Imagine a world without any sports commentary. It would be awkward, wouldn’t it?
Any sports contest you watch would just be players on the field. From news reporters to social media, there’s always been somebody commenting on an event.
Commentary is crucial to help the audience understand what’s going on, while also providing entertainment and insight.
For years, at basketball home games, Haverford hasn’t had any commentary. This is where the Production Club comes in, as students now livestream and add commentary to home games.
Executing livestreaming is difficult, but a few dedicated individuals manage to facilitate it for every game, providing a valuable service to the school.
“We have a handful of cameras, which are a unique type: AI Hudl Focus cameras. These cameras help track the players and the ball with ease. We also have a production truck, which collects all the audio, video, and data and outputs it into Hudl TV, the website where the game is being streamed,” Fifth Form Production Club leader Jayden Thomas said.
Working alongside Fifth Former Ayush Varma, these students have made the stream possible, but the stream wouldn’t be complete without the commentators.
“For me, being new to broadcasting this year, I didn’t know what I was getting into. I really liked sports in general, so I wanted to try commenting. So far, this experience has been really enjoyable,” Third Form commentator Teddy Walkenhorst said.
Walkenhorst believes announcing is important for modern entertainment.
“Announcing adds excitement to games. Listening to a basketball game by itself would probably be less enjoyable, but the announcer provides lots of commentary that adds to the overall amount of fun in games,” Walkenhorst said.
“It shows our strong school spirit, teaming up together to organize a livestream that focuses on our players.” – Ray Kresge ’27
“It’s very important to have good contact with the sport,” Fifth Form commentator Raymond Kresge said. “If you have that, it’s not too difficult to commentate on a game. For me, I already watch a lot of sports and use the commentators as inspiration to commentate to the best of my abilities.”
The club has also begun to post highlights of each game. They have made watching games significantly more accessible for people who miss a contest.
Kresge also thinks livestreaming helps promote the school.
“Haverford is the only Inter-Ac school that professionally livestreams games with commentators,” Kresge said. “It shows our strong school spirit, teaming up together to organize a livestream that focuses on our players. Plus, it promotes our players’ games to more fans, allowing easy access to watch a game if you can’t make it.”
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