Being called a nerd isn't a bad thing, especially this weekend at Harvard.
The school is giving away "Nerds" jerseys to all fans in attendance for the Crimson women's basketball team's showdown against Columbia on Saturday at Lavietes Pavilion.
Last season, in which Harvard finished 24-5 and earned a trip to the NCAA Tournament, star guard Harmoni Turner coined the mantra, "nerds can hoop, too," a phrase that has stuck with the team, despite Turner going on to the WNBA.
“These young ladies are all into being really competitive on the basketball court,” coach Carrie Moore told the “Levels to this Podcast.” “But at the time, they are all into creating change off the court as well.”
Harvard produces a jersey giveaway game each year, and this year it was the athletic department that came to the team with the idea for the "nerds" jerseys, Moore told WBZ in Boston.
"(This year's) seems to be maybe the best one yet," Moore said.
Harvard isn't the first to embrace its inner nerd. Stanford sold merchandise with the moniker "Nerd Nation" after its athletes produced a viral music video entitled "N-E-R-D-S" in 2013.
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Matt Liberman is a reporter and video producer for cllct, the premier company for collectible culture.