Look for BYU to take control of its athletic assets
Folks keep asking me why BYU is so wound up about making changes with the status quo in the Mountain West.
In an attempt to shed some light on the subject, in Tuesday’s column I try to recreate a little history on the issue in the Deseret News. I confess up front, I may not have the perfect picture, but in a general sense, I believe it represents the steps that led to BYU seriously considering going independent in football.
As I’ve mentioned for a month, despite what many national pundits are writing and saying, this issue with BYU is more about exposure than money, the BCS or any other thing the college football world usually values as a priority.
It is a story of taking control of assets and using them to the fullest. It’s as simple as that. It is also a case of BYU taking ownership of decisions on how it will use its facilities and brand — not leaving it up to somebody in Fort Collins, Laramie or Reno.
It’s like Apple having a technology, something others in the industry may not have, and Apple wanting to use it to the fullest. Apple isn’t going to let Microsoft tell it how to market and use the product.
It is not BYU’s fault others haven’t developed the facilities and technology and brand. But it is the responsibility of BYU to use its assets and get a return on the investment (i.e. BYU-TV).
It’s like you or I having a set of quad runners and a few neighbors, who you’ve worked and played with for years, telling you what days of the month you can load them up in the trailer and take them up the mountain to ride. You agree to their wishes for a few years to keep peace in the cul-de-sac, but you still push for reconsideration of the rule. Finally, after nobody listens, you decide you’ll just take control of your property and ride it when you want.
BYU is done letting others dictate what it can do with its property and brand or whatever it has parked in its garage. It will now ride when it wants, except on Sunday.
I’ve seen where some see this as arrogance or delusions of grandeur. They might be correct; it is an opinion they have a right to espouse. But after talking to some folks up on the hill in Provo, those doing the complaining would probably do exactly the same thing if they had the same assets.
If they didn’t, they’d be derelict in their duties as a keeper of the assets.