Editor’s note: This week’s Cougar Insiders comes from guest writer Jackson Payne, who is the sports editor for the BYU campus publication The Daily Universe. Twitter: @jackson5payne
The circus is coming to Provo.
There will be Cyclones, Cowboys, Knights and Mountaineers. In addition to Bears and Wildcats, there will be Bearcats. Some Longhorns and Sooners will make a brief appearance, along with even more Cougars. What even is a Jayhawk, Red Raider or Hypnotoad, anyway? We’re about to find out.
The Big 12 is on its way to town, and it will be quite the show. We’ve never seen anything like this before at BYU. Nothing will ever be the same.
Thus, certain changes should be made around Cougar town.
BYU’s game day experience is excellent, but a Big 12 promotion requires an even greater investment into fostering an elite environment for athletics and campus-wide fandom.
Sports matter at BYU, and rightfully so. Cougar faithful have been spoiled with a storied history, terrific facilities and plenty of recent excitement on the field — and things will only become more exciting with official Big 12 admission on July 1.
Most importantly, there will be even more eyeballs glued to BYU’s athletic programs. Is BYU truly prepared for such a spacious stage?
Living a double life as both a full-time BYU student and local media member covering Cougar sports, I’ve been able to see plenty of ways the athletic department has thrived in turning students into lifelong fans. But if I were in charge, here are six changes I would implement to increase fan engagement around Provo, spoil the current diehard supporters and make a statement to the world.
Implement a unique, iconic entrance at LaVell’s house
Toward the end of the 2010 classic “Megamind,” Will Ferrell’s titular character quips that the difference between a villain and a “super one” is “presentation!”
Presentation can go a long way in college football. Just ask Virginia Tech, whose trademark “Enter Sandman” entrance is arguably the most ferocious in the sport. Thanks to superb theatrical execution, just the mere act of taking the field before a game creates an immediate home field advantage for the Hokies. Imagine being an opponent and having to witness this scene prior to kickoff. I, for one, would be terrified.
On the flip side, when BYU football took the field in last season’s home opener against Baylor, the players and coaches jogged casually out of the tunnel to the tune of rap offering “Mo Bamba.” I remember physically cringing at the sound. It felt like a Utah County high school affair, not a matchup between two top-25 foes. We can’t let that fly in the Big 12.
The curtain drop for men’s and women’s basketball just before tipoff is fantastic. BYU’s creative content specialists have done a great job to cultivate a consistent tradition that everyone can look forward to and sets the tone for the rest of the evening.
BYU football deserves the same. If LaVell Edwards Stadium is to hold its rowdy home-field advantage late into the fourth quarter, the fire should be stoked as early as possible before kickoff.
Allow for fan-determined uniform combinations
There’s one question that never seems to die within the BYU community: royal or navy?
Yes, the Cougars do have a colorful case of the blues on their hands, but that can definitely become a perk for fans.
BYU football showcased a different uniform combination for each game of the 2022 season, debuting new helmet designs, all-black options and other eye-catching offerings to fashion on the field. Cougar Nation waited eagerly each week for the latest uniform reveal, providing plenty of material to discuss and debate on social media.
So why not let the fans in on the fun?
For a designated game or two each season, BYU football should head to battle in a new uniform designed by fans through an online poll. Students, alumni and supporters would vote to determine the uniform’s dominant color, helmet logo, pattern of socks or anything else poll-worthy to be donned by their favorite players.
With a fanbase as creative as BYU’s — seriously, social media is flooded with different Cougar uniform concepts — empowering the fans to design uniform possibilities that become a reality would be one of the most impressive measures of fan engagement at any school across the country.
If nothing else, it could easily be an effective distraction for everyone should the Cougars’ on-field results be less than stellar.
Adopt an alternative ‘Power’ source
Remember when Kanye West wasn’t off the rails? Yeah, those were the days.
Back before West’s public meltdown, his 2010 hit “Power” was a staple at BYU sporting events, as fans would sway back and forth together while chanting the chorus. It felt just as much a part of BYU games as CougarTails and opening prayers.
Then, just like that, it was gone.
Back in October, amid West’s drastic fall from grace, Daily Universe Sports reported that BYU was planning to quietly retire the tradition in order to distance itself from the Kanye chaos.
It makes sense why BYU would cut its use of “Power.” I won’t complain about that. The problem I have, however, is the lack of a worthy replacement since its retirement.
As silly as it seems, BYU games have felt different since “Power” was taken off the game day menu. I’ve heard students and fans complain that something feels missing. “Power” had almost become muscle memory for some folks, making the adjustment understandably strange.
It probably should have already happened by now, but BYU needs to find a new crowd tradition to replace “Power” before kickoff against Sam Houston State on Sept. 3. Balance must be restored to the ROC.
I don’t have any specific ideas for something new, but I just pray that the new “Power” is unique to BYU and not ripped off from another school, isn’t overly corny and will be something fans will actually do. “Power” was a great tradition because everyone participated, and the same needs to go for its replacement.
Reintroduce victory bell and other opportunities to gather
For decades, BYU fans would gather at the southwest corner of the Marriott Center following football and men’s basketball wins for the ringing of the victory bell. The tradition was so relevant that it became the subject of a 2017 Nissan commercial and played a role in 2022’s BYU-themed episode of “Eli’s Places” on ESPN+.
Unfortunately for the bell, the longtime tradition has all but fallen by the wayside. But Big 12 membership presents the intriguing opportunity for a revival.
Picture this: a sea of royal blue gathered outside the Marriott Center this November to surround Kedon Slovis, Chase Roberts and company following a dramatic BYU win over Oklahoma. The bell is rung, the fans cheer and Slovis hops atop a podium to serve as chorister for leading everyone in a rousing rendition of the Cougars fight song.
And why limit the bell to just football and men’s basketball? Women’s hoops, soccer, baseball and softball should all receive the bell treatment following premier victories. Conference wins in the Big 12 deserve all the celebration they can get.
The victory bell may not seem like much, but the pomp and circumstance of such traditions are at the heart of college sports. Parents who rang the bell as students with the likes of Ty Detmer, Shawn Bradley and Steve Young years ago can ring it once again with their children alongside Slovis, Fouss Traore, Lauren Gustin and scores of future Cougar greats. Traditions like these will link generations and stand the test of time, so BYU should waste no time in bringing the bell back.
There is power in gathering, whether it be in the south end zone ROC seating or around a hallowed victory bell. BYU should look for as many chances to gather fans together as possible, starting by opening the Marriott Center doors to host watch parties for road football games.
As a new, pre-mission freshman in 2018, my Helaman Halls buddies and I ventured to the Wilkinson Center one Saturday and stumbled upon a ROC watch party to see BYU take on No. 6 Wisconsin. We joined about 500 other students packed together to watch one of the most memorable wins of the Kalani Sitake era. It remains one of my all-time favorite memories as a student.
Why not do that for every road game?
BYU’s annual midnight madness pep rally at the start of basketball season is always a hit, but why not have sporadic pep rallies throughout the season to keep fans stoked? Mark Pope has seemingly endless energy, so why not put it to the test?
The Marriott Center is a special place, and BYU should look for every possible way to get fans inside to make noise, whether the Cougars are home or away.
Retire Jimmer’s number
It’s no secret that the Big 12 is a basketball powerhouse. It may be the league’s most impressive — and terrifying — trait.
In honor of joining the best basketball conference in America, BYU should make an effort to honor the most captivating hardwood star its program has ever seen: The Jimmer.
Go to any sporting event and the ROC will be peppered with BYU, Sacramento Kings and Shanghai Sharks jerseys with “Fredette” displayed across the back. Even after more than a decade, Jimmer is still the most popular man on campus. Not even Zach Wilson and his COIVD-19 stardom could steal Fredette’s thunder. The stranglehold Jimmer has on BYU will never be loosened.
Growing up on the East Coast during the Cougars’ Mountain West Conference days, I was never able to see many BYU games of any kind on television. Jimmer changed that. When he played, the whole country tuned in to witness his scoring prowess. Kids on the playground who had made fun of me for wearing BYU shirts at school were now the ones yelling “Jimmer!”while shooting 3-pointers during recess basketball.
It’s a bit confusing as to why BYU hasn’t retired No. 32 for Jimmer yet. We all know about his consensus National Player of the Year honors and All-America status in 2011, both of which pale in comparison to the complete worldwide phenomena surrounding his image. So what gives?
Well, the wait for Jimmer’s jersey retirement might just play out well for BYU. I propose the first home conference men’s basketball game be branded as “Jimmer Appreciation Night,” where ROC members are given free replica Jimmer T-shirt jerseys as his number is retired and lifted into the rafters to be immortalized forever.
It’s only fitting that BYU honors its greatest recent contribution to basketball as the program is promoted to the Big 12’s elite ranks. Doing so now will also allow the current generation of BYU students — those who were awestruck by Fredette’s heroics as children first introduced to the Cougars — to drive the Jimmer appreciation bandwagon, a surefire way to stir up an emotionally charged crowd ready to provide a deafening home-court advantage.
