I was a high school debate team member and, if things are done the same way nowadays, the free speech argument is bullhockey. We had ONE topic that was debated all year, with enough variations to keep the debates lively.
Ours was "Resolved, that Congress should establish uniform regulations to control criminal investigation procedures." Debates centered on different states' regulations on wiretaps, recidivism, and arrests, among other things.
It takes a ton of research and debaters went into debates with file cabinets of index cards to back up their statements.
I sincerely doubt that Michelle Obama's butt was debated all year.