Sports Spotlight: Leo Li
A glimpse into the life of Harvard football’s newest walk-on.
Collegiate sports are a true testament to athletic ability and lifelong dedication to a singular sport. Summer training camps, recruiting events, and highlight reels are an arduous reality for many American teenagers set on actualizing their dreams of receiving a D1 offer. However, raised in Beijing, immersed in a completely different environment than that of […]
The Game: A Storied Legacy
Steeped in history, the Harvard-Yale game is one of the oldest collegiate athletic events.
“It’s The Game, Rory,” Paris says to Rory in anguish, across a Yale dining hall table. Rory Gilmore, a Yale student who is unfamiliar with the Harvard-Yale game, attends The Game with the Gilmore family in “Ted Koppel’s Big Night Out”—Season 4, Episode 9 of the series Gilmore Girls. Richard and Emily Gilmore, Rory’s grandparents, […]
The Game Beyond the Gridiron
A recap of the previous Harvard-Yale matchups across other sports.
The Game is finally upon us, or at least the American football version. While many will consider this the most important and anticipated game of the year for both schools, this is just one installment of the many matchups between the two rivals thus far. From the track to the ice and beyond, our Harvard […]
Sports Spotlight: Aku Koskenvuo
Harvard’s Finnish goaltender takes center stage in the 2024-2025 season.
I’ve watched every Harvard Hockey game since I got to Harvard. I’ve heard the call “Save by Koskenvuo!” a thousand times, and I might hear it a thousand more before we even get to Thanksgiving. The 6’4” junior has played like a possessed man to start the season, boasting a .916 save percentage in five […]
Indy Sportsbook: Betting Against the Bulldogs
A collection of bets for the upcoming Harvard-Yale matchup.
It’s that time of year again: The Game. A clash with so much history that even people who couldn’t name a single Ivy League quarterback will nod knowingly when it’s mentioned. Looking back at the 2023 Harvard-Yale showdown, it’s clear that some bets hit their mark while others fell short—just like Harvard’s offense that day. […]
Pre-Game Sex: Power Move or Energy Drain?
How getting it on before sports games affects sexual performance.
Among sports rituals that have been debated for centuries, pre-game sex stands the test of time. From the first ever athletes to modern Olympians, athletes have pondered the effects of sex before competition: does it build confidence and calm, or leave players distracted and drained? Dating back to the ancient Greeks, athletes would abstain from […]
Indy Sportsbook: Swipe Right Madness
In search of the hottest college mascot.
It’s the Sex Issue, and here at the Indy Sportsbook, we’re laying down odds on which mascots we’d most likely swipe right on—which ones we think are the best for a one-night stand. From swoon-worthy swagger to unexpected charm, these mascots bring more than just school spirit. Let’s dive into the top contenders, complete with […]
Indy Sportsbook: Banking on Big Performances
Two four-leg NFL bets for next weekend.
With the NFL season in full swing, next weekend’s matchups promise fireworks—and serious betting potential for the weekend warriors. This week, we’re breaking down two ambitious four-leg parlays: one stacked with player props from yardage to TDs, and another loaded with anytime touchdown scorers. These bets aim to combine high-caliber performers with favorable matchups, positioning […]
Sports Spotlight: James Rozolis-Hill
Junior water polo player goes down in Harvard history as an all-time record breaker
On Oct. 12, Harvard history was made in Blodgett Pool by water polo player James Rozolis-Hill ’26 as he scored his 283rd career goal in a home game against Brown. By the end of the first quarter, Harvard had already secured a 4-2 lead, and Rozolis-Hill had broken the record for all-time career goals in […]
Mind Games
Winning the mental competition before the physical one.
Being a student-athlete in any Division I program comes with its challenges, whether that be physical or mental. As a result, significant amounts of money are devoted to state-of-the-art athletic training programs to ensure athletes have the support they need for optimal well-being. An area that has recently gained focus is the mental health of […]
Harvard Hockey: No Turning Back
Harvard hockey forms a new identity after a rebuilding 2023 season.
Last year, Harvard men’s varsity hockey had seven wins in 32 games played. If I were a betting man, I’d hammer the over on seven wins for the upcoming season. Why? Two reasons: First, a win percentage of 22% is really, really bad. The San Jose Sharks, the worst team in the NHL last year […]
Crimson Cash
Harvard athletes bank on NIL deals.
Open up Instagram, and you will likely see a college athlete promoting one product or another, whether it is Livvy Dunne sporting the newest Vuori set or Paige Bueckers using CeraVe face wash in her latest get-ready-with-me video. However, it is not just the most high-profile college athletes making money off of their name, image, […]
Indy Sportsbook: The Costumes You’re Sure to Encounter This Halloweekend
The hottest current lines tell you the tricksters and treaters you’re sure to run into.
Some might say that Halloweekend is the single most important and stressful weekend of the academic year. The pressure to pick costumes that are flattering, unique, and inexpensive leaves many students stumped and the Harvard mail rooms overflowing with overnighted Amazon packages. It’s not only Amazon: there are countless resources at any student’s fingertips when […]
A Successful Head of the Charles Weekend
An ecstatic blend of exceptional rowing, crowd support, and New England beauty at the world’s largest regatta.
On the penultimate weekend of October in Cambridge, the air was thick with a competitive buzz, food vendors lined the Charles River, and rowing enthusiasts decked out in Vineyard Vines cheered boisterously. These unmistakable signs mean only one thing: the annual Head of the Charles Regatta (HOCR) has arrived. This Sunday marked the end of […]
Sports Spotlight: Cooper Barkate
Inside the story of Harvard football’s #18.
Cooper Barkate ’26 didn’t always envision himself playing football at the collegiate level. Hailing from Southern California, he initially thought lacrosse would be his sport. “When I was growing up, I played lacrosse and liked it. Freshman year, I went into lacrosse season thinking I was gonna get recruited for it,” he shared. However, during […]
Indy Sportsbook: Election Edition
Here are a few bets to place in class while you watch the election unfold.
Election time is upon us! This year, we have one for the ages: former President Donald Trump vs. Vice President Kamala Harris. As of Oct. 20, 2024, Kamala Harris has a slight edge in the most recent 538 polling data. However, on the betting stage, Donald Trump is far ahead in the lead with implied […]
Indy Sportsbook: NHL 2024-25 Predictions
Hot takes for an ice-cold season.
Hat tricks, dirty hits, and the dreaded playoff odds circle: the NHL is back, baby! Hockey returned last week with a bang (okay, technically Buffalo and New Jersey played the weekend before in Prague, but we’re not sure anybody but Bob Dylan knew about that). We here at Indy Sportsbook have prepared some extremely premature […]
Harvard Crimson’s Midseason Update
An update on the current Crimson Sports teams.
Midterms are finally upon us. Despite the academic demands, Harvard Athletics continues to thrive, with student-athletes excelling both in the classroom and on the field. From recent victories to upcoming matchups, here’s a quick roundup of the latest updates in Harvard sports as we hit the midpoint of the semester. Football: The men’s football team’s […]
Sports Spotlight: Ben Abercrombie
A Harvard journey of recovery, football, and lots of Jefe’s.
“I like the competitiveness, and I’ve always been more fiery,” Ben Abercrombie ’25 reflected when discussing his love for football. “I grew up in Hoover, Alabama. Here in Alabama, you basically live and breathe football.” Abercrombie got recruited by Harvard his junior year of high school, he recalled in an interview with the Independent. Though […]
Indy Sportsbook: The End of the Eras Tour
How will Taylor Swift end this part of her legacy?
Cultural icon Taylor Swift has made international headlines since releasing her first album, Taylor Swift, in 2006. Her Eras Tour is the highest-grossing concert series of all time, earning over $1 billion in 2023 alone. The Eras Tour brings “Swifties” through all of her different music-making eras, from Fearless to the recently released Tortured Poets […]
Making the Team
The unique experience of being a Harvard varsity walk-on.
Every individual at Harvard has a different story of how they became a student at this university. Each unique path is part of what makes the Harvard community a special place. Within the student body, there is a very specific subset that chose to modify their experience in an extremely physically demanding way: varsity walk-ons. […]
Indy Sportsbook: UFC 307 Parlay
A (risky) road to riches.
“To do anything at a high level, it has to be total obsession,” legendary Irish boxer Conor McGregor once said. For this reason, we at the Indy Sportsbook have spent over 300 hours concocting a UFC parlay that will retire us from this rat race of life by the end of next week. While we […]
“Unknown, Underlooked, and Underappreciated”
A spotlight on the Harvard Nordic ski team
Have you ever heard of Nordic skiing? Did you know it was a varsity sport at Harvard? No? Well, until recently, neither did I. With 10 people on the team—six women and four men—the Nordic ski team is one of the smallest sports teams at Harvard. Many of these members feel as if their sport, […]
Indy Sportsbook: Soccer’s Biggest Stage
Some simple bets for the 2025 winner of the UEFA Champions League
With the college and professional football seasons kicking off, baseball approaching the postseason, and the NBA and NHL entering preseason soon, one sport in America often goes unnoticed: soccer. The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is Europe’s premier soccer competition, where the best teams from each country compete for the Champions League title. While most soccer […]
The Unsung Heroes of Harvard Varsity Sports
How the athletic trainers keep student-athletes on the field.
Harvard is home to 42 varsity athletic programs, the most in the NCAA. These athletes perform both on and off the field, supported by the Harvard Varsity Club and other support systems throughout the University. Crimson athletes especially rely on a key group of 17 individuals to make it through grueling practices and competitions: the […]
Sports Spotlight: Bronte Brough
Turf wars: Bronte Brough ’26’s global field hockey journey.
Bronte-May Brough ’26’s primary education included all of the usual suspects: learning to read, write, multiply, push pass, sweep, oh, and aerial. Brough first started playing field hockey when she was seven years old. Growing up, Brough learned how to play hockey on grass, but once she moved to prep school, she had the opportunity […]
Indy Sportsbook: 12 Teams, One Dream
Predicting the 2024-2025 college football season.
Next weekend marks the beginning of a new and exciting season for our Crimson football team as they face off against the Stetson Hatters. With 30 new recruits, an emerging FBS coach replacing the legendary Tim Murphy, and the number one kicker in the country, we believe it isn’t too early to predict a 10-0 […]
Strava, Set, Go
How Harvard crew’s camaraderie inspired the fitness app Strava.
With a tap on a watch, an activity precisely recorded, and an instant upload, any athlete can receive immediate validation: the kudos begin rolling in. On the popular fitness app, Strava, each kudo is another burst of encouragement from friends and followers, in lieu of likes. Co-founders Mark Gainey ’90 and Michael Horvath ’88 aimed […]
Indy Sportsbook: Winning in the WNBA
A preview of the final few weeks in the WNBA.
By almost every statistic imaginable, the WNBA is in the middle of its most historic season to date. The WNBA, founded in 1996 by NBA Commissioner David Stern, has had trouble becoming popular in mainstream sports in the United States and has yet to turn a profit over the course of any of its seasons. […]
Sports Spotlight: Lauren Scruggs
Going for gold in all aspects of life.
Olympic gold medalist Lauren Scruggs ’25 would not have been a fencer had it not been for her older brother. His obsession with Star Wars led their mother to sign him up for a local fencing club in Brooklyn when Scruggs was eight. Despite an initial desire to quit, her brother stuck with the sport […]
Kristen Faulkner: From Portfolios to the Peloton
How Kristen Faulkner ’16, two-time Olympic Gold medalist, left her conventional Harvard graduate career to pursue professional cycling.
Kristen Faulkner ’16 won two gold medals in Road and Track Cycling at the 2024 Paris Olympics, contributing to Harvard’s 13 total medals at this year’s games. She is an impressive athlete with stage wins at the Giro d’Italia, the Vuelta D’Espagne, and a PanAm Championship gold medal—already decorating her athletic resume before this Olympics. […]
How To Become A Harvard Superfan
Fall sports games you don’t want to miss.
Between the start of class, comping clubs, and being back with friends, fall is certainly an exciting time at Harvard. As everyone arrives back on campus, there is a select group of students who have already been hard at work since as early as Aug. 8: fall athletes. After strong pre-seasons, several fall teams are […]
Indy Sportsbook: NFL 2024-2025 Season Preview
Longshots and locks for the upcoming year.
As the 2024 NFL season approaches, savvy bettors should look to futures for a chance to make an easy profit. We at the Indy Sportsbook have taken it upon ourselves to provide our readers with our favorite bets entering the 2024 NFL season. With a mix of high-risk, high-reward bets and safer player props, bettors […]
Sports Spotlight: Mitchell Saron
The pathway from Star Wars to Olympic Sabre.
Mitchell Saron ’23 has loved sword-fighting since before he can remember. An early introduction to the Star Wars and Lord of the Rings franchises stoked that fire, leading Saron to attempt to duel everyone in his life: “I had this huge lightsaber and toy sword collection, and I would always ask [my parents] to fight […]
Our Olympic Playground
How to play around like the Olympians, right on campus.
This fall, I’m ready to declare my concentration as “Olympics” with a secondary in “Navigating NBC Peacock.” It’s been a long, studious summer of laying on the couch, judging Olympians and thinking, “I could probably do that.” Now that the Paris Olympics are over and we trickle back to Cambridge, it’s time to get off […]
Summer of Sports at Harvard
A recap of the major Harvard sports news since Graduation.
Summer might be the offseason for college athletes, but it still brought some major updates to Harvard sports. Every four years, one sporting event eclipses all other summer competitions: the Summer Olympics. Harvard was extremely successful in the Paris Olympics—it was one of the most successful performances by the school’s students in its history. And […]
Indy Sportsbook: Setting the Line for the New Year
The hottest lines for the most highly contested stats for the upcoming semester.
Everyone’s favorite column is back for another semester. For the first issue, the Indy Sportsbook decided to create some preliminary lines for academic statistics for the upcoming semester, Harvard style. Not everyone on campus may agree with our predictions, but here are some of our favorite lines for the upcoming 14 weeks in Cambridge: Classes […]
Sports Spotlight: Jessica Guo
Her road to fencing foil at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Jessica Guo ’27 from Toronto, Canada, started fencing at six years old. After watching her older sister and brother fence, she decided to try her hand. Guo quickly rose to the top of the rankings in Canada and competed in the U.S. early on in her fencing career. She started fencing in international competitions by […]
On a Scale of One to Ten, You’re a 26.2
Harvard students speak on their experiences running the Boston Marathon.
You may be familiar with Chicago’s famous Turkey Trot or Saratoga Springs’ Furry Fun Run. But unlike the pre-Thanksgiving 5K or a trip to the dog park gone too far, Hopkinton, Massachusetts boasts the start of the world’s oldest run of the year. From Ashland to Natick, across to Wellesley, down Heartbreak Hill, and finally […]
Indy Sportsbook: Ball’s Well That Ends Well
Top picks for the end of the professional European soccer season.
When William Shakespeare wrote, “Parting is such sweet sorrow,” he was clearly writing about the finalIndy Sportsbook installment of the school year. Fittingly, for this last issue, we’ll be reviewing top bets for the end of league football around the world. How you will get through the next four months without our picks every week, […]
Quaffles and Bludgers and Snitches, Oh My!
The Harvard Horntails win the D1 national title at the 2024 US Quadball Cup.
April 14, 2024, marked a historic day. The Harvard Horntails, Harvard’s esteemed Quadball team, flew to Round Rock, Texas, and emerged victorious as the 2024 US Quadball D1 national champions assuming their spot as the fifth college to claim the US Quadball (USQ) Cup after Middlebury College, University of Texas Austin, University of Rochester, and […]
Indy Sportsbook: Looking for the Larry O’Brien
Our picks and predictions for the upcoming NBA playoffs.
Once again, the NBA regular season has come to an end, and viewers across the nation are tuning in to watch some of the best athletes in the world compete for the ever-coveted NBA championship. While this season has been one for the ages, there are still some things that reign true: Lebron is quickly […]
Sports Spotlight: Stephanie Yakoff
Translating high school success into a collegiate career.
When Steffi Yakoff ’27 picked up a racket at age four, she had no idea that the sport she had watched her older brother Stan play for years would become such a dominant aspect of her life. By the time she reached college, she could beat her brother—in addition to boasting an undefeated high school […]
NHL Playoff Preview
Historic regular season paves the way for a wild race for the Stanley Cup.
The 2023-2024 NHL regular season has come to an end, and the quest for the Stanley Cup has begun. Will Connor McDavid and the Oilers finally live up to their potential? Will the New York Rangers break the Presidents’ Trophy curse? Will the Nashville Predators be the second consecutive wild card team to make the […]
From the Court to the Record Books
Celebrating the historical successes and the bright future of women’s collegiate basketball.
Creating history, the NCAA women’s basketball final surpassed the men’s final in viewership for the first time ever. The championship game, a fierce battle between top-seeds South Carolina and Iowa, was a fitting climax to an unprecedented season for women’s basketball. At first, it appeared that South Carolina was destined to be the final victim […]
Indy Sportsbook: Building the Perfect Blunt Rotation
If you could pick anyone, who would you get high with?
Welcome to a special edition of Indy Sportsbook where we delve into the ideal blunt rotation. From comedy giants to scientific legends to cartoon characters, choosing the perfect group to spark up with can definitely be a challenge. As such, we’ve grouped the candidates into a few categories and calculated odds based on how much […]
Indy Sportsbook: Hitting Dingers
Some enticing bets to make about a little stick and bottle cap.
At this time of the year, we are gearing up to walk outside, sit on a lawn, and soak in the sun. We have been inside for what feels like months now, and are yearning to step outside at any chance we can get. And nothing beats baseball. We are some of the first people […]
Sports Spotlight: Nina Janmyr
Flipping between NCAA and international success.
Nina Janmyr ’26’s love of diving developed in improbable circumstances. After a week of diving camp in the cold and pouring rain, she discovered the sport that would become a major part of her life for the foreseeable future. Janymer’s mom could not believe that, after executing no more than 14 dives that week, she […]
Indy Sportsbook: Premier League Bets
The best bets amidst the Internationjal Break and Champions League confusion.
This upcoming Premier League gameweek has been thrown into chaos with the recent International Break and recently scheduled Champions League matches—however, the increasing chaos makes the betting twice as exciting. The International Break is a period in which professional soccer players are called by their home nations to compete in international tournaments or friendlies. This […]
Indy Sportsbook: March Madness
A preview of the magic and eroticism to come in this year’s dance.
As March rolls in, so does the biggest NCAA Men’s Basketball tournament of the year. March Madness is a once-a-year extravaganza that brings people together in celebration of the game we love. Win or lose, savor every moment of the tournament experience. Cheer for the buzzer-beaters, marvel at the upsets, and relish in the joy […]
Harvard Women’s Tennis: No Strangers to Winners
The team remains hot on a nine-game win streak.
The women’s tennis team is off to their best start in program history. Their three most recent wins on the road have put them at a 13-2 record this season, with nine straight wins including five 4-0 shutouts. After their last 4-1 win at Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles, the team surpassed last year’s 12-10 […]
Battles Beyond The Field
While progress has been made, challenges remain for Harvard student-athletes who identify as LGBTQ+.
Long hours, daily practice, and pushing towards victory—that’s the life of the student-athletes at Harvard, who have to balance sports with their academic workload. Yet, some athletes on campus face an additional challenge—their identity. Historically, athletics in the U.S. have had a reputation for lagging behind other extracurriculars in terms of LGBTQ+ acceptance. It was […]
Indy Sportsbook: The Oscars
Top picks for select categories in this Sunday’s awards ceremony.
Puerto Rico, Spain, Portugal, and the Caribbean. Be prepared to swipe past a sunset photo from each of these destinations on Instagram every day this week. But if you are sitting at home this Sunday night and need a good distraction from the constant reminders of your friends’ sunny vacations, look no further than the […]
Indy Sportsbook: Betting on the Next Harvard President
The earliest prop bets for Harvard’s presidential search.
Since former Harvard President Claudine Gay stepped down from her post, the debate on whether or not she should resign has shifted to one concerning her successor. Harvard Provost Alan M. Garber ’76 has stepped in to fill the interim role until the search committee decides on a long-term replacement. While no sportsbook currently allows […]
Sports Spotlight: Rémi Drolet
A profile on NCAA Champion and Canadian Olympic Nordic Skier.
Rémi “Rem-Dog” Drolet ’24 is the captain of the Harvard Nordic Ski Team, sporting his iconic man bun as a crown. In his first season of racing for the Crimson on the Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association Circuit (EISA) in 2020, Drolet had several outstanding performances within the conference, qualifying him for the NCAA Championships (which […]
Indy Sportsbook: Is Gambling Bad?
An examination into the true desires of many young adult gamblers.
In the realm of leisure and pastime, one practice stands out as steeped in contradiction: gambling. Since the Supreme Court case in 2018 which struck down the federal ban on sports betting, the industry has grown to a $15 billion-a-year industry. On one hand, gambling could merely be a benign form of entertainment, a source […]
An Uneven Playing Field
Harvard’s first female Athletic Director has chosen next season’s football coach, and fans are not happy.
“This is what happens when you put a woman in charge of a historic football team,” wrote an X user in response to Harvard Athletic Director (AD) Erin McDermott’s announcement of the new Harvard football coach on February 12th. All eyes were on McDermott, the first-ever woman AD at Harvard, following the news of the […]
Sports Spotlight: Maia Ramsden
A profile on Harvard’s national champion runner.
Maia Ramsden ’24 has had quite the year. After an outstanding first two seasons with the Crimson, she won the Women’s 1500m at the 2023 NCAA Outdoor National Championships in June, becoming the first New Zealander to ever win the event. She followed up this historic win by reaching even greater heights in her senior […]
Sports Spotlight: Ben MacDonald
A profile on one of Men’s Varsity Hockey’s rising stars.
It is no secret that the 2023-2024 season has been rough for Men’s Varsity Hockey. The team has weathered a season-long storm of injuries, and as result currently sits with a losing record of 4-14-4. That said, the injuries have also given the younger players a remarkable opportunity to step up and quickly develop their […]
A Sad, Empty Beanpot
This year’s men’s Beanpot brought a crowd no different than any other Harvard sporting event.
Much to the Indy Sportsbook’s sadness, Harvard Men’s Ice Hockey was not successful in upsetting Northeastern in the first round of the Beanpot Tournament. Still, we saw an exciting game this year, with a Huskies win 33 seconds into overtime after tying it late in the third period. There was a second disappointment from the […]
Indy Sportsbook: Betting The Beautiful Game
No cash for a fancy date? Look no further.
An average date in the state of Massachusetts costs over $200! Since I know that every one of us could use some extra cash around Valentine’s Day, the Indy Sportsbook is looking to help you finance the Valentine’s Day date of your dreams, whether you are taking your lover to Jefe’s or Tuscano. But before […]
High Heart Rates: From Competitions to Crushes
How do intra-team relationships affect the team dynamic?
The all-encompassing name for when two members of the same sports team start some form of relationship—either brief or long term—has been affectionately dubbed “teamcest” by collegiate athletes around the country. This phenomenon is not nearly as vulgar as its unfortunate nickname suggests, but it is still taboo amongst the 42 rosters of Harvard Athletics. […]
Sports Spotlight: Chisom Okpara
A profile on Harvard Men’s Basketball’s rising star.
Chisom “Chiz” Okpara ’26 began his athletic journey when his family moved back to the United States from the United Kingdom in 2010. Born with a passion for sports, his first love was soccer. His father, who recognized Okpara’s height and build, encouraged him to explore basketball as well. “My dad wanted me to play […]
Indy Sportsbook: Super Bowl Edition
A collection of the best bets for Super Bowl LVIII.
The Super Bowl, arguably the biggest sporting event of the year, champions a winner of a long and grueling NFL season. This year, we are coincidentally getting a repeat matchup of Super Bowl LIV, a game in which the Chiefs bested the 49ers with a final score of 31-20. This time, the 49ers are looking […]
Sports Spotlight: Tim Murphy
The end of a Harvard football dynasty.
After 30 years with Harvard football, Coach Tim Murphy will finally be stepping down as head coach. Murphy led the team to 10 Ivy League championships with only one losing season in this century. While it is easy to measure Murphy’s success through game statistics, it is difficult to quantify the lasting impact he will […]
Is Harvard Hockey Skating on Thin Ice?
A mid-season profile on the 2024 Men’s Harvard Hockey team.
Four months ago, in our Harvard hockey season preview, the Harvard Independent predicted that the lack of goal-scorers on the 2024 Men’s team would prove difficult in their upcoming season. Turns out we were right. A little over halfway into the season, Harvard is ranked 54th in the NCAA and 3rd out of the 6 […]
Indy Sportsbook: Betting on Beanpot
Betting big on Harvard’s Quest in the Men’s Beanpot.
In the realm of college hockey, the Men’s Beanpot isn’t just a tournament—it’s a high-stakes battleground where Northeastern University, Boston University (BU), Boston College (BC), and Harvard University vie for glory, and savvy bettors look for the edge that could turn the odds in their favor. This year, as the Beanpot fever takes over, Harvard […]
Indy Sportsbook: Year in Review Part 2
Recapping every pick from this column’s sophomore semester.
A large portion of Indy Sportsbook’s content has been dedicated to extolling the virtues of responsible sports gambling. It is a great way to bring even more excitement to the sports you love and can make you deeply invested in ones you never even thought about. We have greatly enjoyed all the highs and lows […]
139 Years of “The Game”
A collection of stories that have colored The Game as we know it today.
Behind every unseasonably cold, third Saturday in November is the age-old tradition of Harvard and Yale students pinning against one another for the chance to win one of college sports’ most illustrious rivalries. This year, “The Game,” the infamous football match played between the two schools each fall, marks 139 attempts from the Crimson to […]
The Games Beyond “The Game”
The passion for beating Yale extends far beyond football.
The Game needs no introduction. The annual football contest between Harvard and Yale is one of the most historic rivalries in all of college sports. The Independent has dedicated plenty of words to Harvard’s lack of school spirit, such as our Beanpot article that covered the near-empty student section for the biggest hockey game of […]
Harvard Hockey The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Hope is not lost after Harvard Hockey’s first four games.
The Harvard Men’s Hockey Team, like much of the Harvard student body, has commitment issues. At least, that is according to coach Ted Donato ’91, who, after the team’s embarrassing 0-6 shutout loss against Quinnipiac last Saturday stated, “There’s a reason they scored six goals, and some of them weren’t even on their best chances… […]
Indy Sportsbook: The Game Edition
Outlining the best bets to make for Harvard-Yale.
We launched Indy Sportsbook last January to bring you the foremost gambling content of any student publication at Harvard. In the ensuing months, we have covered everything from the NFL and Women’s World Cup to professional cycling and competitive darts. There are picks we look back on with pride and others that we try hard […]
Young Teams Triumph
Recent victories boast a bright future for Harvard athletics.
Harvard University has been making waves in three sports this fall—rowing, sailing, and field hockey. The Crimson showcased their rowing prowess during the Head of the Charles Regatta (HOCR) last weekend, with three different teams winning their event. Furthermore, Harvard Sailing has been charting a similar course, with numerous victories in recent races, including the […]
No Money, No Problem
How club sports succeed without much Harvard support.
The Springfield Men’s Club Soccer Team pulls up to play against their Harvard counterpart in large coach buses. When the Harvard Men’s Club Soccer Team travels to Tufts or Holy Cross, they have to take the T or call Ubers on their own dime. According to co-captain Joe Fahn ’25, “there’s no reason [that] should […]
Beyond the Rowers
A glimpse into HOCR’s vendor village.
Every late October thousands of students from around the world come together to race in the Head of the Charles Regatta (HOCR). White tents line the river, boasting everything from food stands and home remodeling estimates to handcrafted pottery. Heavy rainfall placed a damper on Saturday’s festivities, only making Sunday that much more exciting. While […]
Indy Sportsbook: Do Not Bet Scared
A collection of the best Halloweekend bets.
A couple weeks after the international break that saw a bunch of top-tier international teams qualify for the 2024 Euros, Indy Sportsbook returns with some Premier League locks. We are almost a third of the way through a Premier League season that has already seen many upsets, such as Man City losing in back-to-back weeks […]
Point/Counterpoint: The Merit of Athletic Recruiting
Should Harvard keep athletic preference in their admissions process?
Jai Glazer: In June, the Supreme Court ruled that Harvard’s admissions practices were not in line with Title IV of the Civil Rights Act, eliminating race-based affirmative action from the University’s admissions decisions. In the wake of this landmark ruling, new questions are being raised about Harvard’s admissions process, particularly whether other groups—such as recruited […]
Harvard v. Howard: A Lasting Legacy
In the world of college football, clashes between Ivy League schools like Harvard and the rich traditions of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) like Howard have remained a scarce spectacle, but a historic shift is now in the making. Last year’s matchup was just the fifth time an HBCU has played an Ivy League […]
What European Football Can Learn From American Sports
By Following the American Sports Model, European Football can regain the competitive edge it once had.
Passionate fandom aside, European football has a lot to learn from American sports. Famous British Pundit Gary Neville is not a fan of U.S. investment into English football. “US investment into English football is a clear and present danger to the pyramid and fabric of the game,” he said. The irony is that as a […]
Indy Sportsbook: Thank God It’s Fall
Forget sweaters and pumpkins, this is what the season’s all about.
The fall is an absolutely fantastic time to be a sports bettor. Seemingly every major sport is either underway or about to begin, and we at Indy Sportsbook have been surely reaping the benefits. After a mediocre rookie year, the start of our sophomore season proves promising. While it will be some time before any […]
Becoming Harvard State
A conversation with Harvard State, the movement on campus to bring school spirit to Harvard.
Note: The account owner of Harvard State wished to remain anonymous to continue the “mystique” of the movement. Throughout this article, he is mentioned as “Harvard State” or by his pronouns. Harvard State’s origin story began in the fall of 2021. “It was Harvard-Yale Week. I realized that the school didn’t have as much school […]
Indy Sportsbook: Betting on Soccer
The best bets for the upcoming European tournaments and league matches.
It is that time of year when soccer has swung into full effect. Soccer fans like myself have started to become treated with Champions League and Europa League matches during the week and league matches on the weekends. Being a Liverpool fan, I generally only focus on the European tournaments as well as the Premier […]
Point/Counterpoint: Passionate vs Passive Fandom
A cultural comparison between fan culture in the U.S. and abroad.
BY AHMAD KANAFANI ’26 AND ALEJANDRO SANCHEZ ’26 Ahmad Kanafani ’26: Over my past year at Harvard, I have been shocked at how low attendance is at sports games. Coming from Egypt, I’m used to fully packed stadiums, flares, pyro shows, and people on their feet for 90 minutes. I assume that the sports fan […]
Can Harvard Work AND Play Hard?
Turns out, Harvard tailgates don’t suck.
As the Harvard vs. Brown game fell upon the campus again, Harvard students geared up for a day filled with fun, football, and… tailgates? At most other, sports-oriented universities around the country, fall Saturday mornings typically involve students rolling out of bed at 9:00 a.m. with a White Claw in hand to prepare for the […]
Point/Counterpoint: Should Russian and Belarusian players be allowed to show their flag?
A discussion on Nationalism and Politics in Sports after the 2023 Tennis US Open.
Jonah: For the second straight year at the US Open Tennis Championships, neither Russian nor Belarusian players were permitted to play under their flags. Instead of the typical tiny flag pictured next to players’ names on the screen, competitors from the two countries were given a blank gray box. Both finals featured Russian or Belarusian […]
Athlete-Students or Student-Athletes?
What D1 students sacrifice—if anything—when coming to Harvard.
Harvard University is the biggest sports school in the country. This statement may come off as laughable to anyone who longingly watches ESPN’s College Gameday from their common room every weekend, but it is technically correct. The school has 42 varsity sports, more than any other Division 1 program, with approximately 20% of the student […]
Indy Sportsbook: Bad News with Popular Bets?
When NOT to follow the crowd.
Sports gambling is one of the fastest growing industries in the country. 21 states have legalized sports betting since the beginning of 2020, and more have legislature in place to do so. This creates an influx of new sports bettors that flock both to in-person sportsbooks, but also sports gambling websites such as FanDuel, DraftKings, […]
Indy Sportsbook: Pick on The New Kids
The best bets to place before the upcoming NFL season.
First-year NFL quarterbacks may not don red lanyards or abruptly stop walking to take selfies and update their vlogs like some Harvard newbies we may know, but let me assure you that they do stand out. This year’s NFL season boasts three rookie quarterbacks who will make their inaugural starts in week 1: Bryce Young […]
Student-Athlete Success: Josie Hasbo
How one Harvard junior juggles more than a soccer ball.
“It’s such a beautiful thing that this ball can connect people,” Josefine (Josie) Hasbo ’25 stated to the Harvard Independent. If you were scrolling through Sidechat over summer break, there is a high chance you came across a post about this soccer phenomenon. A junior on Harvard Women’s Soccer, Hasbo was recently selected to represent […]
Indy Sportsbook: Year in Review
Looking back at the good, the bad, and the ugly from this column’s inaugural semester.
It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who […]
Going The Distance
A conversation with Harvard runners before and after Marathon Monday.
On April 17th, 2023, nearly 30,000 athletes from more than 100 countries gathered in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, to run the annual Boston Marathon. Started in 1897, the Boston Marathon is the world’s oldest annual marathon and one of six World Marathon Majors. The Independent spoke to several Harvard students who ran the marathon this spring about […]
Indy Sportsbook: Betting on Boston
Previewing the best bets to make come playoff time
Last time I took to this column, I was discussing the ins and outs of March Madness, the annual NCAA basketball tournament. While I did correctly guess several outcomes of various games, the tournament is largely unpredictable due to its one-game nature. This contrasts with the playoff structure of professional sports, which are played in […]
The “Favorable” Physique
The pressure to simultaneously meet societal and athletic body standards.
“We have reached a point where it is unrealistic and unhealthy to have a standard for what the … body is supposed to look like.” Modern standards for size and body types have overarching negative effects on body image throughout society at large. Certain beauty standards disproportionately affect different populations; one demographic affected in a […]
Let’s go… Magenta?
Thirty-eight things you didn’t know about the Harvard Football Team
As the Harvard Football Team celebrates 150 years, let’s look back on their history! Carly Brail ’26 (carlybrail@college.harvard.edu) went to her first Harvard Football game wearing a pin that read “Penn Rules Harvard Sucks.”
Life’s a Jump Ball
Rising Above the Rim with Mckenzie Forbes.
Thirteen years ago, McKenzie Forbes ’23 joined the Folsom Force, a tornado of tiny sneakers, flailing limbs, and wild enthusiasm. This third-grade basketball team, coached by their mom Sasha, was one of many vibrant communities that formed the player and person Forbes is today. As we marvel at the transformation of Harvard Women’s Basketball this […]
Indy Sportsbook: Working for the Weekend
Highlighting the most exciting things in gambling for your days off.
Throughout the entirety of Indy Sportsbook’s (albeit very short) history, we have prided ourselves on our commitment to each issue’s theme. Whether we are making puns about love and sex or examining how gambling can fit into the counterculture, we strive to make our degenerate musings a worthy inclusion. For the first unthemed issue of […]
Indy Sportsbook: No More Vanilla Betting
A guide to pushing the limits with some less than comfortable sports.
The Sex Issue is the Harvard Independent’s biggest theme of the year, but it has proven to be a little tricky for us over here at Indy Sportsbook. While we consider both gambling and sex very worthwhile vices, the overlap between them is few and far between. Gambling is certainly not the “sexiest” subject—good luck […]
Indy Sportsbook: Method to the Madness?
My picks and advice on how to fill out your bracket for March Madness.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year—not the holidays, March Madness. Gambler’s paradise. The holy grail of sports betting. The time of year where sports fans can come together and rejoice with 67 games being played over the next three weeks. There is more to do than just watch them, as arguably the biggest […]
Indy Sportsbook: The Gender Betting Gap
Our picks and thoughts on gambling on women’s sports.
It goes without saying that the sports gambling industry has experienced a meteoric rise over the past few years. Widespread legalization has made wagering more accessible than ever before. A Harvard student will soon be able to bet on events as obscure as second-division Australian soccer (we like West Adelaide at +130) from the comfort […]
Fear and Loathing in Philadelphia
A savage journey to the heart of the American Dream: Women’s Squash Nationals
We were somewhere around New Haven on the edge of the ocean when the drugs began to take hold. And by drugs, I mean sleep deprivation and caffeine. The road trip from Boston to Philadelphia to watch Harvard defend their title at Women’s Squash Nationals had only been underway for 3 hours, but we were […]