SAN FRANCISCO — There is one male cheerleader on the San Francisco 49ers this season, and the Sacramento native will be performing Sunday in the Super Bowl.
Jonathan Romero, of Sacramento, will perform with the Gold Rush cheer squad throughout the game as the 49ers face the Kansas City Chiefs at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
Romero, a home designer, used to perform with Sac Dance Lab on Tribute Road, and he taught heels instruction at the school in 2022, per the lab’s website. He graduated from Sacramento State with a degree in interior architecture, according to the 49er website.
The 2023 to 2024 season is his second with the team, the 49ers said.
Some of his teammates are also from in or around the Sacramento area, including:
- Hana, an Elk Grove native and gynecologic oncology medical clerk who graduated from Sacramento State. She is in her fifth season with the Bay Area team.
- Megan, a San Diego native and dermatology sales consultant who graduated from Sacramento State. She is also in her fifth season with the 49ers.
- Samantha, a Fairfield native and project manager who graduated from Fullerton. Like Romero, she is with the team for her second season.
NFL cheerleaders were almost exclusively women, except for a few stuntmen, until 2018 when Quinton Peron and Napoleon Jinnies joined the Los Angeles Rams cheer squad, according to CNN. In 2024, the Rams have seven male or male-presenting cheerleaders on the squad.
Peron and Jinnies made NFL history as the first male cheerleaders to perform at a Super Bowl in February 2019 in a game that saw the New England Patriots defeat the Rams 13-3, according to the NFL.
Romero is the first and only male cheerleader in the Gold Rush, according to OutSports.com.
For more 49ers Super Bowl coverage, stream ABC10+ on your TV for free:
► Roku - click here
► Amazon Fire - click here
► Apple TV - click here
The Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears, Cleveland Browns, Green Bay Packers, Los Angeles Chargers and Pittsburgh Steelers have no cheerleaders in 2024, according to Jeffrey May, a sports writer for the Spanish publication, As.
May reported the New York Giants have never featured a cheerleading squad.
The New York Jets’ Flight Crew has not posted on any major social media accounts since March 2022.
The following teams employ the corresponding amount of male or male-presenting cheerleaders:
- Baltimore Ravens: 19
- New Orleans Saints: 18
- Washington Commanders: 13
- Los Angeles Rams: 7
- Tennessee Titans: 7
- Seattle Seahawks: 5
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 3
- Atlanta Falcons: 2
- Carolina Panthers: 2
- New England Patriots: 2
- Philadelphia Eagles: 2
- Arizona Cardinals: 0
- Cincinnati Bengals: 0
- Denver Broncos: 0
- Detroit Lions: 0
- Dallas Cowboys: 0
- Houston Texans: 0
- Indianapolis Colts: 0
- Jacksonville Jaguars: 0
- Kansas City Chiefs: 0
- Las Vegas Raiders: 0
- Miami Dolphins: 0
- Minnesota Vikings: 0
