Offensive Chants Towards BYU Must End — NCAA, Universities Must Take Action

BYU players, coaches, and fans will say they are used to religious bigotry and derogatory chants, but it doesn't make it right.

The University of Colorado is the latest school to "apologize" for derogatory chants from its fans. Last Saturday's game against BYU — which the 25th-ranked Cougars went on to win 24-21 to remain unbeaten — brought out the ugly side of fans as a large section of the stadium chanted “F--- the Mormons".

These aren't one-off moments, it happens at numerous schools every single year.

As I keep telling everyone, there's three things in life that you can always count on:

• Death

• Taxes

• And fans chanting derogatories at BYU

Need some examples or a reminder? Strap in because it's going to be a long one.

Earlier this year, BYU basketball went on the road to face No. 19 Arizona. The Cougars went on to win 96-95, which helped propel them into the Top 25 and a run to the Sweet 16. As the final seconds ticked off the clock, fans yelled the same derogatory chant that has happened at a bunch of other universities.

Then, last year against Providence — a private, faith-based Catholic university no less — hosted BYU as part of a Big East-Big 12 battle between the two conferences. Unfortunately, like what has happened at other institutions across the country, BYU fans, players, and coaches were subjected to religious bigotry and profanity-laced chants targeting their university and its affiliation with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

A video posted on X (Twitter) shows Providence fans chanting “F--- the Mormons" over and over again. It wasn't just a one-off situation either as fans and video confirmed that the profanity and religious bigotry chants were going on throughout the game.

Providence vice president and athletic director Steven Napolillo acknowledged the incident and condemned the behavior. He said the chants from the student body do not represent the school and what they stand for. Below is his tweet:

"I want to apologize to @BYUMBB, their coaches & institution for unacceptable chants by our student body tonight. Once it was brought to my attention, I went to the student body & had them stop. That does not represent who Providence College is & what we stand for. We are sorry."

Religious Bigotry Against BYU: A Troubling Pattern

As I've already shown, the Colorado incident is not a one-off event, but part of a troubling pattern as fans and student sections across the country seem to think that it's okay. They see other schools doing it, and they follow and do the same.

In 2022, Oregon Duck fans were filmed yelling a profanity-laced chant against BYU during the second half of the game against the Cougars. The video was posted on social media, prompting Utah Gov. Spencer Cox to tweet, "Religious bigotry alive and celebrated in Oregon."

The Pit Crew, which represents Oregon's student section, issued an apology on Twitter, saying, "We do not condone or support any hateful speech directed towards one's religion and are ashamed of those who participated."

Important: Take a minute and subscribe to get unique BYU and Big 12 content each week. It's FREE and your support helps me and ensures award-winning coverage straight to your inbox.

The University of Oregon also issued a statement apologizing for the chants.

"There is no place for hate, bias or bigotry at the University of Oregon, said Kris Winter, the university's interim vice president for the Division of Student Life. "These actions are simply unacceptable. We will investigate, and we call on our students and campus community to refuse to accept or tolerate this type of behavior."

One high school quarterback (TC Manumaleuna), who was being recruited by Oregon and who was with his family at the BYU-Oregon game, heard the chants, which led him and his family to leave the game early.

The year before that (2021), USC fans did the same thing during their loss to BYU. The university later apologized for it. However, as is always the case, too little, too late.

Double Standards: Respect, Inclusion, Diversity, And Acceptance — Not For BYU

It's time for the NCAA and universities to take action.

Why are other religious groups and organizations off limits, yet, it's fine to take shots at BYU? What happened to all the talk about "diversity and inclusion", "acceptance" and "respect" that is rampant across universities and campuses. Oh right, those are just empty words so they can continue to put on a good front, while continuing to discriminate against certain groups.

I've never heard, seen, or read any reports about "F--- the Catholics" chants at a Notre Dame game. I've never heard such vitriol about the Baptists at a Baylor sporting event, or anything like that about the Methodists at an SMU sporting event. The list goes on and on.

Imagine if offensive chants were targeted at Catholics, Jews, Muslims, Blacks, Hispanics, Asians or the LGBTQ community. All of this would have caused national outrage. There would be protests and people in the streets. But since it's about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — which people commonly refer to as "Mormons" — most people, for whatever reason, think it's ok to do so.

Reality check. It's not, and never has been.

NCAA, Big 12, And Universities Need To Take Action

Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ("Mormons") are used to turning the other cheek and have long demonstrated patience in the face of adversity. However, such responses should not be seen as an endorsement of bigotry. A consistent display of good humor in the face of prejudice can inadvertently perpetuate and normalize unacceptable behavior. Look no further than the The Book of Mormon play on Broadway which is a satirical comedy musical that profits off making fun of the Church and its beliefs. What other faith or group would allow that?

The NCAA and Universities across the country need to step up and not only be proactive about things, but also need to take meaningful action once it takes place. And no, "apologies" after the fact with no steps on how they will curb that action going forward doesn't count. A precedent has been set over the years and this will continue to happen until the NCAA and universities take meaningful action.

An "apology" afterwards is meaningless and is just a way to save face. The fact that bigotry towards BYU continues to happen across the country is very unfortunate, and opposing schools need to do a better job at educating fans and holding them responsible so it doesn't happen again. This goes for all teams and religious institutions.

The NCAA and universities need to lead the way and take a stand and make it clear to all fans that any kind of religious bigotry and derogatory comments are not welcome and offenders will face the consequences for doing so.

I would love to see the Big 12 should start issuing fines to schools where this takes place. I can assure that schools would actually take action if this were instituted. Everyone loves to say they are tolerant and promote acceptance, but it's all just a PR front. Actions speak louder than words and the hollow PR statements do nothing but try and save face. If the NCAA or Big 12 started issuing fines, you can bet that universities would quickly do something about it.

An apology after the damage is done is hollow and not accountability — it's damage control. If universities truly want to wear the badge of being "inclusive," "accepting," and "respectful," then they must start proving it with meaningful, consistent action. The continued religious bigotry at college sporting events is not just disappointing — it’s a failure of leadership. Conferences, universities, and the NCAA must do better. PR statement won't do anything, but policies and enforcement will.

Universities across the country should take a page from BYU’s playbook — where visiting fans are treated with courtesy, respect, and yes, even free ice cream and treats at LaVell Edwards Stadium. BYU doesn’t just talk about values — they live them. It’s time for the rest of the NCAA and especially the Big 12 to follow suit. It's been long overdue.

Important: If you enjoyed this article, please share it with a friend and subscribe to my newsletter! It's FREE and your support will help me to continue putting out great content. Thanks!

Follow Justin Giles on Twitter and Fan Insider on Facebook.