Editing San Francisco 49ers (section)

===Cheerleaders===
{{Main|San Francisco 49ers Gold Rush}}
The 49ers' official cheerleading squad is called the Gold Rush.<ref>{{cite web|title=Gold Rush|url=https://www.49ers.com/cheerleaders/|publisher=NFL Enterprises, LLC|website=49ers.com|access-date=July 1, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190401061816/https://www.49ers.com/cheerleaders/|archive-date=April 1, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>
Started in the early 1980s, the first squad consisted of 14 dancers.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/42843186/the_san_francisco_examiner/|title=More Than Just Rah Rah|newspaper=The San Francisco Examiner|date=December 28, 1983|page=EE2|via=Newspapers.com|last1=Goldberg|first1=Leslie|access-date=January 23, 2020|archive-date=December 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211218084429/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/42843186/the-san-francisco-examiner/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In November 2018, shortly before the start of a game against the Oakland Raiders, a cheerleader for the San Francisco 49ers appeared to kneel during the [[The Star-Spangled Banner|US national anthem]], becoming the first NFL cheerleader to do so.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-46070329|title=NFL cheerleader kneels for US anthem|date=November 2, 2018|work=BBC News|access-date=November 2, 2018|language=en-GB|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181102182548/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-46070329|archive-date=November 2, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> The act of kneeling during the national anthem began with the quarterback Colin Kaepernick to raise awareness about racism and police brutality.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/nov/02/san-francisco-49ers-cheerleader-takes-a-knee-kaepernick-protest|title=Woman becomes first NFL cheerleader to take a knee during national anthem|last=Bekiempis|first=Victoria|date=November 2, 2018|website=The Guardian|language=en|access-date=November 2, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181103000356/https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/nov/02/san-francisco-49ers-cheerleader-takes-a-knee-kaepernick-protest|archive-date=November 3, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>