Warning: This post is total rumor mongering...

[Sammich]

People should not be surprised that there is talk about shutting down the sports programs at BYU. I'm sure that it is the plan within the next 10 to 12 years. What happened at Ricks was a precursor of what is to happen at BYU and BYU-H.

Yeah, I don't get people saying this. How do you figure they're going to drop sports at BYU---because they did it at Ricks? Ricks changed a lot of other things also when they did their university overhaul, many of which will likely never make it to BYU because they are so experimental and outside the norm. If they drop sports at BYU it will be for a very different set of problems than the ones they faced at Ricks.

[Sammich]

As much as I hate the idea, there is one scenario where this could take place is if the MWC goes through some kind of expansion and suddenly has an North and South conference.

BYu goes South division
Utah goes North division

MWC stays intact and no one forfeits.Unless a championship game, but TCU stands to be a impediment for the foreseeable future.(Given how easily they trounced the conference this year we might want to consider 3 divisions. North, South, and TCU division...)

BTW...thanks for rumormongering.

It's because of TCU that I wouldn't want them to divide it north and south. If the MWC brings in BSU, I'd rather play them every year than TCU. TCU can share the division with Utah and then we can play the winner in the championship game.

[ABYUFAN]

People should not be surprised that there is talk about shutting down the sports programs at BYU. I'm sure that it is the plan within the next 10 to 12 years. What happened at Ricks was a precursor of what is to happen at BYU and BYU-H.

Based on what I know of how the Ricks to BYU I transition went, there is a very minor and in "MINOR" chance that the athletics program will be shut down at BYU Provo. Those two schools are simply apples and oranges.

As has been said before, the Church is doing its best to make a University that its members want to go to. And many if not most of the male members of the church want to go to a school that has anintercollegate athletic department. I guess we'll just see in the next 10 to 12 years how accurate this prediction is until then it's just guesswork.

But for my money, when the worst thing to come out of the BYU Football program recently was a 24 year old guy saying that he "hates" a group of other people on something other than they belonging to a protected class, then you're doing pretty good!

[BroncoBot]

I mentioned this very thing after the "comments" were made. The players at BYU must hold themselves to a higher standard or we won't be cheering for any Provo NCAA sports.

BYU sports is one of the major faces of Brigham Young University, which in turn represents the LDS church. The GAs run the university and if they find themselves not being represented well, I'm sure they would have no problem with pulling the plug on athletics. That's just the way it is.

Having said that, I hope and pray that the GAs look at the bigger picture and realize that this is exactly what the most obnoxious ute fans, they who simply hate BYU because of the LDS affiliation, want.

[ABYUFAN]

I mentioned this very thing after the "comments" were made. The players at BYU must hold themselves to a higher standard or we won't be cheering for any Provo NCAA sports.

BYU sports is one of the major faces of Brigham Young University, which in turn represents the LDS church. The GAs run the university and if they find themselves not being represented well, I'm sure they would have no problem with pulling the plug on athletics. That's just the way it is.

Having said that, I hope and pray that the GAs look at the bigger picture and realize that this is exactly what the most obnoxious ute fans, they who simply hate BYU because of the LDS affiliation, want.

I just don't see it being micromanaged to that extent. I'm sure the program is micromanaged to an extent, just not to THAT extent. If you're always one "off hand comment" away from getting the plug pulled, then you've got a group of people not looking at the volume of otherwise positives comming out of it (the program.) Again, If Max Hall's comments come anywhere near close enough to consider pulling the plug that thing would have been pulled YEARS AGO! I see this as nothing more than "the sky is falling" stuff.

[BroncoBot]

I mentioned this very thing after the "comments" were made. The players at BYU must hold themselves to a higher standard or we won't be cheering for any Provo NCAA sports.

BYU sports is one of the major faces of Brigham Young University, which in turn represents the LDS church. The GAs run the university and if they find themselves not being represented well, I'm sure they would have no problem with pulling the plug on athletics. That's just the way it is.

Having said that, I hope and pray that the GAs look at the bigger picture and realize that this is exactly what the most obnoxious ute fans, they who simply hate BYU because of the LDS affiliation, want.

I just don't see it being micromanaged to that extent. I'm sure the program is micromanaged to an extent, just not to THAT extent. If you're always one "off hand comment" away from getting the plug pulled, then you've got a group of people not looking at the volume of otherwise positives comming out of it (the program.) Again, If Max Hall's comments come anywhere near close enough to consider pulling the plug that thing would have been pulled YEARS AGO! I see this as nothing more than "the sky is falling" stuff.

I agree, and hope that you are right.

[BerliNY]

I admit I am pretty torn on this issue. On the one hand I have a deep and abiding personal conviction that intercollegiate athletics are completely ridiculous. Why should someone get to go to a university for free just because they are better at running/jumping/throwing than the next kid? Especially when the running/jumping/throwing that the kid will be doing while at the university will take him/her away from his/her studies for days at a time thus necessitating tutors etc.. Serious students can hack it but serious students could do a lot better if they could focus on their studies. Not serious students focus on their sports, waste their professors/tutors time and generally glom off of the university.

For all these reasons I would love to get rid of NCAA sports at BYU.

On the other hand. I love BYU sports. My life changed when BYU beat Miami. I would seriously consider praying directly to Ty Detmer if he asked me to. BYU beating the UofU makes me happier than does christmas and only slightly less happy than when my daughter gives me a big slobbery kiss (she's 5 mos.). I have fond memories of attending all sorts of BYU sporting events growing up, football, basketball, baseball, cougar club stuff, Blue/White games, you name it.

Like I said I am a bit conflicted and at the end of the day I'm glad the decision whether or not to keep NCAA sports at BYU is not mine to make.

[SpiffCoug]

I hope that both the BYU and Utah administrations DO start talking about how to cool the rivalry. I think there are ways to do this without discontinuing the series. Maybe play the game at the end of September (as the conference opener) when less would be on the line. But I hope both Utah and BYU are looking at what has happened at their stadiums and what they can do to better protect the fans from further escalating the emnity.

[hawkwing]

I have no insight into this situation, but I do know from another source who worked in the athletic department that there were some high level talks and frank discussion about shutting down athletics during the Crowton years when the allegations of serious improprieties were taking place. From what I heard, there was a serious understanding that the athletic department could and would be shut down if anything like that happened again.

Of course, this situation is nothing like that.

[Italics]

I would be pissed to high hell if they cancelled sports at BYU.
The GA's are inspired, and they are great men... but for the most part, they are out of touch. Wiping out school sports is NOT going to be something that will bring greater strength, spirituality, or success to the schools "mission." What is it's mission anyway? Why does a university have to have some huge, epic, world-changing mission? What a load of crappola. BYU does a fine job at educating students and helping them be in an environment where their morals are valued... trying to take it any further than that is just arrogant.

Anyway, maybe I'm getting fired up over nothing if this isn't true. But how any GA or church official could think that a passionate "hate" statement and a bunch of rumors adds up to "we can't achieve our 'mission' without getting rid of BYU sports" is as nonsensical and delusional an idea as I've ever heard. Leave it to the church to hold the logic that shelling ourselves up like a bunch of hermits is how we're going to achieve our "mission," as opposed to getting out there and showing the world who we are. Yup, I'm sure that the news of BYU ending its athletics programs would convert TONS of people... it definitely wouldn't strengthen the general opinion that we are sheltered inbred s, right?



Gosh I hope that this rumor is false. I hate it when outdated opinion is used as counterfeit inspiration.