<p>I have too had classes involving debate, but they still dont compare with the sheer amount of time and energy people on the team spend on practicing/preparing, etc. I liken the debate team (at Northwestern at least) to the football team and Im sure no football players would call that a hobby. </p>
<p>"and policy debate will be no hobby but a way of life, if you want to have any success. Many top debaters can spend 40 hours a week researching and working on debate"
-Exactly....</p>
<p>Also, Maybe its like the whole college newspaper debate, wherein several schools claim to have the first in some way, but Northwesterns debate website says:</p>
<p>The University debate program was founded in 1855, making it the oldest in the country</p>
<p>In that case, Northwesterners should stop misrepresenting their school and claim instead to have "the first policy debate team"...some schools have debating societies going back to the 18th century, well before there was a Northwestern.</p>
<p>No wonder Northwestern has such a good debate team. Nobody at Cornell has 40 hours a week to spare for a debate club. </p>
<p>"and Im sure no football players would call that a hobby"</p>
<p>But I know of oh so many football players who i'd like to take their helmets off and say "hey, you aint gonna go pro, forget about it and get your butt to the library for your test tomorrow."</p>
<p>“In that case, Northwesterners should stop misrepresenting their school and claim instead to have "the first policy debate team"...some schools have debating societies going back to the 18th century, well before there was a Northwestern.”</p>
<p>-Misrepresentation, like all forms of lying, takes intent. I for one do not intend to misrepresent anyone or anything. All I am providing is the information the school itself gives. If there are other claims, I more than welcome them.</p>
<p>Northwestern has the "oldest continuous debate program in the country." I think the key word is "continuous." Princeton's American Whig-Cliosophic Society is the oldest college debate society founded in the 1760's but it had several periods of dormancy especially during wars most notably during and after World War I and the purpose of Princeton's society was never exclusively debate.</p>