He is the manager of athletics but not the overall Leader. BYU AD’s just don’t have that much authority to do exactly what they would like to do or even have the vision and passion to do. Not Tom or any of his predecessors. It is just not “the BYU Way” to empower its AD with level of authority.

The real Leader of everything at BYU and everything else in the COJCOLDS is the BOT which answer to and are largely composed of the presiding Priesthood Quorums of the Church. I think the majority of CBers sustain those Quorums. I do.

This authority, let’s use the BOT acronym, has long set the overall principles and values for athletics at BYU. Which are to my observation, teams and individual participants who live the Honor Code and therefore provide a tangible example of the Faith and Institutions they represent on a very public scale.

Therefore the wins and losses should reflect excellent sportsmanship and excellent and accountable personal behavior. This explains why there is an honor code and why it is enforced. Why relatively modest salaries and temple recommend worthy Coaches are required. Why academics are prioritized over athleticism. This the BYU way because it is the Way of the Lord’s kingdom on earth at this time.

So we should honor and respect the efforts of our AD and coaches, teams and players for their accomplishments as seen through this lens/paradigm.

If what I have written is mostly accurate, who could really say TH and KS are not fulfilling their respective stewardship’s reasonably well.

And the kicker, I suppose, is we the fans do care more about wins and national relevance for our teams and players than the BOT. But I suspect there are many individuals on the BOT (and TH), who are also personally fans not so unlike the rest of Cougar Nation, who personally pull for wins and glory on the fields and courts.

I could be wrong but this is the viewpoint I have come to after over 40 years of fandom. I think it makes it tougher to be a true blue fan but also perhaps less frustrating overall. And really silly to actually compare BYU to any other school, including the secular institution on the hill up north.