Beyond the Apology—Addressing the Rise of Anti-Mormon Chants in College Sports

I have debated for a long time whether to talk about this subject. It is a subject that I shouldn’t have to talk about. But, yet here I am.

Good old rivalries

It seems that for decades now, in college sports, rivalries have lived on the edge. The fans have had passion, the painted faces, the clever and not-so-clever signs. But it seems that recently a disturbing trend has resurfaced on college campuses and in college student sections. That well, have targeted members of a certain religion.

Mormons

This term was used for a long time to refer to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Due to the belief in the Book of Mormon. A book of scripture written on the North and South American continent. The book began in Jerusalem as a family departed, as the city was about to be taken over.

History

The latest chanting at the OSU basketball game is nothing new. It has been chanted for a while now.

USC (2021): Fans were filmed chanting during a football matchup. The university issued a late-night apology on Twitter (now X) the following day.
University of Oregon (2022): Perhaps the most viral instance, where the student section engaged in the chant during a football game in Eugene. The Governor of Utah and the Governor of Oregon both issued statements. Oregon issued a formal apology, calling the chant “offensive and disgraceful.”
Arizona State (Various): While not always resulting in a massive conference fine, ASU has historically had a “tense” relationship with BYU fans, with multiple reports of derogatory religious comments over the last decade during basketball and football games.
Utah State: As an in-state rival, USU often features heavy “trash talk.” While USU leadership has made efforts to curb it, the chant has surfaced in student sections during several basketball games in Logan.
- Yes, even in the State of Utah, this chant is said.

Recent High-Profile Incidents (2024–2026)

School	Date	Event	Consequence
Oklahoma State	Feb 2026	Basketball	$50,000 fine from the Big 12; official apology from the AD and President.
University of Colorado	Sept 2025	Football	$50,000 fine from the Big 12; mandatory sportsmanship training and public apology.
University of Cincinnati	Nov 2025	Football	Official public apology from AD John Cunningham; conference investigation.
University of Arizona	Feb 2025	Basketball	Official public apology; AD met with BYU leadership to “address internal culture.”

Big 12

Right now, the Big 12 is just fining the schools. But Brett Yormark mentioned the following:

“Yormark also said the chants have struck a personal tone with him because he is Jewish. Not only has he had conversations with members of the Big 12, but he has also had conversations with his own children.

“I told my kids, you’re not coming home if those words come out of your mouth,” Yormark said. “I take it very seriously.””

You can find the full article here

https://www.sltrib.com/sports/byu-cougars/2026/03/10/big-12-commissioner-embarrassed-by

Yormark is going to sit down with the presidents and the AD in the spring. (Isn’t it Spring now?) and talk about what to do.

I asked AI what the Real Consequences should be, and this is what it spat out.

Immediate Accountability
Financial Disincentives
Loss of Privileges
Coach-led Culture Shifts

Of course, AI went into detail about each of the above. But I will give you my opinion on these and suggest what needs to happen to stop the hatred.

My Thinking

The schools need to start doing something that will affect the school in a whole. Yes, they will have to have Real Consequences, but what AI spit out really won’t do much.

Immediate Accountability
- Only if you can get the students who are saying it.
Financial disincentives
- Students don’t care; they are not the ones who need to pay for that.
Loss of Privileges
- Can this be enforced
Coach-led Culture
- This is probably the most promising one.

If the schools want to curb this chat, I am not sure they really do. The only thing they can do is the following:

This is chanted for the first time. Automatic plenty, call it the chant plenty 25 yards or the Technical foul chant, 3 technical shot foul.

The second time, another pliantly and Chant technical

Third warning. Automatic forfeiture of the game.

Coach-led culture is that anytime the student body starts to chant that. Pull the players off the field or court if the student body doesn’t stop. Walk off and forfeit the game.

That is the only way the message will get across to stop the hate.

But will this actually happen? Probably not.