Last year during football season, I noticed a trend on Facebook. Every time BYU would play a team, I would see posts on Facebook that went something like this:
"BYU sucks! Go (team playing BYU)!"
"They kicked BYU's a** today"
"Yeah BYU lost! It's a good day!"
Normally, I wouldn't have a problem with this. Facebook has unfortunately become an outlet for angry people to complain passive-aggressively from behind their computer screens, so it's common to see haters hating on things. You want to complain about something? Fine. Everyone has a right to like and dislike what they please. BUT there is one thing that really makes me angry. And that is people who hate on something for no reason other than to hate.
What bothered me most about these posts was not that it was against BYU, but because they were supposedly "rooting" for these teams that weren't in our conference, and weren't even in the state. They were random football teams that these Facebookers only supported because they hated BYU so much that they love ANY team that plays them.
I can understand those kinds of Facebook posts if you are rooting for a team, say, Ole Miss. I can see why you would wish for the other team to lose or even go as far to say that the other team sucks. But it's another thing to rag on a specific team, root for every opponent they have, and gloat whenever the team loses. I mean really, what reason could you possibly have to hate them that much?
Yes I am talking about BYU here. For some reason Utah State has this perceived rivalry with the Y (even though the Y is independent so they barely play USU in athletics, and BYU doesn't even consider USU as a rival). I didn't understand it when I started at USU, and it still baffles me. Why all this hatred? I would see people around campus wearing shirts saying "Buck FYU," "Screw BYU" and "Kick BYU's ass," and it didn't make me hate BYU. It made me ashamed of my own school for being so classless.
I can't pretend to know why EVERY student at Utah State hates BYU so much. What is it about the school that people can't stand? Sure, BYU has an honor code that many people consider too "strict." But these people who are complaining are LDS. Shouldn't they be living BYU standards anyway, school rules or not? Why should they have a problem with rules about dressing modestly, living chastely, and avoiding reckless behavior (unless they don't follow those rules themselves?) Many people at USU claim that BYU students are "douchebags" and I can't argue with that statement, since I don't know if that's true or not. But I DO know that as I have lived in the presence of Zoobies my entire life, I know a lot of very nice, upstanding BYU students. It's a HUGE generalization to think that they are all cocky. And even if they are, BYU is a LOT harder to get into than Utah State, so you really can't blame them for thinking that their university is of a higher caliber than USU.
I'm tired of Aggie fans (particularly LDS fans) bashing, swearing, and putting down the Y when the Cougars aren't even playing Utah State. Do you understand that BYU is owned by the same religion that you belong to, that you devote 3 hours every week to attend? Do you realize that the same institution you are cursing and swearing about is in operation because YOU give 1/10 of your income to help run it?
Maybe that didn't go through to you. BYU IS THE LDS CHURCH. Whether you want to accept it or not, it is owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I'm not saying that you have to support it 100%, but maybe you should think about it when you put on that "Buck FYU" shirt.
What about the University of Utah? USU loves the Utes, and why is that? The U is 45 miles closer to USU than BYU, so wouldn't that mean more of a rivalry? Also, the U is a state school like USU, and probably the most similar to it than any other school in the state. So does USU hate the U? No, because USU loves any team that goes against BYU, and even when USU doesn't have the athletic strength to beat BYU themselves, they clamor to support any team strong enough to beat them. Seems pretty weak to me.
It goes for more than the Cougars. In fact, any team in the WAC tournament has received similar treatment, especially when they play the Aggies in the Spectrum (the basketball arena in Logan). It's the same attitude, the "We're going to beat you, and when we do, we will laugh in your face." It is a part of what makes Utah State basketball such a terrifying force of nature. After all, what is a basketball game without the "You SUCK" chants, the taunting signs, and the general hideousness of sportsmanship gone awry?
I love my Aggies. I'm proud of my school. But when I see people who write posts on Facebook bashing another team, or screaming "you suck" at an opponent in the Spectrum, I am ashamed. I'm afraid that we're creating a reputation as a mean-spirited school. What are people supposed to think when we have derogatory shirts, offensive signs, and we're shouting expletives at the top of our lungs? Is this really the image we want to project?
So please, Aggies (and any other sports fan out there). Show a little bit of respect.
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