For decades, our school has carried down traditions of support and brotherhood.
One of the most meaningful ways we can honor that legacy is by filling the stands for one another and strengthening school spirit. It is vital for the school and our brothers that we support one another. One of the best ways to do it is by showing up to games. As we reflect on the fall season, we are left to wonder—are some traditions beginning to fade?
There are roughly 450 students in the Upper School, yet a crowd of just 100 is often considered a great turnout. This fall, the football team played ten games, split evenly between home and away matchups. Understandably, not everyone wants to trek to SCHA on the weekend and deal with the traffic to get there and back home. But home games are a different story; they should be packed with students on any given weekend. Some students might argue that they are not football fans, or they are busy that day. However, people need to understand that it is not as much about football as it is about our brotherhood.
Weekend games provide everyone a fair opportunity to attend and enjoy. No classes, practices, or other school conflicts overlap. If timing isn’t the issue, then what is?
Where are all the students? Every home venue this fall occurred on Saturday afternoons at 1 p.m., except for a single Friday game on September 19th, when they played at 3:30. Weekend games provide everyone a fair opportunity to attend and enjoy. No classes, practices, or other school conflicts overlap. If timing isn’t the issue, then what is?
Of course, some games naturally draw bigger crowds. Malvern and Episcopal will always reign as the most anticipated matchups. The Episcopal football game lands on EA Day every year, and this year, the Malvern game landed on Saturday, October 18th. Still, every game should have the kind of attendance those games have.
Students need to recognize that while football is being played on the field, football itself isn’t the point. It is about showing up for one another through the highs and lows of a long season.
Students need to recognize that while football is being played on the field, football itself isn’t the point. It is about showing up for one another through the highs and lows of a long season. Our school is built on brotherhood; every assembly, every form meeting, every reflection, you are almost guaranteed to hear about brotherhood.
Take the Penn Charter game on October 11th. The team lost 0-14 on a cold, rainy, and miserable day. By the final whistle, everyone was drenched. But the section stayed the whole game yelling and screaming relentlessly, listening to “voice of the Fords” Alex Scharpf energize the crowd. The Episcopal game was an emotional loss for everyone, with EA holding the football with 3:00 left on the clock, up by 21 points, the game was over. Still, the section stayed to the end, regardless of the score. We need more of that.
This upcoming winter, it is more important than ever to attend games.
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