ESPN drew the ire of some NFL fans Monday night when its coverage showed a cheerleader cheering on the San Francisco 49ers.
The Lions cruised to a 40-34 victory over the Niners at Levi's Stadium in a Monday Night Football thriller, meaning the battle for the NFC's No. 1 seed will come down to Detroit's matchup 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 49ers cheerleader, Jon, waving his pom-poms with Gold Rush during the second quarter of the game.
And the split-second shot of the only male entertainer on the sidelines sparked a homophobic and misogynistic meltdown on social media.
“I just saw a male cheerleader at the Monday night football game, why am I not surprised he's cheering for the 49ers?” wrote one social media user on X, formerly known as Twitter.
A look at 49ers beer cheerleader Jon on ESPN 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 television,” added another, apparently outraged.
'I didn't know the 49ers have gay cheerleaders. “Once that’s seen, it can’t be undone,” chimed in a third.
“Please don't tell me the 49ers have men full of cheerleaders, not the ones who do the stunts but the ones who actually do the cheers and the dances,” another posted, seeming to take issue with Jon's participation in the routines.
Jon is not the first man to make the Gold Rush roster. Previously, Jonathan Romero became the 49ers' first male cheerleader before hanging up his pom-poms at the end of last season after cheering at the Super Bowl.
However, others seemed surprised by a male cheerleader dancing and cheering at the NFL level when one asked, 'Did I just see a 49ers cheerleader?'
'Was he a male entertainer? #fttb #49ers,” another echoed, adding a GIF of President Joe Biden looking confused.
'When did the NFL get male cheerleaders?' asked one.
The split-second shot of the only male entertainer on the sidelines sparked backlash.
Well, male cheerleaders cheering in the league is not a new thing. In fact, while Jonathan and Jon were cheering on 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 Los Angeles Rams counterparts.
The duo opened the door to greater inclusion and when the Rams won Super Bowl LVI, they made history with five gay cheerleaders on their bench.
Justine Lindsay made history as the NFL's first transgender cheerleader in 2022 when she began cheering for the Carolina Panthers.