Being post-1970s myself, I don't remember Rosie Grier, but I have heard of the big football player who did needlepoint. And I've heard there's a current NFL player who crochets.
What is quilting, really? Cutting up fabric and sewing it back together in pattern. What makes that feminine rather than masculine? Nothing I can see.
Chris, you really need to vote with your dollar. If you are not treated right, shop elsewhere. My husband shops with me and often goes to the cutting counter while I poke around. No one has ever given him a hard time, and some people have even chatted him up about what he was making.