The Binghamton men’s soccer team is about to embark on an epic showdown with Harvard in the first round of the NCAA tournament. On the surface, the vaunted Ivy seems to have Binghamton beat on all aspects, but let’s not forget Harvard doesn’t offer athletic scholarships and the school was so tough that not only did Bill Gates not graduate, but Jonathon Taylor Thomas dropped out, too. Let’s see what a closer look reveals about the two schools:
Harvard Crimson:
Ivy League connection: Actually in Ivy League
Cornell connection: Students believe they are better than Cornell’s
Location: Cambridge, Mass.
Other local schools: MIT, Boston U.
Fun stuff to do: Go to the Tea Party!
Sworn rival: Yale
Nickname: Is a color
Notable alumni: Ralph Waldo Emerson, Natalie Portman and a lot of really important people like presidents
Presidents associated with school: John Quincy Adams, John F. Kennedy, Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Negatives: Annoying Boston accent, Red Sox fans
Famous athletes: Hall of Fame golfer Bobby Jones
No. 1 sport: Rowing, football, fencing
Binghamton Bearcats:
Ivy League connection: “Ivy of the SUNYs”
Cornell connection: Students wish they got into Cornell
Location: Vestal, N.Y.
Other local schools: Broome Community College, Davis Bible College
Fun stuff to do: Go to the Rat!
Sworn rival: SUNY Albany
Nickname: Brings to mind speed of the cat with strength of the bear
Notable alumni: Tony Kornheiser, Paul Reiser and a lot of people from Long Island
Presidents associated with school: Lois DeFleur
Negatives: Cold, bleak weather 10 months a year
Famous athlete: “Alaskan Pipeline” Nick Billings
No. 1 sport: Soccer
Regardless of anything else, Binghamton is a soccer school; we’ve always dominated in soccer, and even if we never had a U.S. president attend classes here (though I think Bill Clinton considered it), we can hang with the Ivy League-ers in soccer.