News
Super Bowl LIII is in the books as the lowest-scoring Super Bowl game ever, but that's not the only reason it's making history. The 2019 Super Bowl had male cheerleaders for the first time — and videos of their practice routines reveal why they've been an awesome addition to the Rams' cheerleading squad.
Napoleon Jinnies and Quinton Peron joined the Los Angeles Rams' cheerleading squad for the 2018-2019 season. NPR reported that they, along with Jesse Hernandez of the New Orleans Saints' cheerleading team, became the first-ever male NFL cheerleaders when they secured spots on their squads last year.
Men have performed as stuntmen with cheerleaders in previous NFL Super Bowl games. However, Super Bowl LIII is the first time that they have ever danced alongside female cheerleaders as full-fledged team members, NPR noted.
Jinnies' and Peron's Twitter accounts reveal that they couldn't wait to be a part of the Super Bowl action. On Jan. 28, Jinnies tweeted, "2018 first male cheerleaders in the NFL. 2019 first male cheerleaders dancing at the Super Bowl. I can’t breath[e]." Peron expressed similar excitement in a Jan. 21 tweet, writing: "Aye Napoleon, you think Atlanta is ready for us? ... NAHHHHHH ... WE’RE GOING TO THE SUPERBOWL!"
For Jinnies, Peron, and their teammates, Super Bowl LIII was a momentous occasion. Indeed, clips of their Super Bowl practices and past performances show just how hard the Rams' cheerleaders worked to make it to this moment.
Prepping For The Big Day
This CBS News clip features a compilation of Rams cheerleaders' practice clips, showing Jinnies and Peron hard at work alongside their teammates.
Opening Night Performance
The Rams' cheerleaders showed off their moves during a Super Bowl Opening Night performance on Jan. 28
Going To The Super Bowl
This CBS Evening news clip, which aired a few days before the game, features practice clips along with an interview with Peron and Jinnies. During the interview, Peron expressed that it was important to him to not shy away from making history as one of the NFL 's first male cheerleaders. "If we're gonna be here, we need to make a statement. Not just stand off in the shadows and get intimidated," he said to CBS Evening News.
Hard At Work
Jinnies, Peron, and their teammates headed to Inside Edition's set to show off some of their Super Bowl dance moves on Jan. 29.
Supporting The Team
ABC News also interviewed Jinnies and Peron ahead of the big game, along with their coach, Emily Leibert. The video offers a glimpse into pre-Super Bowl practices as well as performances from previous games.
During the interview, Jinnies reflected on how the squad's hard work over the past season has paid off. As Jinnies described to ABC:
It's been a crazy ten months. Dancing hard and really engaging with our community and our team and supporting our players ... I can't believe that we made it to this point. I'm pretty sure it's showing off that we've been working pretty hard.
Overall, taking a look at clips from the Rams' cheer squad's practices reveals that the team worked incredibly hard to prepare for Sunday's Super Bowl. For Jinnies, Peron, and all the Rams' cheerleaders, the event was certainly history in the making.
