Why BYU fans apostatized from the LDS Church remain BYU fans

[Flystripper]

I've seen many Mormons, including a lot of BYU fans, leave the LDS Church. But I've never seen one change his or her sports affiliation. It's indestructible. I doubt electroshock therapy would work. And being a BYU fan is not easy.

Reza Aslan believes religion is all about identity. We all crave and need identity. It's enormously if not all-important to us. Various things make up our identity, and for many people, religion is part of it in varying degrees--sometimes it swallows up all the other factors, as with Islamic radicals and some LDS. I think Aslan is right. Once we lose religion, there are the well-known replacements, or, we lose religion in part or wholly because of those. Partisanship in spectator sports is all about identity. This feature is especially important in college sports, because of the formative experiences there, and we put this college on our resumes and CVs; we can't part with it if we are to remain viable in the secular world. Also, our society is governed by the scientific method, science, and education is therefore all-important--this is the ethos which is inexorably annihilating religion. As a result, BYU sports fan identity is a lot more durable than LDS Church membership.

Of all BYU fans, I love and embrace my apostate brothers and sisters the most. They show us that loving your college sports team is essentially an immutable characteristic.

I love you too, man.

[BigFatMeanie]

I'm aware of several former BYU fans who left the church and are no longer BYU fans. In my observation, those that abandon their BYU fanhood in addition to leaving the church most commonly switch their sports allegiance to Utah.

I'm not kidding or trolling. I'm serious. I know several people that have done this.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Can we all just agree that people who apostatize and then stop cheering for BYU to cheer for Utah are the worst kinds of fans on the planet?

[Blueintheface]

I love you too, man.

I've seen many Mormons, including a lot of BYU fans, leave the LDS Church. But I've never seen one change his or her sports affiliation. It's indestructible. I doubt electroshock therapy would work. And being a BYU fan is not easy.

Reza Aslan believes religion is all about identity. We all crave and need identity. It's enormously if not all-important to us. Various things make up our identity, and for many people, religion is part of it in varying degrees--sometimes it swallows up all the other factors, as with Islamic radicals and some LDS. I think Aslan is right. Once we lose religion, there are the well-known replacements, or, we lose religion in part or wholly because of those. Partisanship in spectator sports is all about identity. This feature is especially important in college sports, because of the formative experiences there, and we put this college on our resumes and CVs; we can't part with it if we are to remain viable in the secular world. Also, our society is governed by the scientific method, science, and education is therefore all-important--this is the ethos which is inexorably annihilating religion. As a result, BYU sports fan identity is a lot more durable than LDS Church membership.

Of all BYU fans, I love and embrace my apostate brothers and sisters the most. They show us that loving your college sports team is essentially an immutable characteristic.

[Blueintheface]

Can we all just agree that people who apostatize and then stop cheering for BYU to cheer for Utah are the worst kinds of people on the planet?

FIFY

[DrumNFeather]

Can we all just agree that people who apostatize and then stop cheering for BYU to cheer for Utah are the worst kinds of fans on the planet?

FIFY

I'm still in and I cheer for Utah!

#UteFansBuildingBridges

[Nakoma]

Can we all just agree that people who apostatize and then stop cheering for BYU to cheer for Utah are the worst kinds of fans on the planet?

Yes

[Omaha 680]

I'm still in and I cheer for Utah!

#UteFansBuildingBridges

It's ok because you were born that way.

[Paperback Writer]

I'm aware of several former BYU fans who left the church and are no longer BYU fans. In my observation, those that abandon their BYU fanhood in addition to leaving the church most commonly switch their sports allegiance to Utah.

I'm not kidding or trolling. I'm serious. I know several people that have done this.

I've always been curious about this. Are these former BYU fans, BYU alumni or did they attend BYU?

[Pelado]

Can we all just agree that people who apostatize and then stop cheering for BYU to cheer for Utah are the worst kinds of fans on the planet?

Stipulated.

[BigFatMeanie]

I've always been curious about this. Are these former BYU fans, BYU alumni or did they attend BYU?

I know 3 people that fit this pattern. 2 are not BYU alumni and one is.

[Blueintheface]

I know 3 people that fit this pattern. 2 are not BYU alumni and one is.

The BYU guy is probably gay.

[Paperback Writer]

It's ok because you were born that way.

I've got to ask, since you were raised in Nebraska, how did BYU remain your primary identity? At least this is what I remember, please correct me if I'm in error. I've wondered why my identity is primarily affiliated with Nebraska football and secondarily with BYU. My parents are BYU alumni as am I and half of my siblings. I think quite a lot of it might be due to not having much access to BYU football growing up. The only opportunity to watch BYU was during their bowl game. Conversely, my Dad had Nebraska tickets and I attended almost all Nebraska home games from when I was a teenager until I served a mission. As a RM, I transferred to BYU but didn't abandon Nebraska football as I think I had pretty much established my identity by then. I wonder if I grew up with today's coverage of BYU football, if things would have been different.

[SeattleUte]

I know 3 people that fit this pattern. 2 are not BYU alumni and one is.

I think it's different among alumni. For the others, the BYU support is about their affiliation with the Church.

[New Mexican Disaster]

All of my apostatizing friends remain diehard Cougar fans, but then most of us grew up in Provo and went to school there.

My mother woke us up by singing "Rise and Shout," my parents both worked there and my father has his own dedicated room at the Wilk. I'm not going anywhere no matter how I feel about the institution or the church. I am an alumnus of the school with 4 titles in the last seven years and still when I think of football it's the Cougars.