It's that it mis-represents the teachings of the Church. If nothing else, the values of BYU Football ought to represent the church, and "Football is fifth" does not have any origin in teachings of the brethren. "Football is Fifth" actually comes from an old Coca Cola CEO.

Oddly enough this is how things like "Don't drink caffeinated soda" dogmas get started, and we're still dealing with confusion among non-members and members over that mess.

The brethren don't generally micromanage people to the point of defining lists of priorities because it's problematic to do so and it just leads to weirdness. When they do they have always pointed out that when it comes to being self reliant and being a provider, the Job sits third on the list. Not fourth and definitely not fifth. For student athletes, I would expect most to vary between 3rd and fourth depending on real opportunity to play at the next level. For those who can, millions of dollars in NFL contracts is a significant opportunity for a player and his posterity. The assertion that "friends" take priority over the athletic preparation of a scholarship athlete is laughable. The scholarship represents tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of dollars and is one path toward self reliance and therefore should take higher priority than "friends".

But back to Bronco, I don't think if he's winning NY bowl games and contending for national recognition and chances to play for a championship, people will worry too much about football fifth despite the annoying misunderstandings about the real positions of the church.

Manning is not in a position to represent the Church. I am not worried about what he says about priorities. The results he gets are indisputable. Good for him if he can be the greatest ever and talk about not placing football high on the list. I would say, what people actually do and what they say can vary. Peyton Manning's work ethic is legendary, so I am quite sure he puts in all the hours needed to get the job done. First in, and last out.