Harvard was leading their Ivy League rival Yale 15-3 at the half, but it appears the outcome of “The Game” will have to wait longer than expected.
The Harvard-Yale football game has been delayed due to students protesting climate change in the middle of the field. pic.twitter.com/uY9Kc3Mn32
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) November 23, 2019
Before the second half started, over 150 Yale and Harvard students, alumni, and faculty stormed the field and sat down on the 50-yard-line of the Yale Bowl. Some displayed signs, with one saying “Nobody Wins: Yale & Harvard are complicit in climate injustice.”
As the second half was set to begin, the protesters refused to leave the field, resulting in the game being delayed.
The groups protesting appear to be a united effort from Divest Harvard and Fossil Free Yale. The protesters called for their respective institutions to end their massive investments in the fossil fuel industry, contributing to the climate crisis in the process.
According to Divest Harvard, the university only discloses 1% of their $39.2 billion endowment, of which $5.6 million is invested in fossil fuels. They want Harvard to disclose the remaining 99% of their endowment, divest entirely from fossil fuel companies, and reinvest in “environmentally sustainable and socially responsible funds.”
Fossil Free Yale calls for their university to end its holdings in Puerto Rico’s debt and also divest from the fossil fuel industry, according to their Twitter bio.
There were plenty of reactions to the sit-in on social media, as expected. The commentary ranged from criticism and calls for them to be arrested, to praise and support from several others.
Buddy just sent this to me from the Yale v Harvard game.
Climate change protesters have taken over the field and won’t leave.
The worst people alive. pic.twitter.com/HhlKn7Pukx
— Jim Murray (@bigjimmurray) November 23, 2019
You know what’s more important than a football game?
The survival of the human race
Complain all you want but if we don’t do something now Harvard won’t be able to continue beating Yale 100 years from now because there will be no human race. #HarvardYale
— David Hogg 🟧 (@davidhogg111) November 23, 2019
At the Harvard/Yale football game hundreds of students stormed the field at halftime to protest “climate change”
The local police should give them one warning then arrest all of them for criminal trespassing
Time to get tough with these narcissistic entitled activists
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) November 23, 2019
Student protests on climate change bring Harvard-Yale football game to grinding halt.
Protest and dissent are hallmarks of a healthy democracy. https://t.co/9ud2zPkx6q
— Kristen Clarke (@KristenClarkeJD) November 23, 2019
One of the many beauties of sports is its ability to be a stage for many causes and events that have absolutely nothing to do with sports. Contrary to some beliefs, sports and politics have always been intertwined, this is simply the latest proof of that.
