BYU Cougars

Iowa State student gov against adding BYU to Big 12

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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The student government of Iowa State is officially against adding BYU to the Big 12 Conference, passing a resolution that will be sent to the Presidents of all Big 12 institutions. But will it make a difference for the Cougars? 

What happened?

Iowa State student senator Abhijit Patma introduced a resolution against the inclusion of BYU to the Big 12 on Wednesday night.

The Iowa State student government passed it 21-6, determining that – according to the Iowa State Daily – “BYU’s discriminatory policies and practices are inconsistent with the values of the Big 12.”

Now the resolution will be sent to the President of each Big 12 school.

It’s difficult to break down issues like this because it mixes sports and fandom with religion and politics, but the crux of it all seems to be this:

What are BYU’s rights?

BYU has a right as a private institution to do whatever it would like to do. While some policies may, to some, seem abrasive and unnecessary (and perhaps even discriminatory), BYU still has a right to do them. On the flipside, any individual also has a right to dislike and boycott BYU – but they don’t have a right to change the university.

Also, it doesn’t really seem like this is the ISU student government’s fight. They certainly have every right to have an opinion, and to make it public, but who are they to determine that BYU is bad and needs to change? Frankly, it doesn’t appear to be any of their business. It’s not like there will be any guilt-by-association occurring with BYU’s addition to the conference.

The LDS Church can run BYU in whatever fashion it sees fit, and students have to sign the Honor Code before they step on campus. So it’s not like BYU is hiding anything from incoming students. Their cards are on the table.

For what it’s worth, the ISU student government president Cole Staudt is against the resolution. He posted this statement to Twitter after it passed.

Staudt also said, according to the Iowa State Daily, “You make change by embracing people… This resolution is not the way you make change. We don’t make change by excluding people.”

The ISU student government’s position isn’t anything new for BYU. A few weeks ago 25 LGBT groups wrote to the Big 12 lobbying against BYU’s inclusion, with Athlete Ally later admitting they had not tried to contact the university.

Does it matter?

So what does it all mean? Do these sentiments mean anything to the Big 12 as it continues to search for two schools?

Probably not.

First of all, it’s not like these issues are just being discovered by the Big 12. These are topics that have likely been discussed for weeks now with Tom Holmoe and other university administration. The Big 12 knows where BYU truly stands in all this and what they’d like to do moving forward.

Secondly, the Big 12 is interested in one thing more than anything else – money. And if there’s one thing the Cougars can bring to the Big 12 it’s cash. BYU has been surviving on no football conference payout since going Independent, so any payout from the Big 12 is a massive upgrade. Would the Cougars work out a deal to take, say, 20 percent of their payout for a few years? I’m not sure I have the answer to that, but I know it’s certainly in play.

Beyond conference payouts, the Cougars bring a stability that no other school offers. The LDS Church provides the school with a national, passionate fan base. Cougar fans will sell out LaVell Edwards Stadium, but they’ll also sell out a women’s volleyball match on a Thursday night. That’s a revenue generator that only BYU can bring.

The Cougars also have television networks on their side. ESPN getting involved is good for them, because networks have the lion’s share of leverage at this point. There’s big money involved in airing games nationally, and I don’t think ESPN is interested in showing Air Force games in primetime on a Saturday (nothing against the Falcons). 

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All in all?

I’ve been saying for a while now that BYU is in. I think the Cougars know it, I think the Big 12 knows it. The Big 12 may be trying to search for the No. 13 and No. 14 additions currently.

Or I may be way off. Maybe the Big 12 has settled on Houston and are trying to vet the remaining schools for the one opening. Maybe they’re planning on adding four teams.

But I believe BYU is the strongest expansion candidate and should be on the top of the Big 12’s list. It seems hypocritical at best to exclude the Cougars over personal beliefs, but we’ll see how it shakes out in the coming weeks.

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