Hello everyone,

For some time I’ve silently enjoyed many comments on the Cougarboard, but based on recent postings, I now feel the need to comment…. Flame away as you like, but at least listen to my perspective. First you may ask, where does my school allegiance lie? I grew up in Salt Lake, earned all region athletic honors in high school, attended Ricks College on a football scholarship and was a starter. I’m strong in the faith (not that this should be relevant) and I’m a BYU fan, although my undergrad is from the dreaded school on the hill (think red…). My grad degree is from an out of state at a school that is not big on sports…. I won’t criticize those that want to dissect play calling and on-field decisions. I also realize many of the comments on the board are coming from fans that have never worn a jockstrap in collegiate competition, or even high school. That’s OK, sports fans should have fun and don’t need to be experts.

I loudly cheer for both BYU and Utah and I firmly believe that these actions are not mutually exclusive. When I was younger this was a fun rivalry. My career took me to the SF Bay Area area for 37 years, but I continued to follow both teams closely. Unfortunately, over time the rivalry began to take on an ugly edge. Yes, there are a small minority of Ute fans that are obnoxious, but as with any rivalry this goes both ways. For a small minority of BYU fans, the Cougarboard has become a sounding board for Utah Hate, rather than BYU Love…. I realize some of the comments are from Utah trolls looking for a reaction, but many of the loathsome posts about Utah are from BYU fans. From my perspective, the intense Utah hate detracts from the fun of the rivalry. A little Utah flaming may be fun. When overdone with anger, it appears petty.

At the moment, Utah has a better football program. I’ll leave it to the experts to determine whether Sitake should go, or stay, and to talk about the absolute demise of BYU’s football program. For me, I believe BYU will be back. Maybe not “Lavelle Edwards type back”, but back to playing relatively good football, given that the primary emphasis of the institution is way above a game with an oblong ball.

Also, like a lot of you, I’ve played in many competitive games in many sports. Referee calls whether good, bad or indifferent are just part of the game. There is a lot of “bad call” mania on the board. Let it go. In the 12/4 hoops game, BYU lost and Utah won. Period. Throughout this season, I believe BYU will prove to be the better program, but like BYU football, Utah hoops will be back. Maybe not “Rick Majerus type back”, but back nonetheless.

Sorry for my long-winded perspective. If you stayed with this, my final thoughts…. Have fun. Be kind. Be gracious. Be classy.