Ian Eagle is widely regarded as one of the best broadcasters in all of sports for his ability to expertly break down what he is seeing in different sports. But on the radio call of the Thursday Night Football matchup between the Detroit Lions and the Green Bay Packers, Eagle’s ability to take a topic other broadcasters would likely ignore and highlight it brilliantly was on full display.
Thursday’s matchup between the Lions and Packers was a meaningful one for several reasons. Only two games separate the two teams in the ultra-competitive NFC North. And when you add in the fact that the two teams are bitter rivals, there was no love lost between both players on the two teams and the two fanbases involved.
This was highlighted by an on-field interaction between Packers head coach Matt LaFleur and a Lions fan who was on the field holding the flag for the national anthem where the two were seen jawing back and forth at one another.
By the time the game kicked off, Lions fans weren’t shy in sharing their contempt for the Packers. Several fans in particular were seen on the Amazon Prime Video broadcast of the game with a block of cheese and a cheese grater, which of course is a dig toward Packers fans, who are commonly referred to as cheeseheads.
This fan came prepared 😂 pic.twitter.com/x5ZEzV7oo3
— NFL on Prime Video (@NFLonPrime) December 6, 2024
It’s unclear whether Eagle and his on-air partner on Thursday, Ross Tucker, saw this fan in particular. But they did highlight a fan with cheese and a grater on the radio call of the game on Westwood One Sports, sparking a conversation as to how someone got into the stadium with a cheese grater.
“There is a dude in the stands that brought actual cheese and a grater,” said Eagle. “Which I am surprised he got through security with a grater. But he’s grating cheese.”
“He probably shouldn’t be allowed to bring a grater in,” added Tucker. “I don’t know how much damage you can do with a grater.”
“You can puncture some skin,” replied Eagle. “I believe that.”
Ever think you’d hear play-by-play of a fan grating cheese?
This one even surprised us. 🧀
Thank you Ian Eagle & @RossTuckerNFL 🤣 pic.twitter.com/y1l746JrZZ
— Westwood One Sports (@westwood1sports) December 6, 2024
Anyone who has ever cut their finger on a cheese grater knows exactly what Eagle is talking about… And it sounds like Eagle himself may have some experience in that department.
Even if the grater is allowed inside the stadium, which is questionable to say the least, you would think that getting an entire block of cheese would also be quite difficult to sneak in. Apparently, when it comes to food-related insults towards Packers fans, bringing food into the stadium is fair game at Ford Field.
Regardless, fans listening to the game on Westwood One probably heard play-by-play commentary of a cheese-grating fan for the first, and probably the last time thanks to Eagle.
[Westwood One Sports on X, Photo Credit: Prime Video/NFL on CBS on YouTube]
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.