There are a few higher ups at BYU that are actively holding certain things back with relation to athletics, and the atmosphere that comes with it. These people view BYU as existing for its primary function: an academic institution, and they fight hard to prevent anything that might diminish that role in their opinion. Any extra curricular activities should help reinforce this stance, as well as the mission of the church.

I had a chance to work fairly closely with the Athletic Department last year, and my time with them was a blast (I'm still getting stealing rise up flags back from freshman). However, the other half of my time was spent working with the official student organization on campus. My time with them was less than memorable to say the least. Granted, they were more restricted by the administration on what they could do, but the problem was that, for the most part, they liked it the way it was.

We were trying to create a real fan organization that bolstered support and pride for all of the aspects of BYU. The student organization heads were excited about the thought of a student group starting, but I came to feel like that excitement was primarily driven by the possibility of being able to add that to their resume', or getting better tickets to football games. Basically "Look what we did!"

The Athletic department not only did their job, but they were wanting to see more. More for the school and its programs, but especially more for the fans and supporters of those programs. They had things that they wanted to improve on, or start doing, but they acknowledged that they were limited by some of the previously mentioned individuals. For example, they were told by campus that they couldn't put signs out in front of the Richards Building telling people there was a game that night. In those situations, they just said that as much as they would love to do certain things (they have really awesome ideas BTW), if they were realistically going to happen, it had to come from the fans. Take Downtown for example. He started the whole "wear blue" thing with his friends. The administration didn't like the idea of BYU dictating the dress for the games, but those guys made things happen, and that is the way it is now at BYU.

I know Michael Mcquain loves BYU, and I know that he sometimes gets a bad rap around here, but what he and his friends are trying to do with tailgating is exactly what needs to be done. At least, if that is something that people are wanting more of.

Now....flame me for something.