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Meet the Male Cheerleaders Joining the Patriots Cheer Team
Driss Dallahi and Steven Sonntag are the first two male cheerleaders the New England Patriots have had in a long, long, long time!
The New England Patriots' cheerleading squad is taking a step to become a little more inclusive with the introduction of two men to the team!
Driss Dallahi and Steven Sonntag are the two newest additions to the Super Bowl-winning NFL team's cheerleading roster, a move that was announced late last month.
"Two genders on the squad is a big step for any team in the NFL because that’s not what people are used to seeing sidelines," Sonntag told NBC's Boston affiliate WBTS, who points out the Patriots haven't had male cheerleaders since the '80s. "So I encourage it to progress even more across the NFL board."
"They were not selected because they were the first men to try out, " Patriots cheerleading director Tracy Sormanti said when asked about Driss and Steven's auditioning process. "They were selected because they actually had the talent."
The news of Driss and Steven becoming official Patriots cheerleaders comes on the heels of the Los Angeles Rams' Quinton Peron and Napoleon Jinnies making headlines for being the first-ever male cheerleaders to cheer during a Super Bowl game.
Hopefully this opens the door for the next generation of boys who want to become professional cheerleaders to stick with their dream!
Congratulations, guys! We can't wait to see you slay the sidelines this football season!
Raffy is a Los Angeles-based writer, editor, video creator, critic, and digital director of Out Magazine. The former editor-in-chief of PRIDE, he is also a die-hard Rihanna and Sailor Moon stan who loves to write about all things pop culture, entertainment, and identities. Follow him on Instagram (@raffyermac) and Twitter (@byraffy), and subscribe to his YouTube channel.
Raffy is a Los Angeles-based writer, editor, video creator, critic, and digital director of Out Magazine. The former editor-in-chief of PRIDE, he is also a die-hard Rihanna and Sailor Moon stan who loves to write about all things pop culture, entertainment, and identities. Follow him on Instagram (@raffyermac) and Twitter (@byraffy), and subscribe to his YouTube channel.
