Since my mission (and maybe before) I have always considered BYU sports to be a good publicity tool for the Church, and, with 7 years of little league and HS football behind me as well as a few years of childhood/teenage attendance at BYU games during the Detmer-through-Walsh era, BYU football has been a natural draw for me: win, lose, or draw - WAC, MWC, or Indy. I even attended BYU basketball games for several seasons until I tried to buy tickets in October 2012 and was told that no single-game tix were available in the lower bowl since blue-seat construction and the ensuing season-ticket sales had proceeded so successfully. I have attended only four basketball games since then: three with free tickets (two were in ESA) and one NIT game (Mercer) for which I paid a mere $13.50.

Last week, after noticing a substantial price hike, I renewed only two of my three stadium donor season tickets (leaving the middle one unclaimed, if any of you want to sit by me), but I'll still go to the games this autumn, even though other priorities have arisen: work challenges, two new Church callings, and (I'm hoping) a little romance!

We need to remember that BYU doesn't exist to put sports teams on the field or court, but that sports are a [mostly] self-funding benefactor to BYU and its sponsoring institution. Thus if they don't perform so well, then there's no need to weep, wail, and gnash teeth. Most active members of the Church enjoy the Gospel without BYU sports as a part of their lives.