Revenge of the Blerds: Howard Squares Up Against Harvard for the 'Great Debate' [Corrected]

Corrected: Thursday, Nov. 14 at 9:40 a.m. ET: A previous version of this story, citing information from a Howard press release, incorrectly stated that Howard won a debate against Harvard. The event is an exhibition, and there are no winners. Below is a corrected version of the story:

The Howard Bison went head to head against the Harvard Crimson in Hartford, Conn., last week as part of the 10th Annual State NAACP Conference “Great Debate”—an intercollegiate battle of the minds that is the largest of its kind in the country. The exhibition was held in front of an audience of 10,000 people, including middle and high schoolers bussed in from local schools.

Howard’s illustrious nerds debated Harvard on two topics covering politics and sports. As WTNH TV reports, the first topic centered on whether the House of Representatives should impeach Donald Trump; the second on whether Jay-Z’s Roc Nation should have entered into a partnership with the NFL. My personal answers to these debates are “you’re goddamn right, sir” and “hell no, ma’am,”—positions the Bison also took, but much more eloquently and effectively. Even though there is no declared winner in exhibition debates, Howard delivered their side with a dynamism one would expect from the real H-U.

In 2017, the Bison argued another NFL-centric topic—Colin Kaepernick’s kneeling protest during the national anthem—and whether the U.S. ought to pass a total ban of automatic weapons for civilian use.

If you have a spare hour and a half (or need a very mentally stimulating soundtrack while you prep dinner) you can watch the entire event and marvel at HU’s parliamentary debate style below. At the VERY LEAST watch them come out to “Swag Surfin’” (which kicks off at the 35:30 mark).