ESPN drew the ire of some NFL fans Monday night when its coverage showed a male cheerleader cheering for the San Francisco 49ers.
The Lions earned a 40-34 victory over the Niners at Levi’s Stadium in a Monday Night Football thriller, meaning the battle for the NFC No. 1 seed will come down to Detroit’s showdown against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.
However, it wasn’t the high-stakes action on the field that caught the attention of some viewers at home.
The ESPN broadcast glimpsed a male cheerleader for the 49ers, Jon, shaking his pom-poms with the Gold Rush during the second quarter of the game.
And the split-second shot from the lone male cheerleader on the sidelines caused a homophobic and misogynistic meltdown on social media.
“I just saw a male cheerleader at the football on Monday night, why am I not surprised that ‘it’ is cheering for the 49ers,” wrote a social media user on X, formerly known as Twitter.
A glimpse of 49ers ale cheerleader Jon on ESPN’s coverage sparked an online meltdown
Previously, Jonathan Romero became the first male cheerleader to cheer on the Niners
“The damn 49ers just showed a guy as a cheerleader on national TV,” another added, seemingly indignant.
“I didn’t know the 49ers had gay cheerleaders. Once that is seen, it cannot be unseen,” said a third.
“Please don’t tell me the 49ers have guys that are so full of cheerleaders, not the ones who work out for the acrobatics, but who actually cheer and dance,” another posted, appearing to dispute Jon’s involvement in the routines.
Jon isn’t the first man to make the Gold Rush roster. Previously, Jonathan Romero became the first male cheerleader for the 49ers before hanging up his poms after cheering in the Super Bowl at the end of last season.
Still, others seemed shocked when a male cheerleader danced and cheered at an NFL level when someone wondered, “Did I just see a dude cheerleader for the 49ers?”
“Was that a male cheerleader? #fttb #49ers,” another chimed in, adding a GIF of President Joe Biden looking confused.
“When did the NFL get male cheerleaders?” someone asked.
The single-second shot from the only male cheerleader on the sideline caused a backlash
Well, male cheerleaders cheering in competition is not a new occurrence. In fact, while Jonathan and Jon cheered for the Gold Rush, they were even the first to do so in the NFL.
Quinton Peron and Napoleon Jinnies broke the gender stereotype in sports in 2018 when they became the first male NFL cheerleaders to dance and cheer alongside their female counterparts for the Los Angeles Rams.
The duo opened the door to greater inclusivity and when the Rams won Super Bowl LVI, they made history with five gay cheerleaders on their sidelines.
Justine Lindsay made history as the NFL’s first transgender cheerleader in 2022 when she started cheering for the Carolina Panthers.