BYU "image" re: BYU gear

[Borg]

Watched a program "Insight" last night on BYUtv. They had Holmoe and the AD from Notre Dame I think on there and he was firing questions back and forth between the two.

Anyway, it struck me how widespread the 'brand' of Notre Dame is. You see kids, men, people wearing "ND" hats, shirts, gear, etc. who most likely, the odds of them actually attending ND is fairly remote.

However, it is "cool" to wear the little fighting Irish dude on your hat, to sport the "ND" on your hat or shirt. It is "cool" for BYU students to wear such gear...not Catholic, but still seen as 'cool'. I would image that there are tons and tons of non-Catholics wearing ND gear and it is totally acceptable, totally cool.

Now that BYU has gone independent...is it possible, for the BYU brand to ever become 'cool' with non-Mormon people to sport BYU gear? I would think that one of the stumbling blocks for BYU gear (Zephyr would know) is that most likely, non-active LDS people will NOT sport BYU gear, most non-LDS people will NOT sport BYU gear.

Most people, I am assuming, that wear BYU gear are not ashamed to be associated with the Church. In contrast, those that are not members or inactive would NOT want to be associated with the Church and/or any questions thrown their way about the Church due to their wearing the BYU gear.

Is that even possible?...where BYU would be seen in such a favorable light that just regular Joe-shmoe would wear BYU gear because it's "cool"?

[WashingtonCoug]

That brand awareness came from Notre Dame winning and winning a lot. If BYU wins a lot, they will get those same bandwagon fans that always follow a winner.

[Portland Ute]

I think ND has a hundred plus years of tradition. It's a household brand name. It is the "Coke" of college athletics.

As much as BYU fans make fun of Utah's "tradition", BYU's is closer to Utah's than it is NDs.

I think that makes a huge difference.

I don't think it's the religious aspect holding BYU apparel back (although it limits it right now, IMO), I think it's the fact that BYU is not seen by non-BYU fans in the same light as UNC, Duke, UCLA, USC, ND, Michigan.


There really is only one way to get to that level and it has nothing to do with being independent.

[SteelBlue]

Is that even possible?...where BYU would be seen in such a favorable light that just regular Joe-shmoe would wear BYU gear because it's "cool"?

Jimmer put BYU in about as favorable a light as possible this year but I don't think it's translated into Joe-schmoe rocking BYU gear. My son said BYU was a popular team at his HS this year (very few Mormons) and that wearing Y gear generated a lot of positive comments, but I think it was 100% Jimmer and it's over.

[YOhio]

Is that even possible?...where BYU would be seen in such a favorable light that just regular Joe-shmoe would wear BYU gear because it's "cool"?

No. The school has weird rules and the mascot is generic and boring.

[Paperback Writer]

One "problem" might be that the LDS church uses the BYU brand to support its image and PR. And perhaps many people are all too aware of that and don't want to associate themselves with the church but have no problem associating themselves with the university. In other words, there are a lot of people who simply don't like Mormons for whatever reason. Conversely, there are others who have a positive view of Mormons but don't necessarily want to promote the LDS faith even though they may somewhat follow BYU sports and have high regard for the school.

I would say most do not associate Notre Dame with Roman Catholicism or at least it's a remote link. If Notre Dame were to receive probation for recruiting violations or otherwise get bad press; people usually don't hold that as a verdict against Roman Catholicm. However, the same can't be said about BYU. And it's justifiable because the LDS church has integrated BYU as part of its brand and has a vested interest in protecting it and thus its image and PR.

That's one of the reasons I wish BYU would get rid of the dress code, ecclesiastical endorsements, non-academic honor code stuff, and a board of regents that are not all LDS apostles. Also work on building up an endowment so that BYU can operate more like a legitimate university. I know, I'm dreaming...putting down the hash pipe right now.

[BGRTHNUMEGO]

From my limited perspective I think the BYU brand has only recently caught on in earnest with BYU fans. It seems to me that I'm seeing more and more gear worn by those who aren't regular game attenders. That's certainly a nice improvement, but we're a long, long way off from having BYU gear more widely available and recognized around the country.

[Babs]

Notre Dame gear is not cool. It's only prevalent because of the Catholic population.

[TheAzzuri]

Notre Dame gear is not cool. It's only prevalent because of the Catholic population.

I agree. Maybe it's because I've spent most of my time in the south or the intermountain west, but I rarely, if ever, see anyone wearing the stuff.

I do agree that they have a national brand, however. I just think local loyalties trump it.

[TripletDaddy]

Notre Dame gear is not cool. It's only prevalent because of the Catholic population.

[TripletDaddy]

[kccougar]

I doubt it. Most mormon BYU fans even shy away from sporting BYU gear for fear of being labeled as "fully invested".

[TripletDaddy]

I doubt it. Most mormon BYU fans even shy away from sporting BYU gear for fear of being labeled as "fully invested".

I WANT NAMES!!!

[Art Vandelay]

[falafel]

There hasn't been a lot of BYU gear that I would have considered wearing until recently. Even now, there's still not a great selection. A whole lot of this crap going on: