to traditional values. Brands that moved away from woke messaging have been rewarded.
American Eagle, for example, saw strong support for featuring actress Sydney Sweeney in its campaigns.
Tuberville coached at Auburn, Cincinnati, and Texas Tech.
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