Why do the fans of Green Bay Packers wear Cheese Hats?

The Green Bay Packers, one of the strongest contenders in the NFL, have one of the most honest fanbases. But why do Packers fans wear cheese hats and are referred to as 'Cheeseheads'?

If you have ever seen a Green Bay Packers game, you will find fans wearing hats shaped like cheese. It might look funny, but they wear these cheese hats with pride. The tradition originated from the fact that the state of Wisconsin is world-famous for its cheese production.

If Wisconsin was a country, it would be the fourth-largest producer of cheese in the world. As of now, 26% of American cheese is produced in Wisconsin alone. While it might seem rude to call someone a cheesehead, Green Bay Packers fans have proudly accepted cheese as their emblem.

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How did cheese hats become popular among Green Bay Packers fans?

In the early 1900s, Wisconsin saw a rise in its cheese industry, which attracted immigrants from other cheese-loving countries such as Italy, Germany, and Switzerland. By the 1920s, there were approximately 3,000 cheese factories in Wisconsin alone.

As the state became the primary producer of cheese, the term 'cheeseheads' was used to insult the people living there. On one of the first occasions, the term was used to insult Milwaukee Brewers fans in 1987.

It was in the same year that Ralph Bruno had the idea to create cheese-shaped hats. Bruno had enough of people calling his home baseball team, the Brewers, and their fans 'Cheeseheads'. So, while fixing his mother's couch, he had an idea to make cheese hats out of leftover foam by painting them a yellow color. The next day, he went out to see a Brewers-White Sox game and wore the hat, initiating the Wisconsin tradition.

The people of Wisconsin wear these hats not only to Packers games, but to every sporting event that takes place in their state. The cheese hats were instant hits and Bruno had to leave his job to start his cheese hat factory.