There’s been a peculiar debate within the National Football League this season about effeminate men joining cheerleading squads. What was initially thought to be a way to generate a new fan base has turned into a political message.

The Minnesota Vikings are aggressively promoting Louie Conn and Blaize Shiek, the newest members of the team’s cheerleading squad. Both men have been the focus of massive online criticism – especially after they filmed a video inside the ladies’ room.

The video shows the men shaking their pom-poms in a bathroom with two female cheerleaders.

Critics accused the NFL of mocking parents and female athletes who have waged a fierce campaign to ban boys from girls’ locker rooms and bathrooms. Many are now wondering if the NFL is using male cheerleaders to send a political message of its own.

Former Vikings player Jack Brewer accused the team of attempting to manipulate and confuse children by including men on the cheer squads.

“This is purely an attempt to manipulate young children, to overtake the minds of young children with this spiritual evilness,” Brewer told Fox News. “They are teaching young boys that it’s okay to have pom-poms and cheer and act like women.”

Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), the former head coach of the Auburn Tigers, told OutKick Sports that fans might begin to cancel season tickets as a result of the NFL’s gender-bending agenda.

“People will actually quit buying tickets because this is the narrative they’re trying to push. This is not just about a couple of people being men cheerleaders,” Tuberville said. “It is about pushing a narrative that you want to put gender into sports and let everyone know we’re trying to show, ‘Hey, we’re going to take the masculinity out of it a little bit.’”

Todd Starnes is an award-winning journalist, best-selling author, and host of The Todd Starnes Radio Show.