In the aftermath of the anti-Latter-day Saint chants that broke out at the McKale Center in Tucson last weekend, the Big 12 Conference was in discussions with both Arizona and BYU about a response.
Fans were heard chanting “F--- the Mormons” on the ESPN television broadcast after Arizona’s loss. While this chant has occurred multiple times at BYU games in recent years, this was the first time it happened in a conference setting.
“The chants that occurred during Saturday’s game between BYU and Arizona were offensive and inappropriate. The conference discussed the incident with both institutions following the game,” the Big 12 Conference said in a statement given to The Salt Lake Tribune.
“Arizona promptly apologized in a professional manner and recognized the unacceptable nature of the chant,” the statement continued.
When asked if the league has discussed future policies, or penalties, for institutions where the chants occur, a conference spokesperson did not give a firm answer. The Big 12 also didn’t say whether the topic has been discussed at past league meetings.
“The Big 12 is committed to working with each of its 16 institutions to create a safe environment for student-athletes throughout our conference both at home and on the road,” the conference said in a statement.
Arizona basketball coach Tommy Lloyd condemned the matter on Tuesday.
“I’ve competed against BYU for years and I really enjoy doing that,” he said. “My biggest disappointment was the way some of our fans and students reacted to some of their payers coming off the court. There’s no place in society, let’s just start with that overall, but especially in collegiate athletics where anyone’s religion or race should become a focal point ever. Ever.”
Lloyd said he hoped it would be a learning opportunity for fans in Arizona.
“I know it’s not the first time it’s happened to them. It’s disappointing that it continues to happen,” he said. “For us being full-time members in a conference with them [I hope] that our fans will learn that that’s just not acceptable. … Hopefully, it’s an opportunity to be better and do better.”
Lloyd added: “Let’s learn from it and move forward. Every person on the face of this earth deserves respect. And, obviously, that was not a sign of respect what happened at the end of that game.”
Jake Retzlaff, the first Jewish starting quarterback at BYU, also spoke out on the issue.
“Crazy how an arena full of people think it’s okay to do this,” he wrote on social media. “Start the uproar. This can’t be normalized!”
Over the past month, religious scholars and Latter-daym Saint athletes have expressed potential solutions to stop the recent trend. They ranged from immediately removing fans to fining the institutions where the chants happen.
For example, FIFA has fined the Mexican Football Federation $114,000 for fans shouting anti-LGBTQ slurs at opposing goalkeepers.
“There is not a perfect solution, and you don’t want to fight fire with fire,” former Utah football star, Britain Covey, a Latter-day Saint , told The Tribune.
“At the same time, the example of kids [hearing these chants] is what would make people get off the couch and say, ‘OK, I can handle this, but I’m not having my 10-year-old daughter exposed to this.’ …The most effective form is having a personal conversation [about] why it’s offensive. How do you bring that feeling to the masses? If the church continues to try and put out heartfelt, sentimental examples of why this is offensive, and let that kind of circulate, I think that has a greater impact than punishable things.”
