Salt Lake Trib - After Brawl, BYU FB hardly a light ...

[Water Pony]

Surprising article in Salt Lake Tribune about BYU and its current circumstances in college football. Perhaps their implied missionary objectives and college sports are hard to perfectly align, while their national football reputation is challenged?

http://www.sltrib.com/sports/1982115-15 ... all-hardly

[RebStang]

Surprising article in Salt Lake Tribune about BYU and its current circumstances in college football. Perhaps their implied missionary objectives and college sports are hard to perfectly align, while their national football reputation is challenged?

http://www.sltrib.com/sports/1982115-15 ... all-hardly

I think BYU's biggest challenge is the fact that most highly talented non-Mormon athletes want absolutely no part of attending a monastery masquerading as a college for 4 years... their patented blend of no alcohol, no sex, and no fun allowed for students is never going to make a great recruiting pitch for people who don't share their religious views.

[Topper]

Surprising article in Salt Lake Tribune about BYU and its current circumstances in college football. Perhaps their implied missionary objectives and college sports are hard to perfectly align, while their national football reputation is challenged?

http://www.sltrib.com/sports/1982115-15 ... all-hardly

I think BYU's biggest challenge is the fact that most highly talented non-Mormon athletes want absolutely no part of attending a monastery masquerading as a college for 4 years... their patented blend of no alcohol, no sex, and no fun allowed for students is never going to make a great recruiting pitch for people who don't share their religious views.

I have trouble believing that Jim McMahon adhered to the tenants of the Mormon church while he was in college or that the school doesn't turn a blind eye to "fun" if the player is valuable enough to the team. But I'm an old cynic.

[RebStang]

Surprising article in Salt Lake Tribune about BYU and its current circumstances in college football. Perhaps their implied missionary objectives and college sports are hard to perfectly align, while their national football reputation is challenged?

http://www.sltrib.com/sports/1982115-15 ... all-hardly

I think BYU's biggest challenge is the fact that most highly talented non-Mormon athletes want absolutely no part of attending a monastery masquerading as a college for 4 years... their patented blend of no alcohol, no sex, and no fun allowed for students is never going to make a great recruiting pitch for people who don't share their religious views.

I have trouble believing that Jim McMahon adhered to the tenants of the Mormon church while he was in college or that the school doesn't turn a blind eye to "fun" if the player is valuable enough to the team. But I'm an old cynic.

Sure, most kids there get away with breaking the honor code but the fact that they actually do follow through and kick people out is not going to be attractive to the average highly talented football or basketball player.

Remember, they kicked one of the best basketball players they've ever had out of school for having sex with his girlfriend... to put it bluntly, if I were a coaching recruiting a kid that BYU was after, I'd send him a couple links to stories about Brandon Davies and ask him what he thought about a school that expelled people for premarital sex.

[CA Mustang]

I have trouble believing that Jim McMahon adhered to the tenants of the Mormon church while he was in college or that the school doesn't turn a blind eye to "fun" if the player is valuable enough to the team. But I'm an old cynic.

McMahon is Catholic so he didn't have to follow it exactly, but he had his own issues there.
http://deadspin.com/5776887/how-on-eart ... honor-code
http://larrybrownsports.com/football/ji ... shut/62933

[ghost]

I admire BYU for having some convictions. They could have easily decided to go with the flow and try to keep up with the Jones's but instead they said we are happy where we are and what we stand for. SMU should do the same. Remember, BYU was much higher regarded than Utah until Urban Meyer got there and got the wild mormoms (half the team) to play and then Coach Witt followed. Quit worrying about national prestige and national championships and just be the best you can be and try to win the conference you are in. Otherwise you end up like TCU and BU and feel disappointment in not being in the playoff instead of basking proudly in their BIG 12 accomplishments.

[PoconoPony]

Read about the trials and tribulations of Jim McMahon at BYU. He was totally out of sync with the whole university and system doing what ever he wanted. He never fit in and were it not for his rebel spirit, thick skin and prominence as a football player he would have been out of there in one semester. He did what he wanted to do and survived 4 years on his terms.

[leopold]

The story I heard about McMahon was that a kid BYU was recruiting once asked him what the best thing about BYU was to him, and Jimmy answered "The day I left."

[vielsiehorsepower]

I absolutely cannot stand people sitting around getting offended for everyone else over a fight in a sporting event. Maybe it's my generation, but we just aren't as uptight about things like that..Sure it's not encouraged, but if I saw a fight at a game that'd make my week. Way better story to tell than "we all just held hands and sang kumbiyah"

The world is overly polictically correct and it's disgusting. Is fighting at a game immature? Yes. Uncalled for? Yes. symbolic of a coach's lack of control and ability to discipline his team? Of course. But get over it and move on. Nobody hit you, and I promise you that worse things have and will continue to happen in your life than having to witness a fight so suck it up and get over it.

[NavyCrimson]

Lol. Love it!!!

[mrydel]

What about people that get mad about people that get mad?

[footballdad]

What about people that get mad about people that get mad?

It's a generational thing.

[couch 'em]

I admire BYU for having some convictions. They could have easily decided to go with the flow and try to keep up with the Jones's but instead they said we are happy where we are and what we stand for. SMU should do the same. Remember, BYU was much higher regarded than Utah until Urban Meyer got there and got the wild mormoms (half the team) to play and then Coach Witt followed. Quit worrying about national prestige and national championships and just be the best you can be and try to win the conference you are in. Otherwise you end up like TCU and BU and feel disappointment in not being in the playoff instead of basking proudly in their BIG 12 accomplishments.

What a loser mentality. If that is to be our attitude why even be in division 1? Let's drop to D2 and save a lot of money