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Who knew? Mormon trash talk

E-mail|Link|Comments (8) Posted by Michael Paulson November 22, 2008 11:34 AM

The New York Times takes a look at the "Holy War" -- today's BYU vs. Utah football game. An excerpt:

"As B.Y.U. players navigate the narrow alley onto the field, Utah fans on both sides hurl down insults that are as personal as they are profane. It feels less like an entrance than a perp walk. 'They know there are two things that are really personal — one is religion, two is family,' said (Hans) Olsen, a former defensive tackle who finished his college career in 2000 and is now a sports talk radio host here. 'So they’d throw out something like, ‘How many wives did you have to ask before you could play in this game?’ It’s all the typical stereotypes about Mormons. To hear that — and it would be the same for Catholics, Buddhists, Jews — it feels like they’re attacking God.' Of course, some of those fans are themselves Mormon. They just happen to root for Utah. Many college football rivalries are conducted with a religious fervor, but when Utah and B.Y.U. play, as they will here Saturday, the fervor has religion in its roots. Thus the rivalry’s popular nickname: the Holy War. B.Y.U. is a private university owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Its student population is more than 98 percent Mormon, and those students are expected to live by an honor code that forbids alcohol, drugs and premarital sex. Utah is a state university whose population is about half Mormon, but mutton-chop sideburns and halter tops are allowed, and there is a Starbucks within walking distance of campus. The universities, about 45 miles apart, often serve as proxies for one’s interpretation of the Book of Mormon. The football teams are their flag bearers."

(Photo, by Justin Edmonds/AP, shows BYU running back Fui Vakapuna celebrating with fans following BYU's 38-24 victory over Air Force on Nov. 15.)

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8 comments so far...

For many people, football or sports in general IS their religion (that which is at the center of their lives, that which they are most passionate about.)

Posted by gaudete November 22, 08 01:52 PM

Hey Gaudete; You are right on. I am from Boston where the hold of Catholicism on people has considerably diminished in the last 50 years. The need for religious fervor in one's soul has been redirected to the Sox, the Celtics, the Bruins, the Pats and others.
Sprots fans are the "faithfull" and their faith is the Red Sox etc.

Posted by CyberJoe November 23, 08 12:02 PM

No matter what the religion may be, being mean and hurtful isn't productive and actually helps the oppositon. When one tries to humiliate a foe, the attack is aimed directly at the SELF. Loving your enemies will work in your favor!

Posted by joe fitzgerald November 23, 08 12:36 PM

U of U fans like to point out this interesting irony: Brigham Young University was founded by Karl Maeser. The University of Utah was founded by Brigham Young.

Posted by Cougar at Heart November 23, 08 04:59 PM

Read "Under The Banner of Heaven" for an eye opening overview of the Mormon Religion, from it's start by Joseph Smith in NY in the early 1800's to today.

Posted by CheckItOut! December 1, 08 08:54 AM

CheckItOut!: "Under the Banner of Heaven" discusses some fringe aspects of the early LDS Church, but is not at all accurate of modern mainstream Mormonism. People who want an eye-opening overview of the Mormon religion should visit mormon.org or their local LDS congregation, not a book about a splinter group.

Posted by Benjamin December 1, 08 08:24 PM

Benjamin,
Fringe aspects that continue to this day and were only set aside from fear of federal intervention
Under the Banner of Heaven is a fantastic look at the history of the church and the effects of that past on it's present.

Highly recommended.

Posted by shippy December 5, 08 11:45 AM

Shippy, "fantastic look at the history of the church and the effects of that past on it's present?" Sure, just like how a look at how Thomas Jefferson arguably raped his slave is a fantastic look at the founding fathers and how their humanity shaped our present reality in the U.S.A.

Benjamin is right - that book just reinforces the prejudices of those who love to hate Mormons.

Posted by Dave Whittle December 23, 08 06:20 PM

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Michael Paulson covers religion for The Boston Globe. He shared in the Pulitzer Prize in 2003, won the Mike Berger, Templeton and Supple awards in 2008, and is a four-time winner of the Wilbur Award.
E-mail mpaulson@globe.com.

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