Two men will become the first male members of a cheer squad and will dance for the Los Angeles Rams, in a first in NFL history.
While the Colts and the Ravens have male stuntmen, Quinton Peron and Napoleon Jinnies will be the first male dancers for an NFL team, according to the Rams. The classically trained dancers and California natives Peron and Jinnies were two of the 76 finalists that auditioned for a spot on the cheer squad, ABC 7 reports.
Introducing the 2018 #LARams Cheerleaders! 🎉
Presented by: @24hourfitness pic.twitter.com/Vk8rAvrNgK
— Rams Cheerleaders (@LARamsCheer) March 29, 2018
The guys appeared on Good Morning America with their captain, who praised their skills as dancers and ambassadors to the community.
"I was at a Laker game, watching the Laker girls, and I was asking myself, 'Why can't I be down there?' I've danced with girls on various pro teams, so I just thought, Why not me, why can't I do this?" Peron said on the show.
For the first time ever, male cheerleaders will be on the sidelines at @NFL games. We're talking live with the newest recruits and trailblazers from the @RamsNFL cheerleading squad! pic.twitter.com/t8DKzohFuX
— Good Morning America (@GMA) March 28, 2018
Molly Higgins, a Rams vice president, took to Twitter to celebrate.
She tweeted: “Grateful to be part of an organization w/ a long-standing commitment to diversity, inclusion & breaking down barriers and grateful for the inspiration that @LARamsCheer including Quinton and Napoleon can provide to today's youth!”
Early morning moments of gratitude with @GMA. Grateful to be part of an organization w/ a long-standing commitment to diversity, inclusion & breaking down barriers and grateful for the inspiration that @LARamsCheer including Quinton & Napoleon can provide for today’s youth! pic.twitter.com/ld4yxni9My
— Molly Higgins (@CalMolls) March 28, 2018
Jinnies and Peron will dance from the sidelines for the Rams starting in this season. The team is currently building a stadium in Inglewood that is slated to open in 2020.
Watch Quinton dance during his audition for the Rams cheer squad here:
A post shared by Quinton Peron (@itsaquintonthing) on
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