About 15 years ago, I turned away from my pro-BYU background and became a devout Ute fan. Why? Well, there are many subtle reasons, but the main one was that I felt there was a dramatic difference between the attitudes of Ute fans and BYU fans. (And no, this did NOT have anything to do with religion or alcohol -- as some seem to think every issue regarding BYU comes down to one of these two factors.) No, for me it all came down to one word: ARROGANCE. 15 years ago, the Utes had not defeated BYU in football except for 1 time during the previous decade-and-a-half, and that was considered a fluke. As a result, a certain arrogance pervaded every word we heard from BYU fans. They always EXPECTED to win, and could never conceed defeat as being anything but a screw-up on THEIR part. What they're opponent did was irrelevant -- sucess or failure only within their control.
Or so it seemed at the time.
But Ute fans were different. EVERY victory was cherished, especially in football where they were so rare, and every loss was taken in good nature. And there was also a certain sense of humor that Ute fans held over BYU fans. They ridiculed them for taking silly games so seriously. When BYU fans would chant their trendy refrains of "We're Number One," Ute fans would laugh and counter with "We're Number Five." All in all, it was a healthy attitude that I felt made the games much more fun to participate in.
Now we fast-forward to September 2000 and the start of a new season. In football, the Utes are coming off a conference title, a bowl victory, and a five-year stretch were they have finished no lower than 2nd place. In basketball, the Utes have earned 7 consecutive conference titles, and 7 consecutive trips to the NCAA tournament, including one trip to the NCAA finals. The "status" of the Utes has grown immensely from where it was in the mid 80s -- so much so that, in this 2000-01 season, the Utes are picked as preseason favorites to win the conference crown in both sports -- that's how much things have changed on the field of play.
Unfortunately, some things have also changed in the stands. People are excited for the season to start, but not because they are anxious to see how well our teams can perform. Rather, they are excited because they EXPECT to win. And when that fails to happen, the most common comment is that WE gave the game away, or WE didn't perform up to our abilities.
In short, we sound a lot like BYU fans did 15 years ago.
I can't help but see some poetic justice in the fact that we, as Ute fans, shouted out the words "NIT, NIT, NIT,..." at the BYU game a few weeks ago. We were so sure that our team would be in the NCAA tournmanent and BYU would not, that we arrogantly threw our self-inflated superiority in their faces. But now three teams from the state of Utah are in the NCAA tournament, and the Utes are not one of them. Where are the Utes? (NIT, NIT, NIT...).
Believe it or not, when BYU fans throw that comment back at us, we deserve it. Pride cometh before the fall, and oh how the mighy have fallen. (And, in case anyone missed the point, I am NOT talking about our teams.) We have allowed ourselves to become what we most despise -- arrogant, self-absorbed fans who take our own prestige too seriously. But from the ashes of this season of discontent, the phoenix may yet arise in glory. After all, we still LOVE the Utes, and that love has nothing to do with wins, or losses, or bowl games, or NCAA appearances. We don't need "no stinking Sears Cup" to drink fully from the fountain of Ute. And so I now chant "NIT, NIT, NIT,..." with a new meaning. I say, enjoy what few games we have left because it will be a long summer drought until September 1st when Utah State once again visits the glorious halls or Rice-Eccles Stadium. And I want to cherish every game we have until then. And, who knows, if we're lucky we may get to see the Utes visit Madison Square Garden.
OFF SOAPBOX (and please don't shoot me)
-- GO UTES !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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