Imagine the media firestorm if students at a Liberty University football game chanted, “F–k the Muslim,” at a Muslim player on the other team or if students at a Baylor University football game chanted, “F–k the Jew,” at a Jewish player on the other team. There would be a national media outrage condemning the school and the students for such vile bigotry.
However, last week at a Providence College basketball game, an entire section of students could be heard chanting, “F–k the Mormons,” at the Brigham Young University players, and it only seems to have made local news in Utah.
Now, to be fair, Providence College Athletics Director Steve Napolillo did issue a statement after the game addressing the situation.
“I want to apologize to @BYUMBB,” he wrote on X, “their coaches & institution for unacceptable chants by our student body tonight. Once it was brought to my attention, I went to the student body & had them stop. That does not represent who Providence College is & what we stand for. We are sorry.”
It is a good statement. However, it should not be the end of the story. Contrast the media ignoring the Providence College anti-Mormon chant with the nonstop national coverage given by one Duke University volleyball player who said she heard one BYU student shout racial slurs against her. Despite the fact that none of her teammates could corroborate her account, that story made national headlines and was covered continuously on ESPN.
BYU thoroughly investigated the incident, reviewing hours of security camera footage, but could not find a single stitch of evidence to confirm the Duke student’s claim.
If the Providence College chant were an isolated incident, perhaps this story would not be worth highlighting. However, it is not. Just take it from BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff, who happens to be BYU’s first Jewish quarterback. Not only were University of Oregon students caught on video chanting, “F–k the Mormons,” during a 2022 BYU-Oregon football game, but Retzlaff said the chant is common in many opposing stadiums.
“The blatant disrespect for their faith — it’s something to think about,” Retzlaff told journalist McKay Coppins in a profile about him before the Providence College incident. “What if there was a Jewish university that had a Jewish football team, and they were saying that in the stands? Like, imagine if that hit the papers. That would be a big deal.”
“There’s a lot of people who just don’t like Mormon people, for no reason,” Retzlaff continued. “That’s what happened to the Jews all throughout history.”
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Unfortunately, public polling backs Retzlaff up. According to the Pew Research Center, Mormons are viewed the least favorably among all believers, with just 15% of Americans viewing them favorably compared to 25% who view them unfavorably. That 10-point net negative margin is higher than the negative 5-point margin for Muslims and the negative 4-point margin for atheists.
Religious bigotry has no place in the public square, especially on college campuses. University administrators should do more to punish those engaging in such behavior, and the national media should cover the incidents more thoroughly.