With the Utah vs. Brigham Young University game coming to a head, there is only one question left: Whose side is U President Michael Young on, anyway?
Recently, Young has deployed a good sportsmanship campaign under the banner of, “Let’s Stay Classy, Utah.” The message has been spread through ads, banners and posters on campus with hopes of dissuading rowdy U fans from excessive jeering. Young even asked several U clubs, fraternities and sororities to stand at stadium entrances to welcome BYU fans to the game, though most groups declined the offer.
But the BYU-U rivalry is not a Little League game, where you line up afterward and give every opposing team member a high-five. Maybe Young has ordered plastic trophies for every participant.
Neither is the rivalry a church meeting, where you usher in the soft-spoken congregation. This is a football game, and one of the most contested rivalries in the nation. It shouldn’t be dominated by warm fuzzy feelings.
Meanwhile, it’s getting harder to tell if Young is president of the U or Benedict Arnold. Maybe he should check his loyalties to BYU, his alma mater.
Administrators denied that the campaign is aimed at any one athletic contest, but it seems coincidental that Young only asked student groups to welcome fans of the opposing team at the BYU game. Although good sportsmanship is a noteworthy goal, pressuring fans to be unnaturally friendly ruins the fun of a rivalry. There is a thin line between being nice and being pretentious. We don’t need to buddy up to the opposing team in order to demonstrate sportsmanship.
This is a Holy War, and the administration can’t encourage this rivalry while simultaneously trying to cover up its foundation: A mutual lack of affection. The jeering is part of the fun, and it wouldn’t be a rivalry if there wasn’t tension. Fans should be reasonable at any football game, but a little jeering never hurt anyone...permanently.
Let’s stay sassy, Utah.
letters@chronicle.utah.edu
The Daily Utah Chronicle > Opinion
Stay sassy, Utah
Published: Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Updated: Wednesday, November 19, 2008
9 comments
Billy H
This view by the Chronicle disappoints me. I had the chance to attend Utah games in Louisville, KY and at UCLA in California. Both of those teams fans were great. UCLA fans invited us over to their tailgate party to share in their food and drinks and Louisville fans came up and congratulated us for the win after the game. (Never mind that I actually did nothing on the field to affect the outcome of the game.) I appreciated their kindness though. I know once it was game time, they were cheering as loud as they could and supporting their schools, but I left those schools with an impression that those were good fans. I support President Young in encouraging us to be classy fans. People should come to our stadium and know that we are educated, devoted, and loud fans. But they shouldn't leave thinking we are classless Oakland Raider fans. Rice-Eccels Stadium should not strive to become the "Black Hole" of MWC football.On Saturday let's cheer loud and passionate, but PLEASE Utes, let's be educated and classy. GO UTES!!
Jack Daines
Nick:While I love the Utah/BYU rivalry, it is not one of the greatest in the nation. Have you ever been to a Michigan/Ohio State game. Even though Michigan sucks this year and Ohio State has been a let down, that game will have 10 times more intensity that if BYU were #2 and we were #1. Navy/Army. Texas/Oklahoma. LSU/Alabama. The list goes on and on. The BYU game on Saturday will be good. But please don't blow it of perspective, it makes all Utah college fans look bad. Have fun, but don't lose your head if we win or lose.
TIM
Oh Utah football, people can not say that this isn't a matter of church, because if anyone wants to believe it or not this is the only state that something of this manner would come up, our campus president wanting us to welcome our rival fans at the door with a, "HEY GOOD LUCK" at the door what the hell is that, rivals should not be friends but foes that yelling what every someone may please to anyone, and this is home field advantage we don't want to welcome people coming into OUR HOUSE, come on Utah if you're true fans stand up for your team and don't let the church views of equality push you around
Nick Bayne
Yes, stay classy. Surely, Yankee, Red Sox, and Philly fans are admired for their intelligence. Surely Jazz fans would NEVER chant "BULLSHIT" after a blown call. A Red Wings admirer should never throw an octopus on the ice, for fear of insulting our cephalopod friends.THIS IS SPORTS, AND ONE OF THE GREATEST RIVALRIES IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL! This is what we fans live for -- to jeer, scream, and curse our rivals. You don't offer a Cougar player a cup of tea! Yes, there are lines that we should not cross, but being a ravenous fanatic is not one of those. If Michael Young wants to be a closet Y fan, then he should slink over to Provo during the game and watch over a tall, frosty glass of John Beck's tears!
jake
Modern Pioneer....you're a dumbass.
