In this series, DCist sports writers Brett Gellman and Andrew Wiseman tour the area’s college basketball arenas, taking in the sights and sounds of the home team, its fans, the stadium, as well as where to grab a drink and a bite to eat before and after the game. In our second installment, we venture to the Pleasant Plains neighborhood east of Georgia and north of Florida Avenue to see the Howard University Bison.
Arena: Howard’s Burr Gymnasium is on the north edge of campus at Georgia Avenue and Gresham Street NW. The building is not much to look at from the outside, especially from Georgia, just an average-looking box built in 1963. The inside, though, is nicely renovated and modern. The walls are covered with the Bison’s new logo and murals of the school’s sports history, plus trophies, mainly from the school’s run of soccer success in the 1970s and 80s.
Atmosphere: The vibe at Howard basketball games is lively, even without a big crowd—capacity in the small gym is 2,700. The game we attended was a non-conference tilt against Cornell during Christmas break, and the attendance was in the hundreds. However, this Saturday’s game is against Harvard, alma mater of President Obama, and a rumor that the President will attend has resulted in a near sell-out.
At the Cornell game, Howard student photographer Yakntoro Udoumoh invited Brett to take photos court side, and he said games against fellow Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference teams, historically black colleges like Hampton and Bethune-Cookman, are packed and rowdy. The Bison have been playing well the last two seasons and the Cornell game was close, high scoring, and a lot of fun. Cornell won 84-81 after a furious Bison comeback.
Even with the small turnout of Howard fans and a smattering of Cornell fans (many of whom were comically preppy Cornell students), the place got pretty loud during runs. The Howard students were funny too, yelling out some good-natured heckling and, at one point, cheering on the guy mopping the court.
The arena is bright and airy and the court is sunk below the stands, which themselves aren’t very big, so every seat is close to the action. The PA played new hip-hop like Young Thug and Rich Homie Quan and we liked the way the announcer dramatically mentioned the arena when talking about upcoming games: “AT… The Burrrrrrrrrrrr!”
Concessions: The arena’s snack bar had a long line at halftime, which seemed like a good sign, especially when we saw $5 meatball subs and sausages with onions and peppers on the menu. Sadly they were out of those two items, but the chili nachos were surprisingly tasty. There’s also a huge candy selection, as well as the traditional hot dogs and popcorn. Concession workers will also walk around the stands and take orders.
Pre- and post-game spots: Howard University is not far from Florida Avenue and Shaw, so there are lots of options nearby for food and booze. Right across from campus is the delicious Mexican spot Mama Chuy, which has fantastic tacos and margaritas, plus Salt and Pepper Grill, an Indian and Pakistani hole in the wall.
Two blocks up Georgia from The Burr is Bravo Bar, a relaxed little neighborhood dive, and Woodlands Vegan Bistro, which even non-veggies like. Bravo has a $6 beer, shot and hot dog deal until 8 p.m. and really good pupusas—we were there before and after the game. That part of Georgia Avenue has a diverse array of food options, from fast food to a diner to Ethiopian coffee.
Location: Howard is on Georgia Avenue a few blocks north of its eponymous Metro station, and The Burr is on the northern end of campus. There was some street parking, plus Bikeshare and the Georgia Avenue buses nearby. For a day game, come a bit early and walk through campus, which has some nice 1800s-era buildings like the General Otis Howard House and Founders Library.
Tickets: Tickets were $15 for general admission or $20 for box seats, though with our $15 tickets we could sit basically anywhere.
Stay tuned for our next installments as we head to the University of Maryland.
