Those of us who bleed Utah red, we must ask ourselves, where would we be if we didn't have those tunnel-singing, bitter, and all around daffy fans of the school in Provo? I firmly believe that without the Cougar fans, players, and coaches, college football would not be as fun as it currently is.This isn't because they give a rich environment to enjoy a game, it isn't because of the mountain, it isn't because of the spirit that Lavell Edwards created. It's because BYU is just so damn easy to hate.
Never has there been a larger group of ignorant, socially inept, arrogant, and bitter group of fans in college football, thus making them the pariah of college sports. The only thing worse than that, is the fact that they revel in these distinctions. They love being hated, they love being the "moral light" of college sports, and they love to use that hatred to create a martyr complex when they don't get their way. (read: BCS, 2001)
Some of the examples of this behavior I have witnessed at BYU are quite humorous and even a little sad. The first example that I can think of occurred in the midst of the turbulent Crowton era. An exceptional Colorado State team featuring Bradley Van Pelt was looking to crush a mediocre, at best, BYU team. To enjoy the possibility of BYU getting destroyed, several Utah fans would attend the game, waiving one of those cliche Mastercard priceless signs, mainly in an attempt to draw a response from the bitter BYU fans.
In the 3rd Quarter, with the game was well in hand for Colorado State, those fans would indeed receive the wrath of those BYU fans. While enjoying the spectacle, I witnessed one of the greatest meltdowns of a sober fan I've ever seen. A man, whom I'm sure is a decent, church-going man, would give a murderous scream towards the Ute fans, "Go back to Salt Lake, with the faggots and the whores."
That happened over seven years ago and I was 13, it has stuck with me for a long time, mainly because you don't witness that much pure hate in a single statement in public, if ever.
I'm sure there are some BYU fans who can escape the lemmings effect and avoid being such a humorless prick that is filled with rage, but those that are have ruined that team for me. I just can't stand BYU.
