An NFL team just added the league's first male cheerleaders
Despite coming off an 11-5 season and their first playoff appearance in 13 years, the Rams have decided to shake things up this offseason.
On defense, LA traded away pass rusher Robert Quinn and linebacker Alec Ogletree and added star tackle Ndamukong Suh and cornerbacks Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib.
On offense, the Rams reportedly are in trade talks to acquire one of the most dynamic players in the game, wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.
But the most surprising change involves the team’s cheerleading squad — and it’s not sitting well with a lot of fans.
In an NFL first, the Rams will have men dancing alongside their female counterparts during the 2018 season.
Quinton Peron and Napoleon Jinnies were named to the squad this week.
Congratulations to our 2018 Los Angeles Rams Cheerleaders! pic.twitter.com/gYlXtC0BOd
— Rams Cheerleaders (@LARamsCheer) March 26, 2018
Some teams, including the Baltimore Ravens, have had men who perform stunts with female cheerleaders — tossing them in the air and holding them aloft — but the Rams will be the first to have men performing dance routines with the women.
Peron and Jinnies are suited for the role; both are classically trained dancers, according to USA Today.
The two men appeared on ABC’s “Good Morning America” along with Rams cheerleader captain Emily Leibert to talk about making the team.
“I thought, ‘Why not me? Why can’t I do this?'” Peron said.
Leibert said Peron and Jinnies, both native Californians, were chosen for more than just their dancing ability.
“They really just fit the bill to be a Los Angeles Rams cheerleader. They are intelligent, they are eloquent, they are more than qualified to be ambassadors out in the community,” she said. “They bring so much energy and there’s something so magnetic about their performance, you really can’t take your eyes off them.”
But a lot of fans will want to, judging from the reaction on Twitter.
https://twitter.com/Jroc1738/status/978967326820388864
https://twitter.com/RMcLadd/status/978287343009280000
https://twitter.com/jmuns22/status/978977094767083520
https://twitter.com/itsmylez/status/979084862786285568
SMDH at the LA Rams/@nfl having male cheerleaders now. Doing waaaay too much
— LaFaybeion Brown (@Mr_Brown26) March 28, 2018
LA has been responsible for plenty of trends that spread across the country and annoyed the rest of America. Is this the next?
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