Noah Eagle opted for a local sound in the NFL’s international opener.
The veteran broadcaster, calling Thursday’s Rams-49ers game for Netflix from Melbourne, Australia, pronounced the name of the Victorian capital as “Mel-bin.”
Eagle’s attempt to sound like an Aussie didn’t exactly go over well with viewers of the internationally streamed game.
“Love Noah Eagle but if he says ‘Melbin’ one more time, so help me God,” SBNation’s Jarrett Bailey wrote on X.
“Why is Noah Eagle pronouncing Melbourne like he has an Australian accent,” another X user wondered.
The reviews for the New Jersey native and son of play-by-play legend Ian Eagle weren’t all bad.
“It’s also the proper way to say it, say the Aussie locals,” one viewer wrote. “Also, it’s a global audience with the same PxP crew of Noah Eagle & Luke Kuechly for all English speaking viewers.”
“That’s exactly how you pronounce it,” added another. “Shoutout to Noah Eagle for calling a great game and pronouncing Melbourne correctly throughout the entire broadcast.”
The “Mel-bin” of it all wasn’t the only viral moment coming from the Netflix booth in San Francisco’s 27-7 win from Down Under.
Eagle appeared to call 49ers rookie De’Zhaun Stribling “Daejon,” a potential mix-up with the infamous imposter who posed as an NFLer while allegedly swindling over $1 million from dozens of women — while wearing 49ers garb.
The broadcast booth of Eagle and Pro Football Hall of Famer Luke Kuechly also drew some laughs for the pairing, with Kuechly, at 6-foot-3, towering over his partner.
