facebook-pixel

‘Mormon Land’: Why those vulgar anti-LDS chants at BYU games? Trib writer, football star Britain Covey explain.

Shows like “Under the Banner of Heaven” and “American Primeval” don’t help, but much of the mocking is rooted in ignorance of the global faith.

(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) BYU fans cheer during a Big 12 basketball game between the Cougars and the Cincinnati Bearcats at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Jan 25, 2025. BYU teams sometimes run into anti-Latter-day Saint chants at road games.

(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) BYU fans cheer during a Big 12 basketball game between the Cougars and the Cincinnati Bearcats at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Jan 25, 2025. BYU teams sometimes run into anti-Latter-day Saint chants at road games.

When Brigham Young University teams play on the road, they, like any visiting opponent, expect to encounter their share of jeers from the home crowd. But what happens when the razzing turns raunchy and the boos give way to bigotry?

That occurs all too often at Cougar games. Obscene choruses, often emanating from opposing student sections, break out, mocking BYU’s sponsoring religion, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and members of that faith.

Why have Latter-day Saints and their beliefs become the target of such openly prejudiced chants? Do Catholics and Notre Dame run into the same hostility? And what, if anything, could or should BYU and Latter-day Saint leaders do in responding to such discrimination?

Answering those questions and more are Salt Lake Tribune sports writer Kevin Reynolds, who covers the Cougars and wrote about this issue in a recent special report, and Britain Covey, a practicing Latter-day Saint who starred at BYU’s rival school, the University of Utah, plays for the world champion Philadelphia Eagles and has deep familial ties to BYU.

(Rich Schultz | AP) Philadelphia Eagles' Britain Covey (18) evades New York Giants cornerback Darnay Holmes (30) as he returns a punt 54 yards in November 2023. Covey is a practicing Latter-day Saint with deep familial ties to BYU.

(Chris Samuels | The Salt Lake Tribune) Tribune sports writer Kevin Reynolds wrote a special report on anti-Latter-day Saint chants endured by BYU.

Listen to the podcast:


Support free news for Utah

sltrib.com is now free to access — no subscription required. We made this decision because we believe access to trustworthy, independent news shouldn’t depend on what you can afford — especially as misinformation and AI-generated content continue to rise.

Free to read doesn’t mean free to produce. Our reporters show up every day to ask hard questions and hold powerful institutions to account. That work takes resources. As a nonprofit newsroom, we rely on support from people who believe it matters. Make a donation today to fund local news that serves Utah communities.

You can help us bring more local news to more communities today.