A recent meeting between Arizona State and Brigham Young was more than just another men’s basketball matchup. It was a test of fan conduct.
In the wake of anti-Mormon chants spewed by fans at various universities, most recently in Tucson, some wondered if ASU supporters would follow suit when BYU played at Desert Financial Arena days later.
They didn’t, earning praise from Cougars coach Kevin Young for “keeping it classy.” But the experience did raise a bigger question about the increase in attacks on followers of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at sporting events.
“It’s disappointing,” said Jason Slade, an alumnus of BYU and ASU who attended the Feb. 26 game between the two schools at Desert Financial Arena. “I never mind if someone is attacking the school, but when you’re attacking an entire religion, that wouldn’t work in any other context.”
The odious chants and behavior are hardly new.
In 2010, during a BYU game at San Diego State, Aztecs students dressed in the modest, conservative style of students on a mission, wearing white shirts, bicycle helmets and name tags. Near the end of the game, fans started to chant, “You’re still Mormon.”
In 2021, USC fans directed slurs toward BYU students during a football game, and in 2022, Oregon fans broke out in a “(Expletive) the Mormons” chant that went viral on social media.
“It’s nothing new,” BYU alum Shayne Black said. “We hear a lot of Mormon slander. It’s not great. It should be a lot classier than that. It’s just disrespectful.”
The most recent incident occurred in Tucson on Feb. 22 when Arizona hosted BYU for a Big 12 showdown. The Wildcats suffered a controversial loss on two late-game free throws.
BYU, a private university sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, has strong representation in Arizona. The state has the fourth-highest LDS population in the country, with 439,411 registered members.
At BYU, more than 98% of the university identifies as Mormon.
The rise in attacks on the LDS community reflects an increase in religious hate crimes overall, according to FBI data released in 2023. Additionally, the addition of several television series about the church, including “Under the Banner of Heaven,” “American Primeval” and “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives,” has thrust the community into a bigger spotlight.
“It has a very rich history that’s easy to make fun of, especially around polygamy and things like that,” Patrick Mason, head of Mormon history and culture at Utah State, told the Salt Lake Tribune.
“If you’re a filmmaker and you want to say something about religion these days, you’re probably not going to make fun of Jews, for obvious reasons. Catholics, it’s a little tricky, because there’s so many of them. So then it becomes a market consideration with the (LDS) Church.”
The issue was visible in Tucson. While the Mormon population there is smaller compared to other parts of Arizona, it is still significant. The presence is notable, with 13 of the 357 LDS churches in the state in Tucson.
After the game against BYU, fans directed a profane chant at visiting Cougar fans, prompting Arizona athletic director Desireé Reed-Francois to issue a statement about the behavior.
“On behalf of the University of Arizona athletic department, we apologize to BYU, their student-athletes, coaches and fans,” Reed-Francois said. “The chant is not reflective of who we are and should not have happened.”
ASU, meanwhile, which lost to No. 25 BYU, 91-81, played in an arena painted with an ocean of blue because of the many BYU fans in attendance. Arizona has approximately 450,000 Mormons, making up about 6% of the population.
“It was awesome,” Young, the BYU coach, said about the game’s environment. “I know there is a lot of BYU blue in the Valley. I was expecting to see some, but it exceeded my expectations.”
Although ASU lost, the student section and fan base showed restraint.
“We have had some other stuff along the road that is not classy,” Young said. “So I appreciate the fans here.”
