Offensive Chants Towards BYU Must End, NCAA Must Take Action
College football is built on passion. From raucous student sections to fight songs echoing through packed stadiums, the atmosphere is what makes the sport unlike any other. But passion must never cross the line into hostility, and unfortunately, Brigham Young University has become the repeated target of offensive chants that have no place in college athletics. It is time for the NCAA to step in and make it clear: enough is enough.
For years, BYU has faced chants from opposing crowds that go far beyond playful banter. While some degree of heckling is part of the game-day culture, what BYU’s student-athletes endure often turns personal, derogatory, and deeply offensive. These are not chants about football performance or even lighthearted rivalries — they strike at religion, culture, and identity. Such behavior not only demeans the athletes on the field but also stains the reputation of the institutions that allow it to persist.
What makes this situation particularly troubling is the normalization of it. Fans, students, and sometimes even university officials shrug it off as “part of the game.” But there is a critical difference between competitive trash talk and chants that dehumanize individuals based on their beliefs. No student-athlete should step onto a football field expecting to be mocked for who they are rather than how they play.
The NCAA has an obligation to ensure that the playing environment is safe and respectful. While it is not realistic to police every word spoken in a stadium of 60,000 fans, clear boundaries must be drawn. Just as racist or homophobic chants are rightfully condemned and punished, religiously charged or derogatory chants toward BYU must be treated with equal seriousness. Failure to act sends the message that certain groups are fair game for ridicule, undermining the NCAA’s stated commitment to inclusion and respect.
Possible solutions exist. The NCAA could implement fines or penalties for schools whose fans engage in repeated offensive behavior. Institutions should also be required to make public statements condemning such actions and to develop proactive plans for creating more respectful environments at games. In some cases, sections of fans may need to be removed or banned if the behavior becomes chronic. The responsibility cannot fall solely on BYU’s players or staff to endure or ignore these attacks — systemic accountability is necessary.
BYU itself has handled this issue with dignity, often choosing to rise above the taunts rather than engage in public fights. Yet silence does not equal acceptance, and the fact that these chants continue shows that more must be done. Other universities must recognize their role in setting the standard. Respect for opponents is not weakness; it is a reflection of the values that college athletics claim to uphold.
Ultimately, the NCAA’s credibility is at stake. If the organization cannot protect its athletes from targeted harassment in one form, how can it claim to be a champion for fairness and equality in others? Offensive chants toward BYU may be dismissed by some as “just words,” but words have power — the power to harm, exclude, and divide.
It is time for decisive action. The NCAA must set the tone and declare that personal, derogatory chants aimed at BYU, or any institution, have no place in college sports. Passion is the lifeblood of the game, but respect must be its foundation.
