Yoose-tuh-bee

Growing up, I was a fan of the BYU Cougars. I rooted, hooted and hollered for them and made fun of Utah fans. You know...normal stuff. Then I married into the Leatherwood clan and was offered tickets to a Utah vs. BYU basketball game. Although everyone around me wore red, I wore something pretty neutral. After all, the game was at BYU's Marriott Center. In our group were the following (all LDS folks): a Stake President, a Bishop, 2 bishopric members, and an Elders Quorum President.

So picture us walking from the parking lot up the street to the Marriott Center when a car full of rowdy BYU fans passes by. Our ears were treated to a string of profanity that, to this day, is still hanging in space over Utah Lake. I was mortified. People from my church spoke like this?!?!? I thought we were only allowed to talk like that when we were in our cars...alone. I jest.

We were seated for the game and it had barely begun and Utah scored a great basket. My group was cheering and I was half-heartedly clapping when, from behind and to my left, a BYU fan started cursing and yelling so hard that he was frothing and spitting at the mouth. "SIT DOWN AND SHUT UP!!! YOU'RE IN MY HOUSE!!!"

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Are you fetching kidding me?

And don't even get me started on the cast for Music Man. I wore a Utah shirt to rehearsal one night and I was quite literally attacked by some rabid BYU fans. Many of them were wearing BYU shirts/hats, etc. and nobody was attacking THEM. It's like they go out of their way to treat you like crap, just because you root for Utah.

So my disdain for BYU is not so much a dislike of the teams themselves as much as it is a hatred for BYU fans. They do NOT practice, as far as I can tell, our professed religion once kickoff/tipoff begins. They become possessed.