What an angry America could learn from the BYU-Utah football rivalry – Deseret News

Next week finally comes the conclusion everyone has been waiting for, and tensions are high as we wait for the epic showdown that will decide what comes next.

We are, of course, talking about the BYU v. Utah football game. The stakes are so high – BYU has a chance to make the College Football Playoffs if their undefeated season continues – passion is especially high. But that’s not unusual for this rivalry, as anyone in the state over the last century can attest.

This famous rivalry is actually 128 years old, dating back to the inaugural game in 1896, 30 years after the Civil War (and 23 years after the oldest college football rivalry began at Yale-Princeton). The BYU football team will visit Rice-Eccles Stadium in Utah next Saturday for the first time since 2018 (2019 and 2021 were held in Provo, 2020 was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and Florida took a spot on the schedule for the 2022-23 season Utah State football).

“New Atmosphere”

No one in the sports world would bat an eyelid if both coaches used this week mainly to demonstrate their determination to win, perhaps with a bit of trash talk along the way. But something completely different is happening. In the same week as a brutal presidential election, it’s almost surreal to see the countercultural, welcoming “atmosphere” from presidents, coaches and alumni leaders in schools.

“I love this program (Utah) and the people there so much.” he said BYU coach Kalani Sitake at press conference on Monday — expressing gratitude to his close friend Kyle Whittingham and his loved ones eight years there on the Utah coaching staff.

“If it weren’t for Utah, I wouldn’t be here. And if it weren’t for BYU, Coach Whit wouldn’t be in Utah” (Whittingham played football for BYU in the years 1978-1981). Such cordiality between rival coaches is nothing new, continuing the tradition created by LaVell Edwards and Ron McBride in the 1990s.

A common message about the “right competition” of presidents Taylor Randall and Shane Reese punctuated a message on the website encouraging fans on both sides to “don’t let competition get in the way of your common humanity.”

“Together something amazing”

But these coaches and presidents don’t just say nice words. They join alumni and student leaders in an effort to channel some of their fans’ passion into raising funds and food for families in need on this holiday.

While in the past schools have rallied students to beat the second-placed school in donations, this year “it’s not really a competition,” says Kris Bosman, director of alumni relations at the University of Utah. “Right now we are leaving the competition on the field. We’re just trying to do something amazing together.”

That much was clear during Friday’s press conference, complete with side-by-side displays of the mascots, Cosmo and Swoop; representatives of the relevant cheer/spirit teams; and each school’s student section – MUSS (Mighty Utah Student Section) at Utah and ROC (Roar of Cougars) at BYU. Alumni organizations from both schools became centrally involved, as well as students from both schools, including the Student Alumni Board (SAB) at the U of A.

The tradition of collecting food during football season dates back over 30 years Utah Food Bank fighting hunger almost as long as the Utah vs. BYU football rivalry (120 years). They do this through a network of 270 partner agencies, including emergency pantries, rehabilitation centers, shelters, school pantries and community feeding sites such as soup kitchens.

“The spirit of philanthropy is extremely strong in Utah,” Bosman says. “It’s not just strong at BYU or the University of Utah, but it’s strong across the state — like it’s a huge part of our culture.”

Community Action Services and Food Bank in Provo and Smith’s Food have also partnered (at 10 locations between Salt Lake and Provo they will accept food donations starting Saturday, November 2, and at the entrances and tailgates of football games until November 27, the day before Thanksgiving (More details on donating food and money can be found here).

“This is a small way we can leverage the passion of our friends and fans to address real needs in our community,” says Michael Johanson, director of BYU Alumni Services, who enthused during an interview about what $800,000 will do. alumni and many other fans between both schools could achieve. There were puma fans in the news Lately for donating $40,000 of $950 in donations made at an earlier game to the high school teacher of Kansas State quarterback Avery Johnson, who is battling stage 4 cancer.

“The supporters of these two schools have a tremendous power for good,” says Heidi Cannella, director of communications for the Utah Food Bank, emphasizing that 1 in 6 children in Utah today is at risk of missing a meal.

“We won’t say who we’re rooting for on game day,” adds Ginette Bott, president and CEO of Utah Food Bank, diplomatically. “But in the end, everyone wins when we work together to fight hunger across the state.”

“We’ll let Kyle and Kalani deal with what happens on the field,” Johanson said. “We will fight the real food security issue facing our mutual friends and fans.”

“Fans don’t say that after the match”

In addition to fighting hunger, Johanson emphasized broader efforts to “create an environment of more caring and kindness than trash/chaos; more peace than persecution.”

Cougars do made headlines By nation for their efforts to intertwine tailgating with service projects whenever they visit campuses.

Visiting students enjoy ice cream at BYU Stadium and listen to their fight song.

“It was one of the strangest environments I’ve ever been a part of,” said Avery, visiting quarterback for Kansas State. “Most of the time fans try to bully you or say bad things about you before the match. But all their fans were encouraging,” he said – describing how many of them said afterward, “Keep your head up.”

“Fans don’t say that after a match, especially after they beat you… I’ll probably never experience something like that again.”

Trustworthy rivals

Sports have historically been a unique place to channel the fire of competition into a common endeavor. Anthropologists do long discussed how sport provides an alternative to war, acting as a safety valve where men and women can vigorously fight each other and then shake hands.

But in recent years, even sporting institutions have been strained by mounting tensions at home and around the world, drawn into protests and rallied around political anger. It is amazing to see leaders in sports stand up and actively express their desire for a better way.

This new atmosphere refers to what Charles Randall Paul calls “trustworthy rivals” in the social arena, engaging people who engage “in respectful contestation with the goal of living in constant peaceful tension.”

“We’re going to Rival Right,” Johanson said at a news conference. “And we’re just getting started.”

Meeting in the middle

The pandemic has disrupted food drive traditions as much as football schedules. But during this time, the universities’ desire to collaborate persisted, with each school’s alumni organizations meeting in the middle, socially distanced, in a park in Draper to discuss ways to synergize and learn from each other.

This continues, but as “more of a philosophy of meeting in the middle and recognizing the strengths of our combined organizations,” Johanson explains. “It was a very enjoyable journey for me.”

Both graduate principals emphasize to the Deseret News how keenly they are now aware of the much greater common ground among their graduates than “what divides them,” as Bosman put it, including “the team we support.” And building on that common ground, Johanson argues, “can address a lot of the fragmentation that exists.”

“There is so much good,” he adds. “We look to the future, certainly with optimism and optimism and a joint effort.”

Aware of how this may sound in our angry times, Johanson adds: “It looks like we’re wearing rose-colored glasses, but let me tell you, we need more people in this world wearing rose-colored glasses.”

One big family

“Alma mater means ‘my mother,’ right?” says Bosman, emphasizing the belief of many graduates that “this is your family. This is your home” – an educational institution where an important part of “your life” began.

“The idea that we are part of a larger family is incredibly important,” agrees Johanson. “Just remember, we’re all close related and we’re all connected,” Coach Sitake says, discussing at a press conference how many Utah alums (Jay Hill, Sione Pouha) and former Utah coaching staff (he and BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick) currently have coaches at BYU.

Since members of the Sitake family are also happy graduates of both schools, he adds, “I know a lot of families are divided when it comes to this competition, which makes it even more fun. I just can’t wait for it.”

While enjoying the “competition on the field,” Sitake expresses hope that “we can show each other a little more appreciation as we play this game.”