https://www.espn.com/college-football/st...mon-church

I wonder how much you can really control certain fans' behavior.
I do think the technical fouls and penalties are a good way to stop this stuff (assuming it doesn't start getting done by the visiting teams' fans to get penalties!).


"...The Big 12 Conference has fined UCF $100,000 for fans' derogatory chants aimed at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at last weekend's football game against BYU.

The league also announced Wednesday that it has established a conference-wide policy with "escalating consequences for discriminatory conduct" that it says "has no place in the Big 12...."

Colorado State issued an apology in September after fans targeted BYU and the Mormon church with derogatory chants.

The Big 12 fined Oklahoma State $50,000 in February following inappropriate chants during a men's basketball game against BYU. A year ago, Colorado was issued a $50,000 fine for similar chants at a football game.

Similar incidents occurred at an Arizona men's basketball game during the 2024-25 season and a Cincinnati football game in November 2025. Neither school was fined...."

(10-28-2026 11:17 PM)bullet Wrote:  https://www.espn.com/college-football/st...mon-church

I wonder how much you can really control certain fans' behavior.
I do think the technical fouls and penalties are a good way to stop this stuff (assuming it doesn't start getting done by the visiting teams' fans to get penalties!).


"...The Big 12 Conference has fined UCF $100,000 for fans' derogatory chants aimed at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at last weekend's football game against BYU.

The league also announced Wednesday that it has established a conference-wide policy with "escalating consequences for discriminatory conduct" that it says "has no place in the Big 12...."

Colorado State issued an apology in September after fans targeted BYU and the Mormon church with derogatory chants.

The Big 12 fined Oklahoma State $50,000 in February following inappropriate chants during a men's basketball game against BYU. A year ago, Colorado was issued a $50,000 fine for similar chants at a football game.

Similar incidents occurred at an Arizona men's basketball game during the 2024-25 season and a Cincinnati football game in November 2025. Neither school was fined...."

This whole thing is ridiculous. BYU even admitted that UCF did the best they can do. They made at least 5 announcements via the PA to cut that crap out and stop it. They made warnings about getting escorted out and followed through with the threats sending scores of personal to kick out all the fans that were chanting it.

Yet, UCF gets handed a huge fine for something the that was completely out of their hands and they did everything in their power to mitigate?

Now the Big 12 solution going forward is a ridiculous money grab. Every school playing BYU are going to not only get fined for actions completely out of their control, but the on field/court penalties are flat out NUTS. Anyone opposing the team playing BYU can help BYU on the field/court with just 2 chants by 2 different people. Like, Holy Crap.....talk about a mess of a policy.

The B12’s obvious concern is less “language” than religious intolerance/hostility.

The B12 has a conference they want everyone to feel welcome in, no matter how hot the competition gets.

___

(10-29-2026 08:30 AM)otown Wrote:  

(10-28-2026 11:17 PM)bullet Wrote:  https://www.espn.com/college-football/st...mon-church

I wonder how much you can really control certain fans' behavior.
I do think the technical fouls and penalties are a good way to stop this stuff (assuming it doesn't start getting done by the visiting teams' fans to get penalties!).


"...The Big 12 Conference has fined UCF $100,000 for fans' derogatory chants aimed at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at last weekend's football game against BYU.

The league also announced Wednesday that it has established a conference-wide policy with "escalating consequences for discriminatory conduct" that it says "has no place in the Big 12...."

Colorado State issued an apology in September after fans targeted BYU and the Mormon church with derogatory chants.

The Big 12 fined Oklahoma State $50,000 in February following inappropriate chants during a men's basketball game against BYU. A year ago, Colorado was issued a $50,000 fine for similar chants at a football game.

Similar incidents occurred at an Arizona men's basketball game during the 2024-25 season and a Cincinnati football game in November 2025. Neither school was fined...."

This whole thing is ridiculous. BYU even admitted that UCF did the best they can do. They made at least 5 announcements via the PA to cut that crap out and stop it. They made warnings about getting escorted out and followed through with the threats sending scores of personal to kick out all the fans that were chanting it.

Yet, UCF gets handed a huge fine for something the that was completely out of their hands and they did everything in their power to mitigate?

Now the Big 12 solution going forward is a ridiculous money grab. Every school playing BYU are going to not only get fined for actions completely out of their control, but the on field/court penalties are flat out NUTS. Anyone opposing the team playing BYU can help BYU on the field/court with just 2 chants by 2 different people. Like, Holy Crap.....talk about a mess of a policy.

Less a money grab and more a CYA. When things like this pop up on ESPN, it makes the entire conference look bad. And it could get a whole lot worse in a big game on national television. I'd say this is more like the SEC fining schools $500k for rushing the field b/c one day, there will something far worse happening than fans getting in someone's face and yelling mean things at them. For the Big 12, it's the same. It's gone on for a while, the conference tried something, that didn't work, so they're getting more aggressive about it. If something really bad does happen, the conference can point to the aggressive steps that they've taken to deal with the issue.

I've certainly said things -screamed them, to be honest- at games that I'm ashamed of, especially in my younger days. However, not even I have ever stooped to this level of classlessness.

I'm not in favor of punishing the school financially for the actions of fans in most instances... most of the time. This behavior, while tasteless, is not truly "harmfull" in that it does not pose a threat to the players on the field.

As "open letter" from the AD to the fans involved and to the parents of students should do the trick and be all that's needed.

For the record, ECU has played BYU four times in my lifetime (we're 2-2 against them with two games at home and two away). I've met many of their fans at these games and can honestly say that they are some of the nicest folks you'll meet. Why anyone would be exhibit such rudeness towards them is beyond me.

(10-29-2026 08:55 AM)Ned Low Wrote:  I've certainly said things -screamed them, to be honest- at games that I'm ashamed of, especially in my younger days. However, not even I have ever stooped to this level of classlessness.

I'm not in favor of punishing the school financially for the actions of fans in most instances... most of the time. This behavior, while tasteless, is not truly "harmfull" in that it does not pose a threat to the players on the field.

As "open letter" from the AD to the fans involved and to the parents of students should do the trick and be all that's needed.

For the record, ECU has played BYU four times in my lifetime (we're 2-2 against them with two games at home and two away). I've met many of their fans at these games and can honestly say that they are some of the nicest folks you'll meet. Why anyone would be exhibit such rudeness towards them is beyond me.

Yeah, all Mormons I've met in my life, and I've met a bunch, have been super nice. There are plenty of other ways for opposing fans to harass BYU without dragging their Church into it.

I think this has more to do with punishing victims of a crime of not of their doing than how nice people are. It is about sex before pre-marriage rule baked into the system, and they do need to clean things up. Even Baylor got hostilities towards them as well. Now, if you start kicking and banning people to the games because they used the chants against BYU? Then your school in the Big 12 will lose money. There is nothing anybody can do to stop that, and BYU have to suck it up as they are the Liberty of the conference that nobody wanted before they got the invite to the Big 12.

(10-29-2026 12:08 PM)DavidSt Wrote:  I think this has more to do with punishing victims of a crime of not of their doing than how nice people are. It is about sex before pre-marriage rule baked into the system, and they do need to clean things up. Even Baylor got hostilities towards them as well. Now, if you start kicking and banning people to the games because they used the chants against BYU? Then your school in the Big 12 will lose money. There is nothing anybody can do to stop that, and BYU have to suck it up as they are the Liberty of the conference that nobody wanted before they got the invite to the Big 12.

You totally miss the point. If they said Cougars S___, it would be ignored. But they are attacking the religion.

That is the point of what I am saying. The BYU rules are based on their beliefs and not tolerant to the victims. Both of their views and Liberty views have been slow to change to be tolerant as they are behind on trying to adjust to protect the victims of sexual assaults based on their Religious views that are baked into the school's policies.

Good move by the conference. Once fans see in-game penalties being applied because of fan stupidity the fans will police themselves. I think UCF did everything it could during the game, multiple announcements, multiple removals, and drunk college kids persist.

I think after the first in-game penalty it will quiet down.

(10-29-2026 12:08 PM)DavidSt Wrote:  I think this has more to do with punishing victims of a crime of not of their doing than how nice people are. It is about sex before pre-marriage rule baked into the system, and they do need to clean things up. Even Baylor got hostilities towards them as well. Now, if you start kicking and banning people to the games because they used the chants against BYU? Then your school in the Big 12 will lose money. There is nothing anybody can do to stop that, and BYU have to suck it up as they are the Liberty of the conference that nobody wanted before they got the invite to the Big 12.

I'm highly confident that Yormark will crank up the heat so high that, eventually, schools will keep their fans from doing similar chants. If the issue is a $500k fine, $1m fine, , $3m, perhaps $5m eventually, whatever is required, then when one drunk frat boy starts the chant, he'll get dog piled by 5 others shutting him up to prevent the fine and commensurate damage to the school. It's just the same with the SEC, I fully expect the fines to skyrocket in the coming years. $500k isn't enough to keep USC or Tennessee from rushing the field, that's a rounding error, but $5m? $10m? They'd hire 1000 cops and completely encircle the stadium at the end of the game at some point b/c the cost would be damaging to their competitiveness. Nobody is leaving a conference over rules like this, they're just not taking them all that seriously right now b/c it's still in the "college kids being college kids" category. When an opposing playing is seriously hurt or killed, or even in the comparatively tame example of some sort of hypothetical anti-Mormon hate group embarrasses the Big 12 badly enough on National TV, the penalties will get so harsh that the kids will police themselves.

(10-29-2026 12:20 PM)ArmoredUpKnight Wrote:  Good move by the conference. Once fans see in-game penalties being applied because of fan stupidity the fans will police themselves. I think UCF did everything it could during the game, multiple announcements, multiple removals, and drunk college kids persist.

I think after the first in-game penalty it will quiet down.

And now everybody is on notice.

Ok:

Make fun of BYU in general
25 year old linemen
Ugly uniform colors
funny nicknames

Not Ok:
stuff that gets your team a huge fine and/or in game penalty that could cost you the game

That’s fine as long as BYU can also be fined and receive in-game penalties if those chants occur at their stadium. If other schools have full control of fan behavior in their stadiums, BYU should be held to the same standard for every person in their facility regardless of fandom.

As it’s written Arizona can have some local fans show up in Tempe, toss out some slurs, and get ASU fined and penalized. Visiting BYU fans can shout some slurs ant their own team and get a key first down whenever they want. And if you think that sounds ridiculous, the average BYU fan would curse their religion to win a board game. It is a very competitive culture that values winning which is respectable. You can’t give them this gift of a rule.

(10-29-2026 03:50 PM)jrj84105 Wrote:  That’s fine as long as BYU can also be fined and receive in-game penalties if those chants occur at their stadium. If other schools have full control of fan behavior in their stadiums, BYU should be held to the same standard for every person in their facility regardless of fandom.

As it’s written Arizona can have some local fans show up in Tempe, toss out some slurs, and get ASU fined and penalized. Visiting BYU fans can shout some slurs ant their own team and get a key first down whenever they want. And if you think that sounds ridiculous, the average BYU fan would curse their religion to win a board game. It is a very competitive culture that values winning which is respectable. You can’t give them this gift of a rule.

I don't think that your Utes need to worry about this rule at all, and it would take quite the subterfuge to get a large enough group of stealthy BYU fans in, say, UCF gear to trick the refs or the conference into assessing a huge fine and/or penalty. Plus, they'd certainly get caught with video reviews, at which point the penalties would just go away and the harassment would dial up to 11.

I do agree that Mormons are some of the most competitive people I've known. My pride has suffered irreparable harm to them at times...

(10-29-2026 03:55 PM)bryanw1995 Wrote:  

(10-29-2026 03:50 PM)jrj84105 Wrote:  That’s fine as long as BYU can also be fined and receive in-game penalties if those chants occur at their stadium. If other schools have full control of fan behavior in their stadiums, BYU should be held to the same standard for every person in their facility regardless of fandom.

As it’s written Arizona can have some local fans show up in Tempe, toss out some slurs, and get ASU fined and penalized. Visiting BYU fans can shout some slurs ant their own team and get a key first down whenever they want. And if you think that sounds ridiculous, the average BYU fan would curse their religion to win a board game. It is a very competitive culture that values winning which is respectable. You can’t give them this gift of a rule.

I don't think that your Utes need to worry about this rule at all, and it would take quite the subterfuge to get a large enough group of stealthy BYU fans in, say, UCF gear to trick the refs or the conference into assessing a huge fine and/or penalty. Plus, they'd certainly get caught with video reviews, at which point the penalties would just go away and the harassment would dial up to 11.

I do agree that Mormons are some of the most competitive people I've known. My pride has suffered irreparable harm to them at times...

Once the fans get used to playing them the novelty with that stuff will wear off. Both UTEP and Wyoming had disastrous consequences for their football programs when some players actually boycotted a BYU game. Wyoming never recovered. UTEP had just gotten in the WAC and then that stalled them out right after starting the car.

(10-29-2026 12:20 PM)ArmoredUpKnight Wrote:  Good move by the conference. Once fans see in-game penalties being applied because of fan stupidity the fans will police themselves. I think UCF did everything it could during the game, multiple announcements, multiple removals, and drunk college kids persist.

I think after the first in-game penalty it will quiet down.

Yes, this is actually the kind of thing that helps university administrators. It’s an expensive service in this case, but they needed backup.

In the long run this will pay off.

(10-29-2026 03:50 PM)jrj84105 Wrote:  That’s fine as long as BYU can also be fined and receive in-game penalties if those chants occur at their stadium. If other schools have full control of fan behavior in their stadiums, BYU should be held to the same standard for every person in their facility regardless of fandom.

As it’s written Arizona can have some local fans show up in Tempe, toss out some slurs, and get ASU fined and penalized. Visiting BYU fans can shout some slurs ant their own team and get a key first down whenever they want. And if you think that sounds ridiculous, the average BYU fan would curse their religion to win a board game. It is a very competitive culture that values winning which is respectable. You can’t give them this gift of a rule.

Straw man argument. Schools are not required to “have full control of fan behavior in their stadiums.”

Enough control. That is the expectation.

It’s a perfectly reasonable one to have of any organization inviting 50,000+ members of the public through the gates of its arena.

Vulgarity, meanwhile, is not a cheat code. “A key first down whenever you want” is not how these things work.

__

How embarrassing this must be for Central Florida fans.

(10-30-2026 03:40 AM)Gitanole Wrote:  

(10-29-2026 12:20 PM)ArmoredUpKnight Wrote:  Good move by the conference. Once fans see in-game penalties being applied because of fan stupidity the fans will police themselves. I think UCF did everything it could during the game, multiple announcements, multiple removals, and drunk college kids persist.

I think after the first in-game penalty it will quiet down.

Yes, this is actually the kind of thing that helps university administrators. It’s an expensive service in this case, but they needed backup.

In the long run this will pay off.

Exactly.

Amazing how some people want to just lump in all chants with ones that are specifically discriminatory (whether it’s religion in this case or other instances regarding race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or other protected classes). Not all obscenities or vulgarities are the same (hence why hate speech is treated differently than other types of speech).

Frankly, I have zero problem with people like this being doxxed. Free speech does not mean freedom from consequences. Identifying those people by name on YouTube and TikTok videos is how you really clean it up as no reputable employer will ever hire them after a basic background Internet search (getting easier all of the time with AI).

(10-28-2026 11:17 PM)bullet Wrote:  https://www.espn.com/college-football/st...mon-church

I wonder how much you can really control certain fans' behavior.
I do think the technical fouls and penalties are a good way to stop this stuff (assuming it doesn't start getting done by the visiting teams' fans to get penalties!).


"...The Big 12 Conference has fined UCF $100,000 for fans' derogatory chants aimed at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at last weekend's football game against BYU.

The league also announced Wednesday that it has established a conference-wide policy with "escalating consequences for discriminatory conduct" that it says "has no place in the Big 12...."

Colorado State issued an apology in September after fans targeted BYU and the Mormon church with derogatory chants.

The Big 12 fined Oklahoma State $50,000 in February following inappropriate chants during a men's basketball game against BYU. A year ago, Colorado was issued a $50,000 fine for similar chants at a football game.

Similar incidents occurred at an Arizona men's basketball game during the 2024-25 season and a Cincinnati football game in November 2025. Neither school was fined...."

In the 80's and earlier this is a big nothing burger.