00:00What's going on Essence fam? It's your girl Sheree Nicole here again on behalf of Essence
00:09Black Women in Sports and this time I'm hanging out at MetLife Stadium to check out the HBCU
00:13Classic between the Morehouse Maroon Tigers and the Howard University Bisons. It's all
00:18going down. I'm super excited. I'm going to chat with some of the players and coaches
00:21about their pregame rituals and also how they plan to win the big game. And guess what else?
00:25I'm going to the big game. I got all the action for you and it starts right now.
00:29What we talk about at Howard is we don't have the huge NIO budgets and we don't have the
00:34fancy buildings and all of those things but I know if you take a 25-pound bumper plate
00:38and you press it 25 times it's going to be the same thing that a 25-pound bumper plate
00:42does for you at the University of Alabama.
00:44What do you say is the main way for those who view HBCU athletics or those who are in
00:48the space to move in a way that's more on the offensive versus on the reactive or the
00:53defensive?
00:54When it comes to meals and using sports science and the way that we approach things and meetings
00:59and the detail and accountability that comes with that, it's no different than anywhere
01:02in the country because at the end of the day it's playing with a football, some helmets
01:05and shoulder pads and it's on grass or turf. The difference is in mindset. The difference
01:09is in mentality and if you feel like you're always short-changed or whatever and you're
01:13on the bottom level of the stick, that's how you treat yourself. That's how it would be
01:16done. So everything we try to do we do in a first-class manner but to give it as much
01:20as required.
01:21These young men, they play for each other. They run the fire for each other. They won't
01:26quit no matter what the score is in the game and they truly love each other.
01:31Is there one thing about HBCU football, inclusive of Morehouse, inclusive of Howard and all
01:36the other schools, that is a staple that you very well have a grasp on that you want other
01:41people to either see or understand as a result of this game?
01:45These young men are just playing because they love the game. It's not about NIL deals.
01:52It's not about commercials. It's not about likes. It's not about all that stuff. They
01:56just love the game and so does the fans of HBCUs. They love it. They love the environment.
02:02It's a homecoming every time you come to an HBCU game.
02:06Some of the best NFL football players came from HBCUs. Walter Payton, Jerry Rice, World
02:11War I think. With NIL and what you see happening with the transport pool, you start to see
02:15some of that talent now find itself in an HBCU. You look at the FCS level which is Division
02:22I. Now you're having young men look at am I going to go to Tennessee Tech or am I going
02:27to Howard University?
02:28If I can do it, these guys can do it. I didn't play high school football. I was a walk-on.
02:33Even all those things like that and I just truthfully tell my story and hope it just
02:37inspires them. I kind of use that and know that I'm a mentor. I know they're always
02:42watching me in whatever I do. I just want to make sure and make my grandmother proud
02:46that I'm leading them in the right way.
02:48You've got to understand that HBCU, especially in football, there's great, great talent.
02:54We've got to find a way to market it more. I'm not saying better because we've been
02:59doing a good job at it, but more. For myself and others that have played at that level
03:07at the professional level, we need to call their friends that's coaching now and say,
03:11hey, come check us out. Look and see what we have. Then once those professional eyes
03:16get in the media, start saying, oh, there's something there.
03:20Corporate sponsorships for y'all being here just to meet these players and build connections
03:24with these players is deeper than football. All these players are hoping to impact the
03:28world and get full-time offers from jobs. For us to get this exposure, for the world
03:34to see HBCU's play, it's really important for us.
03:36Any trash talk you have for your comrade who you'll be facing in this game.
03:41I hope they're ready to get a team that's playing with a different passion, playing
03:46with the understanding that it doesn't matter who the opponent is, the opponent is us.
03:50When you make yourself the most difficult and hardest opponent to overcome each and
03:54every day, you can get some pretty good excellence and hopefully they get a chance to feel that tomorrow.
03:59You know we didn't come here just for a check, right? We came here to win.
04:04We came here to shock the world. I hope you're ready to play.
04:12And with all that trash talk behind them, the kickoff commenced the next day and the
04:16Howard University Bisons got things going early. While HU went into the locker room
04:21sitting comfortably in the lead during the first half, the Morehouse College band looked
04:25to even the score, at least figuratively speaking, during their halftime performance.
04:30HU kept it competitive and showcased some solid moves on the field as well.
04:33And from my vantage point, it looked like a tie.
04:36The second half started off similar to the first, with Howard taking full command of
04:40the game, but late in the third quarter and most of the fourth, Morehouse kept things
04:44interesting and made it into the end zone multiple times.
04:47But it wasn't enough, and the Howard University Bisons ultimately left MetLife Field with
04:52the trophy.
04:53Regardless of who won or lost, it was a great day for HBCU football and a great opportunity
04:57for the world to see the beauty, power and prowess of HBCU sports.
05:02This is Sheree Nicole signing off for Essence Black Women in Sports.
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