One of the most important roles in sports is calling the game. It’s a huge responsibility to narrate the plays, provide inside information and deliver iconic calls during the big moments. West Essex alumnus Noah Eagle has taken on this role, calling several games for the Brooklyn Nets, NFL Network and even Super Bowl LVIII.
Eagle, a Class of 2015 graduate, is the son of another acclaimed NFL and NBA broadcaster: Ian Eagle, who resides in Essex Fells. Ian has also called Nets games, along with marquee NFL and NCAA men’s basketball games. Having an influence like his father in the broadcast industry has greatly helped him in his career, Noah Eagle said.
“I think that anytime you have a good relationship with a parent, and you see that every morning they’re waking up excited to do their work or to go to work, naturally you’re going to be drawn to that,” Eagle said.
Eagle was an active participant in many clubs at West Essex, especially writing and editing sports stories for The Wessex Wire, doing the morning announcements and hosting Mr. West Essex.
Noah also played basketball for the school and believes that his experience taught him a valuable lesson not just for broadcasting but for life: Nobody is a finished product.
“You might think you’re good, but there can be someone who’s working just as hard, if not harder and is more talented,” Eagle said. “Remembering that there are people who have been there and done that, and listening to them is incredibly important. Learning how to be coachable in the process is vital to your eventual future success.”
While it might be nerve wracking to call a game for a local team, it can be even more stressful to do it in front of millions of people at a big game, like the Super Bowl or a March Madness game. But Eagle’s confidence has hardly wavered in his career, and he believes he’s perfect for such an important job.
The preparation required ahead of time is often an overlooked, yet important aspect of calling a game. Announcers need to know background information about teams, players and more, so they can fill the viewer in. While Eagle initially tried to review everything, he’s gotten a better understanding over time of how to prepare adequately.
After graduating from high school in 2015, Eagle went on to attend the Newhouse School at Syracuse University, a school highly regarded for its prestigious sports broadcasting program. Eagle believes a big reason for this is the competitiveness of the college which pushed him to work hard.
“The friendly competition—it’s healthy competition,” Eagle said. “You know that the person next to you is going to be busting their behind so they can try and take your spot. But at the end of the day, you’re all very much supporting each other and wishing the other one success because you’re all part of that same team again.”
Recently, Eagle took on the big game: Super Bowl LVIII, an overtime thriller between the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs, but with a twist: It was for Nickelodeon, who partnered with the NFL a few years ago to stream the game with an angle toward kids, as SpongeBob SquarePants and Patrick Star voice actors were next to Noah. Eagle, an avid Nickelodeon fan as a kid, relished in the opportunity.
“To sit down and call the biggest game in all of American sports with two of your childhood heroes that don’t exist, that aren’t real in physical form,” Eagle said. “That’s pretty awesome.”
