NFL protests
*published in light of recent Nike ad*
The tweeting and kneeling by these multimillion dollar sports prima donnas is lazy, misguided inaction. NFL, NBA, whatever, they do not represent all of America or all of the black community. America isn’t the problem people are, individuals, and they are letting the bad ones hide behind the flag and national anthem. To make matters worse, we have a president that throws napalm on every issue that crosses his desk, runs through his mind and out of his mouth.
It would make more sense if they protested against their teammates and colleagues, some of whom have been accused and convicted of violent crimes — abused their wives, girlfriends, children, .the hypocrisy is overwhelming. It’s a disgrace to their uniforms, their team, the NFL and America. Hardly role models. But there they are, brothers in sport, kneeling, locking arms, weeping for America and the wrongs America has espoused. They are setting a bad precedent for all sports and painting themselves into a corner. There is a time and place for protesting, and there’s a time and place to play ball.
—John Kushma
Logan, Utah
The parking game
BYU is an institution offering a top-tier education. Within this reputable university, however, there reside some issues we have need to fix. The most apparent example would be the poor accommodations for student on-campus parking.
There are more than 30,000 undergraduates enrolled at BYU. The number of parking spaces available to them scarcely exceeds 7,000. That is more than a 4-1 student to parking space ratio. The daily dilemma students face to find parking affects those who live off campus and those who don’t. Finding a parking spot is like a game. Students can either choose to search for parking far from campus — leading to a long walk and likely tardiness — or they park in a lot which is restricted to them and in which they run the risk of a costly citing.
Resolutions to this problem could include walking or commuting via rapid transit buses or UVX. Though these options work for some, for many, the problem of time efficiency still remains. The buses are scheduled to make stops every six minutes during peak times of the day and every 10-15 minutes for all other times. These time increments are reasonable, but one must consider that an extra few minutes are necessary to get to the bus stop. Even more time consuming, once traveling, the time it would take to commute by car can easily be doubled due to numerous stops and the indirect route taken by the bus.
Obviously, meeting the needs of every single parking-seeker might not be possible, but assistance for many can be provided. Students could be given access to a number of lots that are currently restricted. The construction of a new parking garage could be taken into account. Numerous universities all over the nation have dealt with this problem through a wide range of practices. All students would be advocates for any sort of change in this matter which has cost them both time and money. No matter what the budget is, we can find resolutions that return positive results.
—Donnor Larson
Neola, Utah
Cheering at games
The volleyball match last Thursday was amazing. Our #1 team is clearly both talented and hard-working. We won all three sets with some amazing digs, blocks and spikes.
The fan section was energetic. All record-breaking 5000 of them were clapping and cheering: “B-Y-U!,” “Cougars!,” “BYU Cougars!” and “Utah Sucks.”
Really?
First, all college athletes worked hard to get where they are. Every one of them is better at their sport than any individual in the crowd.
I love the BYU-Utah rivalry and BYU sports. I enjoy being a Cougar fan because of what BYU stands for. We have values of respect and dignity, even to opponents. We stay loyal to our royalty, whether we win or lose. At least, that was my attitude before the game.
In the frenzy of the stands, with the roar of cougars in our ears, our actions are different then when we are speaking to an individual face to face. It is easy to forget the covenants we have made and the prayer we said, “Amen” to a few minutes before.
As disciples of Christ able to have the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost, we should stop and think about what we are cheering for. Is what we are doing or saying driving away the spirit?
We need to stop and draw the line of civility. Cheering, motivating and encouraging our team on our court is good, but shouting insults at the other team is crossing the line. We need to refrain from such action and preserve the good name of our school and our fans.
And if someone near us is yelling trash, you and I have a responsibility to stand up, speak out and choose the harder right rather than the easier wrong.
—Robert Lee
Sandy, Utah