Bronco's approach continues to draw scrutiny and debate

Is the toxicity on Internet sites that allow posters with no true identity worth it? Most sites do allow feedback entries and message boards that have been in cyberspace for years run on the idea that folks will have much freedom in expressing opinions while cloaked in a private identity.

Our Deseret News site accepts feedback without requiring authentication of who is behind the comments and our staff is supposed to monitor the traffic and delete offensive material.

Still, it is interesting how BYU and Utah stories draw a firing line from both sides, even on mundane simple feature stories. It may go to show how intense this rivalry has become.

Last Sunday, my editor asked me to produce a centerpiece feature on Bronco Mendenhall. I caught up with Mendenhall at the media days in Las Vegas and asked what people can expect out of him in his fourth year as a head coach. Mendenhall expressed his thoughts, hopes and aspirations and it took on a personal note of what is meaningful to him.

As expected, it drew the usual commentary normal whenever such material is published. And it also brought out sharp opinion on both sides of how he is running the BYU program with a faith-based foundation and expectation of himself and players.

At last count, more than 200 readers filed comments on the story and several times this week, it has been a topic of local radio sports talk shows. Of course, at this time of the year, with many chomping at the bit for football news, it fills a void of sorts for all of us in the media including some of my friends on radio. I was a little surprised to receive a request, which I accepted, to join 1280 the Zone Wednesday afternoon to discuss this issue.

This topic is pretty well split down the lines of the rivalry. Some intelligent Ute fans have a tough time with it; some BYU fans absolutely love Mendenhall and what he’s doing and ask for more of it.

All of this is predictable, but will it change? I don?t think so. The most interesting aspect of what Mendenhall is doing and emphasizing is how people will react if he has losing seasons.

He knows it. His popularity, and that of all coaches, is directly tied to success with wins and losses. His fans of today could be his antagonists of tomorrow. He also says the win-loss record isn’t his gauge of a successful program, although it is by the world at large. And he lives in this world.

Any way, this toxicity on Internet sites is interesting. But is it a good overall feature of a newspaper site like the one our paper runs?

Some say yes, others say no. What say you?

I include here an email I received from one of our subscribers who included his name. He broaches this subject. Obviously, he is on the blue and white side of what Mendenhall is using as his methods and emphasis.

Dear Mr. Harmon:

That was a great article on Coach Mendenhall. Very insightful and just adarn good read all the way through.

I had to chuckle at all the naysayers and Cougar-haters in the comments column (some 180 of them total at last count) proving your point that any media item about Coach Mendenhall (and, inadvertently, BYU) creates a great deal of interest. While deriding BYU and your article they provided impetus
to one of your observations.

As I said, I had to chuckle, but at the same time I weary of the bickering and contention between the rival fans. Many would say, “Oh come on, that’s just part of the rivalry”. Perhaps, but I’d rather go to the comments column and see some thoughtful insight or questions by BYU fans, with the U fans simply keeping their noses out. There’s plenty of debate between BYU fans
without the haters getting their 2 cents worth in. That said, BYU fans could simply ignore the agitators, but they don’t. I grow weary of glancing over any number of comments to find one or two gems. Oh well…..

Coach Mendenhall, and what he appears to be creating, is an interesting thing to take a step back and look at. And it just tickles me that all he has to do is utter a few heartfelt words and the state is in an uproar, i.e. Quest For Perfection. I had little trouble understanding the overall meaning behind those three words, but, my oh my, the uproar they caused. I always
wondered what part of Coach Mendenhall’s explanation so many didn’t understand. Or didn’t want to understand…

Oh well, it’s nice to have everyone genuinely hating BYU again. I hope the Cougars give them much more fuel (wins) for the fire. I’d love to see the hard work of the young men and the coaches pay off in a B$C$ invitation, but even if that doesn’t happen I’m certainly looking forward to the season.

Thanks again,

Jeff Black

Grantsville

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Again, the question of the day is whether or not feedback commentary that requires no identification of the poster is good or bad and why?