EA Day—a pinnacle of each year at Haverford and a long-standing tradition—unites the community in maroon-and-gold school spirit.
Not every aspect of EA Day is tightly bound by tradition, however. Fifth Former Alex Scharpf represents a change, continuing his new practice as football game commentator. While Scharpf has been a commentator for this season’s football games, his role for EA Day comes with additional planning and other considerations.
So, how much pressure does he feel livestreaming what thousands will hear?
“A little bit, but I don’t think, announcing-wise, it’s all that different from the other games. I have to stress if I’m saying this or that the correct way. I got my dad there helping out. Most of the stress comes from whether the team is winning or not, and I’m there for entertainment value.”
“I’m going to play it straight, but I might have a few more EA Day-related comments, but generally the reporting will be the same.”
Alex Scharpf ’27
Despite the added pressure, Scharpf believes his role will not change on EA Day.
“I’m going to play it straight, but I might have a few more EA Day-related comments, but generally the reporting will be the same,” Scharpf said.
Scharpf understands that his main duty as a commentator is to inject energy and electricity into the stands.
“That’s the hope as an announcer. I’m hoping to energize the team and audience whenever the team does something good, and I’m hoping to do this next year as well.”
“Throughout the year, the size of our crowds can vary based on the day of the game, but when it comes to EA Day, the crowd will be one of, if not the, largest crowds of the season.”
Mr. Michael Murphy
What hasn’t changed on the field is the presence of Athletic Director Mr. Michael Murphy. Murphy, while recognizing some of the challenges in putting together an event like EA Day, welcomes the crowd size and the energy.
“For me, as the athletic director, the preparation is pretty much the same except that we must figure in the difference for the amount of spectators that will be there for that game,” Mr. Murphy said. “Throughout the year, the size of our crowds can vary based on the day of the game, but when it comes to EA Day, the crowd will be one of, if not the, largest crowds of the season.”
Another consideration for Mr. Murphy is to prepare our teams for victory.
“I always used to tell my players that it won’t be the team that is most fired up at the start of the game, but the one that can sustain that level of energy throughout the entire game, that will make us the best in the end,” Mr. Murphy said. “Execution is key in those games.”
A defining feature of the student body is the haircut tradition, where students shave their heads or get wacky haircuts to support their friends playing a sport.
“The vibe you get from EA Day is hot. It all starts when I buzz my head.”
Packy Rouse ’26
Student Body President Packy Rouse believes this tradition brings the community together and makes the day memorable.
“The vibe you get from EA Day is hot,” Rouse said. “It all starts when I buzz my head. When I shave that thing down, and I come to school the next day and see 300 other students who also shaved their heads, it feels amazing, especially when we all do that together.”
“I personally have shaved my head before. I plan on doing that again. I think it’s a great way to bring guys together in the brotherhood,” Sixth Former J.C. Chapman said.
However, some people believe these haircuts are not always what is best for students.
“I think that haircuts are actually pretty harmful,” Science Department Chair Dr. Daniel Goduti said. “It feels like hazing, and it feels like some students are being asked to do something they don’t wish to do. So that’s worrying.”
Dean of Students Mr. Luqman Kolade also believes haircuts are unnecessary.
“It’s funny to me that students think that something that has been happening for two-to-three years is a tradition. To me, the haircuts are stupid, and they have been happening way more recently than you would believe, but I don’t think they were nearly as widespread when I first started at Haverford.”
Upper School Head Mr. Mark Fifer believes that boundaries need to be set when it comes to haircuts.
“We need to have parameters with those kinds of practices. We obviously don’t want people to feel like they need to do something that they don’t want to do.”
“The key for EA Day haircuts is that it stays an optional thing; the real damage is when you require people to do it. But if it is with people consenting, it is a great thing.”
Tommy Gowen ’26
Honor Council Chairman Tommy Gowen agrees with Mr. Fifer.
“The key for EA Day haircuts is that it stays an optional thing; the real damage is when you require people to do it,” Gowen said. “But if it is with people consenting, it is a great thing.”
Another key tradition for EA week is the EA Day video. The Sixth Form typically mimics their teachers and films a short comedy video to promote EA Day spirit. Many people believe the videos encompass humor and community bonding.
“Every year, we get to see a new grade showcase their work, and it is also a fun way to get started. It also shows a sense of community, which is a contrast to the competitiveness of the event,” Fifth Former Anantivir Othie said. “Even though there are some inside jokes in it, I still believe it’s a really funny video.”
Some faculty and students, though, believe that the video is not inclusive of the entire Sixth Form and is sometimes even disrespectful.
“The EA video has potential to be really community-building, but recently it’s felt like it’s just about a select group of seniors, not the whole community. It ends up being about a few guys who think they’re really funny, and the video reflects only their sense of humor—without recognizing that there are 400-something kids in the school who might not think it’s funny,” Mr. Kolade said.
“The video has crept into content that is not school-appropriate and does not meet the objectives of bringing the community together in meaningful ways,” Mr. Fifer said. “I think it’s hard to put together a school-appropriate video that is funny and can bring the community together.”
However, Gowen is working on a video that attempts to address all of these controversies.
“We are definitely tackling a lot of the criticisms in years past of previous videos. I can’t talk too much about it, but there will be one scene at the end where we texted in the grade group chat, ‘anyone who wants to be in this last scene, please show up,’” Gowen said.
Gowen explained how he handled the challenge of not being able to include everyone in the video.
“We have a lot of different people involved, we have people from each sport involved, of course, we have to pick a few kids to have roles, but you will definitely see a lot more faces than in years past,” Gowen said.
“I’d say [rivalries] are all positive, I think it brings us together, it strengthens us, and makes our brotherhood stronger.”
Packy Rouse ’26
“For our plot, it will be entirely Haverford-based, and there will be no inside jokes. It is humor that I think will really apply to the school, and that people will find enjoyable.”
Overall, the community feels that EA Day has a positive impact on the school.
“I’d say [rivalries] are all positive, I think it brings us together, it strengthens us, and makes our brotherhood stronger,” Rouse said.
“I think EA Week overall makes this place great,” Mr. Kolade said. “For kids who are new to Haverford and have never seen this before, it’s awesome. This is the perfect way to understand that this is what they’re talking about. This is what brotherhood means. This is what it really means to go to Haverford.”
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