Tribune editorial: BYU’s Kalani Sitake sets a wonderful example by being true to his school

Kalani Sitake is staying home.

Even if you are not a citizen of Cougar Nation, his decision is a welcome snippet of good news amid our harsh and cruel national mood.

The local boy who grew up to turn the Brigham Young University football program around had the chance to move on to one of the high temples of the sport, Penn State. They reportedly dangled a lot of money in front of Sitake to be like some other head coaches, to abandon his school, staff and players, right at the climax of the season, and become their new leader.

But BYU fans, boosters and administrators more than matched the offer. Not just in money — though that’s an ever-larger part of it in big time college sports — but also in affection.

Student fans and deep-pocketed boosters alike spread the word, and passed the hat, to make sure Sitake knew he was valued. The Sitake family called it a “love bomb.” And it worked.

There is much to criticize about modern college sports. There’s too much money in it and not enough loyalty or love for the game. Coaches and players move around in search of fatter paychecks and bigger endorsement deals. Whole colleges shift conferences in search of more television revenue. It’s hard for any but the most devoted fans to keep up.

College students and other young people draw from all of this a dubious lesson: It’s every man for himself.

University leaders dare not jump off the money machine because they reasonably believe that to be a college that is taken seriously, to attract students, faculty and researchers as well as donors, you have to be competitive in major sports.

Operating within that universe, Sitake’s choice to stay put provided a rare and encouraging example of loyalty and respect.

The coach leveraged his popularity not only to win a richer contract for himself, but also to pull out of the university and its boosters the kind of money that’s necessary to compete at the level that he and his fans expect. Money to reward his players and staff now and in the future.

If you’ve just awakened from a 10-year nap, the idea of paying college athletes will seem strange, if not downright wrong. But, after decades of having young people do all the bleeding, sweating and crying and old people make all the money, the players are finally in on the deal financially. And that, for better and for worse, has changed everything.

With so much naked, and highly mobile, greed on display, in sports and elsewhere, it is inspiring to see that BYU’s Kalani Sitake, at least, is being true to his school.

Editorials represent the opinions of The Salt Lake Tribune editorial board, which operates independently from the newsroom.