In the warm, loud world of college football, a stadium before kickoff can briefly turn into a place where one group's faith is mocked with a crude chant. In Orlando, UCF fans did exactly that before a game against Brigham Young University, and some were later removed by security. The Big 12 Conference, which had just watched an unexpectedly long and chaotic contest end after two overtimes, answered with a $100,000 fine directed toward education and a broader rule that treats such conduct as something the league will not tolerate, now or in the future.
Big 12 Fines UCF $100,000 Over Fan Chants Against BYU, Adopts Escalating Penalties for Discriminatory Conduct
Discriminatory behavior has no place in the Big 12.
Mark
Why did this get a conference-level response, not just a note to UCF?
Mimi
The chant targeted BYU's religion, not the team. The Big 12 said discriminatory behavior has no place in the conference, and it paired the fine with a policy for every member school.
Luke
Worth noting what's confirmed: video shows a number of fans chanting, and some were removed. How many fans were involved, we don't know from this reporting.
Mark
The conference also credited UCF for how it handled things.
Mimi
Yes. It acknowledged the pregame protocols and the removals during the game, and still fined the school $100,000, with the money going to student education initiatives.
Mark
What does the new policy actually do?
Mimi
First incident, an automatic minimum $100,000 fine and a formal warning. A second confirmed incident in the same game draws a competitive penalty, like 15 yards in football. Ejected fans are barred for the rest of the academic year.
Luke
Keep in mind the 'overuse' worry is the writer's opinion, not something the conference said. And we don't yet know how 'confirmed incident' will be defined or who decides.
Mark
Is there any sign how it will play out?
Mimi
Not yet. UCF hosts Baylor on Friday, and that's the next home test for the crowd.
Luke
Right, and one game won't tell us how consistently the rule gets enforced.
Il Polso
- A pregame video showed UCF fans chanting an anti-Mormon slur aimed at BYU's religious identity.
- Security removed some of the offending fans, but the damage to the rivalry's reputation was already public.
- The Big 12 fined UCF $100,000 and demanded that the money fund student education on discriminatory conduct.
- A new conference-wide ladder now escalates from fines and warnings to competitive penalties and season-long attendance bans.
- Critics warn the policy could reach ordinary student chanting, and the first real test comes with UCF hosting Baylor.
In the warm, loud world of college football, a stadium before kickoff can briefly turn into a place where one group's faith is mocked with a crude chant. In Orlando, UCF fans did exactly that before a game against Brigham Young University, and some were later removed by security. The Big 12 Conference, which had just watched an unexpectedly long and chaotic contest end after two overtimes, answered with a $100,000 fine directed toward education and a broader rule that treats such conduct as something the league will not tolerate, now or in the future.
Before the first snap of UCF's game against BYU at Acrisure Bounce House in Orlando, a video showed a group of UCF fans chanting an obscene phrase aimed at Mormons, a reference to BYU's religious roots. Security removed some of them during the game, and the conference soon responded.
The game itself had already become one of the season's strangest. A blocked field goal, a goal-line stop and an unsportsmanlike penalty pushed it into overtime, and it took two extra periods before UCF won. BYU, a clear favorite fresh off a win over Notre Dame that had lifted it into the playoff conversation, left with a loss.
The Big 12 acknowledged UCF's pregame protocols and in-game removals, but said discriminatory behavior has no place in the conference. It fined the school $100,000, with the money going to student education initiatives.
The league also adopted a conference-wide policy that takes effect immediately. A first incident brings a minimum $100,000 fine and a formal warning. A second confirmed incident draws a competitive penalty, such as a 15-yard unsportsmanlike flag in football or a technical foul in basketball. Ejected individuals will be barred from all athletic events for the rest of the academic year.
Fox News's sports team called the response the right approach, while cautioning that the rules could be overused if they start targeting ordinary student chanting. UCF now gets a chance to show a different side when it hosts Baylor on Friday, and the real question is whether the new ladder is ever applied beyond this first case.
Before the first snap of UCF's game against BYU at Acrisure Bounce House in Orlando, a video captured a number of UCF fans chanting an obscene phrase aimed at Mormons, a reference to BYU's religious background. Security removed some of those fans during the game. On Wednesday afternoon, the Big 12 Conference answered with a $100,000 fine and a new policy.
The game itself had already become one of the season's surprises. A run of strange fourth-quarter plays, including a blocked field goal, a goal-line stop and an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, pushed it into overtime. It took two overtimes to decide, and UCF won. Fans stormed the field afterward. BYU came in as a clear favorite, riding a big win over Notre Dame in Provo that had reshaped the College Football Playoff picture and put the Cougars in the top two. They left with a loss.
The conference's statement acknowledged the steps UCF had taken, including the pregame protocols it followed and the immediate actions during the game, such as removing some of the people responsible. Even so, it said, discriminatory behavior has no place in the Big 12. The $100,000 fine will be directed toward student education initiatives.
The conference also announced an updated, conference-wide policy establishing escalating consequences for discriminatory conduct at athletic events, effective immediately. Under it, a first incident of this kind brings an automatic minimum fine of $100,000 and a formal warning to the institution. The warning gives the school a chance to address the behavior right away and prevent further incidents.
A second confirmed incident carries a competitive penalty. The conference gave examples: a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty in football, or an unsportsmanlike two-shot technical foul in basketball. Individuals ejected for similar conduct will be barred from all athletic events for the rest of the academic year and may also face the university's own fan or student conduct policies.
The Fox News piece, written by the outlet's sports team, calls the response the right way to handle this situation. It also raises a caution: the policy could be overused if the conference begins policing ordinary college student chanting rather than only conduct that crosses a line, as this did.
UCF's home crowd gets a chance to show a different side on Friday night, when the Knights host Baylor. BYU hosts Arizona State in Provo on Halloween. Whether the new escalation ladder is ever applied beyond this first case is the thing to watch.
Citazioni salienti
Discriminatory behavior has no place in the Big 12.— Big 12 Conference statement
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