Colorado State fans engaged in an offensive chant of religious slurs directed toward BYU and its sponsoring institution, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Saturday evening prior to the Rams’ football game against BYU.
The chant, which was recorded on video and posted various times to social media, was “(expletive) the Mormons.”
The chants have become increasingly common in recent years during various BYU athletic events outside of Utah. USC (2021), Oregon (2022), Providence (2024) and Cincinnati (2025) have all issued apologies for such chants.
Colorado was publicly reprimanded and fined $50,000 by the Big 12 in 2025 after Buffaloes fans participated in the chants. The league also fined Oklahoma State the same amount earlier this year after chants occurred at a basketball game against the Cougars.
Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark was asked about such behavior at both the conference’s basketball and football media days this year.
“I think it’s a lot of education that needs to happen with some of the student-athletes, because our student sections … is where it’s coming from,” Yormark said this past March.
“… I take it very seriously. It’s a very personal thing for me. I’m Jewish. I grew up in a very diverse background. I felt hate as a young man, and I didn’t like it, and I’m here based on those experiences and in my position to try to bring about change, and change behavior.”