Beyond BYU: Why college sports’ anti-Mormon chants matter at Stanford

Nov 26, 2022; Stanford, California, USA; Stanford Cardinal quarterback Tanner McKee (18) runs the ball against the Brigham Young Cougars during the first half at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports Over the weekend, there was yet another instance of anti-Mormon chants filling a college sports stadium. This time in Fort Collins, Colorado as No. 9 BYU football rolled Colorado State 41-23. This has become an all-too familiar pattern across the country as “F— the Mormons” has become the go-to chant for student sections looking to go after BYU. As an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and as a sportswriter who has covered several Latter-day Saint athletes at Stanford, I find these chants to be deeply unfortunate and insensitive. As I would if they were made about any other religious group.KSL: Colorado State apologizes after derogatory ‘Mormon’ chants during BYU football game Making fun of the Latter-day Saint faith has occurred at Stanford, too. During halftime of the BYU-Stanford game in 2022, the Leland Stanford Junior University Marching Band made fun of the church and its practice of eternal marriage. Given that the Stanford band has a history at poking fun of everybody and irreverence is kind of their thing, it’s easier to take that in stride. That being said, it’s still part of a larger pattern that has is happening across the country. It can be easy to assume that on the football field, basketball court, etc. the only side that has any “Mormons” on it is BYU. But that is in fact not the case. Former Colorado State tight end Dallin Holker, who played the 2024 season with the New Orleans Saints, served his Latter-day Saint mission in the Chile Viña Del Mar Mission. Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Tanner McKee, who was the starting quarterback for Stanford during that BYU-Stanford game, served in the Brazil Curitiba South Mission. Former Stanford men’s basketball star and current Cal men’s basketball head coach Mark Madsen served in the Spain Málaga Mission. These are just three of many Latter-day Saints who played their college athletics at a school other than BYU. What needs to be underscored is that these “F— the Mormons” chants aren’t just offensive to BYU players and their fans. They’re offensive to any Latter-day Saint that is in attendance. Including those that are there cheering on or competing for the home team. This idea that all Latter-day Saints attend BYU and nowhere else is simply not true. Every major university across the United States has a corresponding Latter-day Saint Institute of Religion for college students of the faith to attend church and religious classes during the week. Stanford, UC Berkeley, San Jose State, and even Colorado State have such institute buildings just blocks from campus. To touch more on the Stanford angle, I would like to commend Stanford University for how it has welcomed members of the Latter-day Saint faith into its broader university community over the years. They’ve always been very supportive of the Stanford Institute of Religion and the Latter-day Saint Student Association (LDSSA). The Latter-day Saint Community Convocation held at Memorial Church is always a wonderful event. Going forward, I think the biggest thing to emphasize is that Latter-day Saints are a part of every university community. They’re on the field, they’re in the classroom, and they’re in the stands cheering. With that in mind, I hope fans of opposing teams will keep in mind that someone cheering for or playing for their team is also a Latter-day Saint. Maybe that will make them think twice about what they choose to chant. CardinalSportsReport.com on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X (Twitter), & Bluesky: @StanfordRivals Ben Parker on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X (Twitter), YouTube, & Bluesky: @slamdunk406 Email: [email protected] Join the conversation on CardinalSportsReport.com