Should Byu Drop Football ?

[rodheadlee]

I was thoroughly disgusted with last nights brawl at the Miami Beach Bowl. I think BYU should drop football if we can't act like Christians. We don't need the bad press. I guess this is an example of checking your religion at the door. What do you think? I think it would be just fine if BYU dropped all sports.

 

http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=400610225

[Buckeye]

I actually thought it was a pretty good year. For the first time in 5 years, we didn't lose to Utah.

[Buckeye]

On a serious note, one of the toughest items on my mother's "shelf" is her experience working as a secretary in the BYU sports department while she and my dad were students. They both grew up far out in the mission field. Neither had pioneer heritage or ties to Utah, so all they had heard was how wonderful BYU was. Generally speaking it was great (all of their kids ended up going there as well), but my Mom's time in the sports department was a real challenge. Not so much the language and culture, but the downright dishonesty for grades, etc.

[Garden Girl]

I was thoroughly disgusted with last nights brawl at the Miami Beach Bowl. I think BYU should drop football if we can't act like Christians. We don't need the bad press. I guess this is an example of checking your religion at the door. What do you think? I think it would be just fine if BYU dropped all sports.

 

http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=400610225

 

Rod!!  Absolutely not!!  One incident, instigated by Memphis... is no reason to drop all BYU sports, not even football.  Do you realize the good that the various teams do as they play and travel nationally and internationally?  This is the first time there has been any such action... in fact, they regularly pariticpate in activities that are very positive in helping people know and appreciate church standards.

This was a very intense and emotional game... it's too bad it happened... even the Memphis coach said that their actions weren't who they were, and that they needed to know how to win successfully.   

I hope people will not over react about this... All the hundreds of games played with enthusiasm and overall good will should not be wiped out by this one incident.

 

GG

[Buckeye]

On another serious note, there was some not-insubstantial talk in the past few weeks about BYU being invited to join a real conference. The Big-12 was snubbed by the championship selection committee and could be looking to add more teams to avoid snubs in the future. BYU is on the list for schools to consider adding. Or better said, was on the list before yesterday. Real shame.

[Garden Girl]

On another serious note, there was some not-insubstantial talk in the past few weeks about BYU being invited to join a real conference. The Big-12 was snubbed by the championship selection committee and could be looking to add more teams to avoid snubs in the future. BYU is on the list for schools to consider adding. Or better said, was on the list before yesterday. Real shame.

 

How do you know they were on the list until yesterday?  The real shame is when people make conclusions such as you have without knowing they are true...

 

GG

Edited December 23, 2014 by Garden Girl

[Duncan]

I don't follow anything BYU does whatsoever but I don't think one brawl should be a catalyst to scrap the whole program, maybe dump a few players or something

[Buckeye]

How do you know they were on the list until yesterday?  The real shame is when people make conclusions such as you have without knowing they are true...

 

GG

 

Well, maybe I'm on the Big-12 expansion committee. Do you know that I'm not?  Or .... maybe I was just speaking in hyperbole.

 

I'll try to be more careful on this thread. I know BYU football can be a heated issue. For the record, all of my kids memorized the cougar fight song before they memorized the 13 articles of faith. So you know I have my priorities straight.

Edited December 23, 2014 by Buckeye

[stemelbow]

On a serious note, one of the toughest items on my mother's "shelf" is her experience working as a secretary in the BYU sports department while she and my dad were students. They both grew up far out in the mission field. Neither had pioneer heritage or ties to Utah, so all they had heard was how wonderful BYU was. Generally speaking it was great (all of their kids ended up going there as well), but my Mom's time in the sports department was a real challenge. Not so much the language and culture, but the downright dishonesty for grades, etc.

With Ohio and Buckeye as part of your identity here, it's kind of, well, silly to hear about complaints about another school's lack of integrity when it comes to the sports department. Just playing. But this is interesting because I'm guessing your parents are older than you and were probably at BYU back when or before LaVell Edwards time there. The slightest hint at a negative comment regarding Bro Edwards is seen as heresy in some quarters.

[Duncan]

With Ohio and Buckeye as part of your identity here, it's kind of, well, silly to hear about complaints about another school's lack of integrity when it comes to the sports department. Just playing. But this is interesting because I'm guessing your parents are older than you and were probably at BYU back when or before LaVell Edwards time there. The slightest hint at a negative comment regarding Bro Edwards is seen as heresy in some quarters.

 

 

There was a guy in one of my areas in LA that went to BYU for a PH.D. He wouldn't join the Church because of Lavell Edwards, afterwards he was tracted out by some sisters who had to convince him that Lavell Edwards isn't the Church! hahahahaha

[Buckeye]

With Ohio and Buckeye as part of your identity here, it's kind of, well, silly to hear about complaints about another school's lack of integrity when it comes to the sports department. Just playing. But this is interesting because I'm guessing your parents are older than you and were probably at BYU back when or before LaVell Edwards time there. The slightest hint at a negative comment regarding Bro Edwards is seen as heresy in some quarters.

 

All valid points. I'm an Ohio convert through marriage; my parents have no ties to the state. My mother never worked directly with Edwards but was there during his tenure. And, yes, overall, BYU's athletic department is if anything better than average. Until a few years ago, there were only two schools who had won a national football championship and never had a major scandal - BYU and Penn State. Well, now it's just BYU.

 

And to be clear, as much as I'm disappointed by yesterday's brawl, I don't consider it on the level of scandal that is seen at many top programs. And to be fair, let's recall that we're talking about kids a few years removed from high school here who have very high social pressure on them to win.

[stemelbow]

All valid points. I'm an Ohio convert through marriage; my parents have no ties to the state. My mother never worked directly with Edwards but was there during his tenure. And, yes, overall, BYU's athletic department is if anything better than average. Until a few years ago, there were only two schools who had won a national football championship and never had a major scandal - BYU and Penn State. Well, now it's just BYU.

 

And to be clear, as much as I'm disappointed by yesterday's brawl, I don't consider it on the level of scandal that is seen at many top programs. And to be fair, let's recall that we're talking about kids a few years removed from high school here who have very high social pressure on them to win.

My bro went to Ohio State so I felt justified in making the snide comment.

I didn't realize the game was played yesterday and didn't watch it, but just reviewing the video is pretty disappointing for sure. That sucker punch attempt towards the end of the video by BYU's #12 was sad, in terms of quality punching and cowardly sucker punching.

If yesterday's game was anything like the rest of their games this year, the defense leaked like a sieve, and it appears their offense made too many mistakes to get the W. I like evaluating games I didn't see.

[Rob Osborn]

Unfortunately sports has become our god! The ridiculous amounts we pay even for college coaches these days just makes me sick. I am not surprised that BYU was involved in a brawl over a silly game. Thats what we have become, its what we worship, its truly sad.

[Yirgacheffe]

On another serious note, there was some not-insubstantial talk in the past few weeks about BYU being invited to join a real conference. The Big-12 was snubbed by the championship selection committee and could be looking to add more teams to avoid snubs in the future. BYU is on the list for schools to consider adding. Or better said, was on the list before yesterday. Real shame.

I don't understand this didn't BYU want to be independent?

[Buckeye]

I don't understand this didn't BYU want to be independent?

 

Short answer: Independence is the best current option, but BYU wants something more - to join a power conference.

 

Long answer: BYU is only independent in football. All the other sports joined the west coast conference, which is mostly smaller catholic schools with little national recognition (except Gonzaga and St. Marys) and none of which has football. BYU chose independence for football because they considered it preferable to saying with the Mountain West (lots of reasons why but bottom line it was money and control over TV rights). However, BYU has always wanted to join one of the "power 5" conferences and continues to want that. The most likely option is the Big-12. Coach Mendenhall has made a number of public statements this year saying that BYU wants to join the Big-12. The Deseret News has run several articles about the possibility.

[ERayR]

 That sucker punch attempt towards the end of the video by BYU's #12 was sad, in terms of quality punching and cowardly sucker punching.

 

 

His bloody face looked like he had been the on the receiving ebnd of a sucker punch himself.  If you watch the video  you will see the start of the whole thing was when a Memphis player attacked a BYU player.  Regardless a sad ending to the day.

[cursor]

Unfortunately sports has become our god! The ridiculous amounts we pay even for college coaches these days just makes me sick. I am not surprised that BYU was involved in a brawl over a silly game. Thats what we have become, its what we worship, its truly sad.

 

Kinda like the ridiculous amounts that we pay lawyers to coach us along.

[Yirgacheffe]

Short answer: Independence is the best current option, but BYU wants something more - to join a power conference.

 

Long answer: BYU is only independent in football. All the other sports joined the west coast conference, which is mostly smaller catholic schools with little national recognition (except Gonzaga and St. Marys) and none of which has football. BYU chose independence for football because they considered it preferable to saying with the Mountain West (lots of reasons why but bottom line it was money and control over TV rights). However, BYU has always wanted to join one of the "power 5" conferences and continues to want that. The most likely option is the Big-12. Coach Mendenhall has made a number of public statements this year saying that BYU wants to join the Big-12. The Deseret News has run several articles about the possibility.

Will they get more money and control over TV rights by joining one of the "power 5" conferences? 

[Duncan]

Kinda like the ridiculous amounts that we pay lawyers to coach us along.

 

?

[Jeanne]

No..No..No..the fun part of football are the teams you like to route against!!  Without an NFL football team in Utah, the rivalries are the best!

 

Hugs,

Jeanne

[Rob Osborn]

Not sure what the BYU coach Bronco M. makes but paying a 1,000,000+ salaray per year is ridiculous. You have professors who put in way more time, are way more schooled, etc who make a 1/10 of what these coaches make- its ridiculous!

[Buckeye]

Will they get more money and control over TV rights by joining one of the "power 5" conferences? 

 

That's a big part of the decision. For a normal school, they would give up their independent money and control in exchange for getting an equal cut of the conference's money and control. But BYU has an unusually large investment in its media operations thanks to the church. And the Big-12 has a fixed TV deal for the next several years which would mean all existing schools would get less of the pie during that time if they brought in more schools. Unlike any other school, BYU could possibly work around that by joining the conference but forgo the money and TV rights in exchange for running their own stuff while the Big-12 TV deal runs out.

[katherine the great]

BYU will never drop football as long as it is bringing in money. I did not used to understand how important sports programs can be to universities' budgets. And as long as there are sports there will be testosterone which means hard to control aggression. It isn't as much about righteousness as it is about human nature and competitiveness. I think the BYU football team overall has a pretty darn good record for college sportsmanship considering the amount of testosterone it takes to achieve that level of competitiveness (and I would wager that the female athletes are no exception).

[Buckeye]

Not sure what the BYU coach Bronco M. makes but paying a 1,000,000+ salaray per year is ridiculous. You have professors who put in way more time, are way more schooled, etc who make a 1/10 of what these coaches make- its ridiculous!

 

That's the nature of sports. In a way, it's the purest form of capitalism we have. The gulf between the 1% and the 99% is greater there than in any other industry. The root cause of the problem is that sports values "win" above all else.

[Buckeye]

Kinda like the ridiculous amounts that we pay lawyers to coach us along.

 

I'm not sure what you're getting at. They've tried a lingerie football league with minimal success. Maybe a league where lawyers get pummeled would do better? (I say that as a skinny lawyer myself)