What Exactly is a Cheesehead?

A generic response to the question posed in the title of this post might simply state that a cheesehead is a fan of the Green Bay Packer football team. According to the dictionary a fan is someone with a strong interest in a sport, art form or famous person. The term strong interest does not begin to describe a cheesehead. Looking further, one might discover the term fan is derived from fanatic. This is getting closer.

We train cheeseheads before they can walk.

First, there is the unparalleled nature of a professional football in a working class community of slightly more than 100,000. Recent expansion of Lambeau Field, where the Packers play, makes it possible to hold more than three quarters of these citizens at each and every game. Few high school stadiums can make such a claim. Not only is the city of Green Bay, the smallest city with a major sports franchise, but also the team is owned by a group of stockholders, mostly residents of Wisconsin, rather than an individual. Many of these stockholders are some of the most notable cheeseheads.

The "G" is for Green Bay, not General Foods.

Second, cheeseheads are incredibly loyal. Real cheeseheads don’t turn in their jerseys for Jets or Vikings paraphernalia just because one of the players who retires decides to return, but decides he won’t compete to get his job back and deserts his fans for cities that hand the car keys over to the whiny kid. In the same way, they continue to cheer for their team even after three straight losses. Such is the case this week. It comes as the result of an injury to their star quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, who was one of only 3 quarterbacks to start for the Packers during the previous 340 games (approximately 20 years). With the loss of Rodgers, the team was led by the third starting quarterback in as many games. Many young cheeseheads have never endured a losing streak like this before now.

Packers Helmets as well as Cheeseheads
are always in style.

Third, some cheeseheads have been through ups and downs, and downs and ups and are as tough as Wisconsin weather in winter is cold.  Those of us, like myself, who grew up with Vince Lombardi (fondly remembered as St. Vincent), have the Packer sweep, which was both a running play that rumbled for long yardage and a winning a series of winning streaks that ran for several seasons, emblazoned on our cheese coated cerebral cortexes. We endured the likes of Don Horn, Jerry Tagge, Scott Hunter, Jim Del Gaizo, John Hadl, Jack Concannon, Lynn Dickey, Carlos Brown, David Whitehurst, Jim Zorn, Alan Risher, Randy Wright, Anthony Dilweg, Mike Tomczak and Don Majkowski starting at quarterback for the previous two decades, and that’s not to mention the three guys who only started one game apiece. During this time period these quarterbacks set records for the number of times they found themselves flat on their backs due to the gaping holes in the offensive line. After enduring such a devastating drought, veteran cheeseheads find themselves prepared to hunker down and await the return of the usually durable Rodgers.

Finally, a cheesehead is a person who thinks he looks distinguished wearing a pie shaped slab of foam rubber with holes carved in it to resemble Swiss cheese, but dyed to a bright yellow reminiscent of cheddar.  Whether attending mass at the local Catholic Church, sitting on a stool with a shot and a beer at a nearby tavern, or standing over a Hibachi grill turning bratwurst in the parking lot, the cheesehead is properly attired with foam wedge on his or her head.

            So, look out Vikings. You may have the greatest running back ever to play the game, but no matter how many guys you dress in those silly horned helmets, they’re no match for the cheeseheads.