Apr 25 2008
Breaking the Silence
Hi everybody.
I can’t speak for Peter, but after the whole episode surrounding Cruiser and the emotions that accompanied it, I was totally burned up. Consumed. I definitely didn’t have any drive to pump up the complete non-story that spring practice turned out to be.
So I just put it down for a while. With no apologies. I needed time to figure out how I felt about the situation and what I wanted to do about it.
To be completely forthright, I’ve been wondering if putting all this time and effort (and some money) into Cougar Legion has been worth it. We set out to help promote BYU football and encourage others to be the best and most knowledgeable fans that they can be. Come to find out, that’s not what BYU wants. BYU wants you to open your wallet nice and wide when called upon, but don’t you dare try to be involved with the program. Just leave them the heck alone so they can practice in peace. Show up on Saturdays. Buy some Costa Vida so they can afford their position coaches. That’s the ceiling. As far as the athletic department is concerned, the best fan you could ever be is a paying one.
If you don’t mind this state of affairs, more power to you. But I care. I care that the venerable Coach Mendenhall made no attempt to hide the fact that the Spring Scrimmage was less important to him than a closed-door scrimmage the week prior. I mean, who are these nut jobs that obsess over how we’re developing the next generation of starters? Fine, here’s some situational drills and 30 plays. Now go home and don’t come back until you have to pay to get in here.
For the record, I didn’t even bother to squeeze the Spring Scrimmage into my schedule. I went to write up an offer on my first house (potentially) instead. I probably could have pushed back the appointment with my realtor, but why fuss about it? Why burn the gas? Coach couldn’t have cared less whether I was there or not. He said just as much. What’s worse is that I can’t afford tickets anymore (or Comcast/DirecTV). What’s the point of catering to fans like me? (As a professional marketer, I could tell you the answer to that, but BYU hasn’t bothered to consider the future ramifications of treating fans like me as an annoyance in the present.)
That’s where I stand, grappling with the bitterness of spurned effort and passion. It’ll be another three and a half months until anything remotely newsworthy happens with the football team (other than the upcoming NFL draft). As much as Peter and I strive to learn about the team and the game, there isn’t anything we can say that isn’t already being said in the papers right now.
Cruiser’s articles didn’t get many hits during the season, but he really shone (I couldn’t resist) from the end of the regular season until he quit. His contribution was invaluable in the offseason when BYU football goes on lockdown. Now it’s just two schmoes who cared a whole heck of a lot and that’s about all we had to put into this blog.
Peter will probably have some stuff about the draft coming up, but other than that, don’t expect to see too much here until August. Sign up for the email feed and you’ll know when something does hit. Or you could bow to the wishes of the BYU machine and curb your passion for BYU sports just enough that you’ll keep throwing your money at them. They would be pleased.
Peace.
34 Responses to “Breaking the Silence”
Josh,
The contradiction of a program that postures for national notice while telling boosters to shut up is disturbing and self-defeating.
The obergrupenfuhrers have won and now the daily diet is managed, rehashed drivel. I will not look at BYU athletics web site since the enemy is in charge.
Cruiser and and this site were blackmailed into silence. The real reasons BYU was ignored in upcoming national TV schedule won’t be written about.
The brutality and profanity of Coach Anae will continue to be covered up.
BYU football, like the rest of our country, believes not getting caught is the same as doing right.
Mendenhall and his minions decided to clean up a dangerous (read honest) loose cannon. They have ignored the real problems.
BYU is just another poser wannabe that wants credit but not scrutiny.
Band of brothers? What a joke to compare soldiers in battle to a football team that only wants glad-handers.
BYU will win a national title when it’s honest with itself and isn’t afraid of its own shadows.
How pathetic.
brutality of anae? is there a story here?
anyway the shameful thing is that many fans are far from happy valley and would like to know what’s going on. no info, soon there will be less fans. fill les, but most of us will not even be close and will lose interest. truly a shame.
thanks for the ride cruiser and crew!
Guys. I can’t speak too intelligently about this but inspite of the fact that many universities act as burocracies (I know I spelled that wrong) I think part of the issue could be that if people are getting too close a look at the inside workings of a program, and talk about it, no matter how harmless the situation it could conceivably become a liability if people like whitlessham started using the site to get the scoop and use it to gameplan.
I don’t know for sure that this is the case, but being a successful high school coach myself, especially in the couple of years we had a chance to win it all, my policy was always not to give any info to anyone if it wasn’t absolutely necessary. Some coaches are your buddies, and they don’t have to play you, but they have buddies who have buddies who do play you and they lap up any jot or tittle about any kid you’ve got.
Not saying this is the reason because I honestly don’t know, but I would suspect this had something to do with it
I really enjoyed Cruisers articles, but quite frankly was a little surprised that he was able to get the kind of information he provided. I assumed maybe he was an insider that revealed to much. I think many of the articles I read about the program share in formation that others don’t need to know. Sorry, I love BYU football but to much is to much.
Wow, what a tirade. What the producers of this blog are not telling us is that the only reason Jeff Rey. contacted them was NOT to shut down Crusier but it was because he was giving INACCURATE information. For example, the whole uniform article–NOT ACCURATE. He just wanted Crusier to be more forth-right and honest not shut it down. Jeff even invited the producers of the blog to lunch and they never returned his email or phone call.
As for losing fans because they are censoring those inside voices…ummm yeah not gonna happen. If BYU continues to win, I highly doubt because they are becoming a little more closed lipped is going to drive fans away. Another thing is that football costs a lot of money, For me to buy tickets to the school I am at (Big 12 school) the cheapest season tickets are $190. BYU football is a business just like any other school. Just because they are connected to the Church does require them to give us a discount. Believe me, students who are there are getting the deal of the century on tuition. Anyway, get the facts straight guys before you start claiming martyrdom to Crusier. Cruiser stepped down voluntarily, Jeff did not shut him down (by the way, Bronco had no idea who this cruiser character is and never heard of him, Jeff received an email from someone telling him to check out the site and get a hold of Cruiser to see if he would correct some info.). I am sure Crusier is a great guy but that is the truth. Overall you guys have done a great job with this site and I frequented it often and I will be back in August to see what you have to say. As for now, go BYU volleyball!!!
I agree with Jer. I could hardly make it through this post - listening to Josh feel sorry for himself got pretty ridiculous. I hate to brake it to you, but Cougar Legion shouldn’t flatter itself - BYU is not going to lose fans over this cougar legion drama. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the website, but I think we should all get over it. The staff’s decision was not unreasonable. I had high school coaches who were more concerned than the BYU staff about keeping team matters within the team. It is sound coaching for many reasons including building team autonomy, not to mention too much information leaking to opponents. Also, I don’t think anyone is so naive as to think that a profane word never leaves the lips of any member of the BYU coaching staff or team. Any suggestion (as was made by reshusa) that Bronco is trying to hide that fact is ridiculous. He has much more to worry about. I myself choose not to swear (even when I play sports), but I also don’t live on Mars - you are going to have coaches and players who cuss. The fact of the matter is, Bronco has done a great job to forward the mission of BYU and to demand more to ensure that his players are better representatives of the University. Nate Meikle’s own father will tell you that Bronco has had an even greater impact on Nate than his own Mission President. Finally, the only ridiculous thing about BYU football tickets is how cheap they are. I am at a Big Ten school and I know very few students who can afford season tickets (including myself). I know BYU is not in a BCS conference, but even when you take that factor out of the equation, the prices are still very reasonable especially for the type of program BYU consistently puts out. Any fan with an IQ realizes that money is a part of staying competitive. Our facilities do not build themselves and I guarantee the Church is not going to build multi-million dollar facilities on tithing money alone. Bottom line, we should be pumped. This could be one of the greatest years in BYU football history. So, we should somehow find the strength to heroically overcome Cougar Legion’s great tragedy. I know it will be hard - it may be our great Abrahamic test, but after everyone is done shedding tears for Josh’s sad sad post, maybe - just maybe - we’ll find the strength to go on.
Jer- Parts of that are true, parts aren’t. Jeff did invite us both to lunch but as Josh mentioned, we are both very busy at the moment. I have started a new job, sold my home and moved within the last month, not including a business trip in the middle. You have half the story about Cruiser stepping down, but I can guarantee it was much more about Cruiser being the bigger man than any of us has let on.
On the other hand, I find BYU’s attitude towards fans a little scary. Like someone mentioned, as long as they win, who cares? Fans will pay money for tickets and buy their shirts and all that as long as the team is winning. Alumni will come back and Coach Mendenhall can have his stripling warrior discourse, as long as the team is winning. Will the fans accept being pushed away if its a losing team? BYU needs to learn to respect the fans. At least pretend the spring game means something.
Just remember folks, both sides (BYU and ourselves) have shown restraint talking about the situation. Cruiser made it a point to fact check his articles with people intimate with the situation, so if something was incorrect (like a piece of the walk-on buying their stuff) it was because it was generally misunderstood, not at all due to lack of effort on his part.
Peter -
Bottom line - you could have talked to Jeff if you wanted (and you could have at least returned an email or phone call saying you were “too busy” - I’m sure Jeff had a few things on his plate at the time as well). We realize you probably have a legitimate beef, but don’t destroy your credibility by stretching the story. The staff tried to be diplomatic.
Furthermore, you freely acknowledge that it would be inappropriate for some of the information regarding this situation to be made public, (probably because it might be misunderstood, taken out of context, etc. by outsiders) yet you cannot respect that same principle when it comes to the BYU football program.
Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the information you and Josh provide and I hope to continue to frequent the site. However, someone needs to restore a bit of reason and perspective here.
Josh & Peter-
I e-mailed both of you offsite but neither of you replied so here goes, and I say this while respecting both of you: I agree with Pat & Jason, in my opinion you two lost sight of the real value of Cougar Legion and you are only focusing on yourselves and your damages egos. This is not about you two and never was and if you think, it was or is, that is why it is all coming crumbling down around you. I made these suggestions to you:
1. Invite one or more of many BYU alumni who live in the area as guest or permanent writers; they know infinitely more than you and could give better insights; each & every alumnus has access to inside info at http://www.byuendzone.com but you have to have a Login Name & Password to get in
2. You violated the team’s trust by having a mole (Cruiser) planted inside the team to get you/us information and according to very accurate sources, you breached some unwritten agreements that you had with BYU
3. Go to BYU and invite a member of the team’s staff and coaching staff to participate on the blog
4. Do a weekly/bi-weekly highlite on a player between now and Fall camp
You have been offended so badly that you are not thinking intelligently. Yes, you should have gone to lunch with Jeff Reynolds. As it is now, the gulf is wide between you and the team and widening day by day.
Again, forget yourselves, bury your ego and pride (read President Benson’s, “Beware of Pride”) and change your perspective. If you cannot or won’t accept any help from people who are more knowledgeable about college football than you are, then just follow “Bruins Nation” MO and do it without any insiders or professional help.
It’s all up to you two; but, remember that with or without you, BYU football is back and will continue to climb and get better. In addition, they will continue to build their fan base here in Utah and countrywide and sellout LES.
Good luck and God bless!
Go Cougs!
Unbelievable. You folks believe a tale spinner like Jeff Reynolds.
1) Cruiser wasn’t silenced because of inaccurate information.
As a point of reference to those with unsharpened wits under their BYU halos, when you throw a rock at a pack of dogs, which one yelps? Believe me BYU yelped. Right, Jeff Rey?
2) What is this high school coaching and secrecy crap? Byu is a public entity in a public endeavor crying for more public attention. Neither politicians nor sports teams who manipulate what is said about them deserve to be trusted.
And Cruiser didn’t give bad news. The articles about the fireside and Harvey Unga’s recruiting tale were love letters.
r
The stuff about the walk-ons was innocuous at worst.
Did you guys defend the overealous authorities who pulled the BYU baseball player’s letter of recommendation required to attend school?
3) You skewer Peter and Josh about being discouraged — and then offer the ultimate insult–BYU football will get along just fine without you–
You are reading and filing on their site.
And of the sites and blogs, this one was top drawer for information and analysis.
Walt, why the sanctimonious tone with people trying to cover what you love. If you are all-knowing, start your own site.
Finally
Peter, Josh and Cruiser:
No matter how much I took exception to your views on things, I still appreciated them.
I do not understand the sniping. I’m afraid too many people would have felt right at home in East Germany or the Third Reich.
Alas.
I have to tell you guys that it is always fascinating to see what parts of my articles get people’s attention. First things first:
1) If you want to take shots at me, call me an egotist or crybaby or whatever, go right ahead. Leave Peter out of it. I wrote this. He had nothing to do with it.
2) The Cruiser situation is over with and I’ve come to terms with his loss. I’ve got nothing against Jeff Reynolds. We communicated frequently at the time, came to an understanding behind the scenes and it’s over now. This article was all about general fan relations.
3) A careful inspection of the article would reveal that I wasn’t complaining about the cost of attending games, etc., but was bemoaning the fact that there is nothing for fans who can’t afford to attend games or pay to get TV access via Comcast or DirecTV, given that the Spring scrimmage is an afterthought at the present time. Up until just recently, I had the disposable income to go to some games, so I never noticed how the fans who can’t afford those things are pretty much ignored by the program. Ironically, a lot of those fans are also likely in the dark as to the tradition linked to Spring football at pretty much all top programs.
3) I wouldn’t have written anything at all except to answer the questions of “What is going on with this site?” and “Are you guys just giving up?”
Like I said before, some of you may not care and that’s just fine by me. You have your views, informed or otherwise, and I don’t expect anyone to feel or think a certain way or align themselves with me just because. I just tried to explain what’s been going on and why.
BYU needs to be careful about how they treat their fans, just like Peter said. Fans want to understand the game more than before. They want to connect with their teams. This is the current state of sports. People who aren’t paying customers today will be in a position to do so later. How BYU treats those fans today will go a long way towards determining how much monetary support those fans give BYU later.
There’s a reason 75,000+ fans saw Alabama’s spring scrimmage, even while having to pay a marginal fee to get in. There’s a reason that about a dozen major programs had their scrimmages televised nationally. These schools have recognized the value of embracing the fan base, making them feel part of the family. Fans who can’t afford to attend during the regular season can pay $3 and watch their team put on a bona fide live scrimmage in the spring. It keeps them connected and strengthens their pride. It’s smart business.
BYU is just now coming into the sphere of big-time programs. They need to get comfortable with themselves and with their fans. It’s likely that other head coaches don’t enjoy doing it either, but they see the obvious value in putting on a good show during the spring scrimmage.
Many fans see what’s going on with these other schools, the fan outreach that goes into most Spring scrimmages, and wonder why it can’t be like that at BYU (minus the ESPN coverage, obviously). Well, why wouldn’t they make a bigger deal out of it? Why did Coach Mendenhall think it would be a good idea to flat out say that the Spring scrimmage, the only chance for some people to ever see the team play live, wasn’t important to him?
The morning of the BYU Spring Game, I sat at my in-laws’ house watching Florida’s spring game. Tim Tebow played that day with 102-degree fever and even tried to make a tackle after one of his passes got tipped and picked off. That’s a Heisman Trophy winner bringing an A+ effort to a game that doesn’t count in the standings, and that’s the way it should be. The fans deserve it.
I don’t like Mr. Meyer just as much as the next Cougar fan, but I tip my hat to him for treating their Spring scrimmage like it mattered. To the 40,000 people in attendance, it did.
reshusa-
I never said that said that Cruiser’s facts were not true; that’s not what is important. The fact is that he had access to the team’s “Holy of Holy’s” so to speak and reporting things that were only the team’s business and not our’s.
Josh- I agree with most of what you said; I just think your strategy was flawed. If you used this strategy in business, you would fail also. Where is the “How to Win Friends and Influence People” in all of this? I probably offended you and I apologize for that. But, I made some suggestions that I thought might help the Blog yet you have not addressed these on or off the air.
If your whole purpose was to get information to those who cannot afford to go to the games or get Comcast or Direct TV then you are going to reach only a very few.
I cannot justify paying $610 this season ($200 for the Cougar Club & $410 for two tickets) so I will either watch it on Comcast (their triple play is only $99/month for telephone, DSL & cable) or I will go to the games & buy scalpers tickets for $10 each.
If you are going to take on BYU & try to get them to change, good luck…you better pack your lunch for a few years.
Finally, we are not a Florida and maybe never will be in terms of filling LES for a Spring game. But, that has nothing to do with Cougar Legion. My suggestions are still the same as they would be if you were in business. It would be far more profitable for you to give up majority ownership in Cougar Legion in a takeover and own a minority interest in a successful Blog than to continue on with Peter as sole owners of an unsuccessful BLOG.
Again, thanks for the memories and good luck to you both.
Josh -
I don’t think you can honestly say you have come to terms with anything since you continue to try to make a soap opera out of every decision made by the BYU staff.
If “Mr. Meyer” wants his Heisman Trophy winner out making tackles in a spring game with a 100+ temperature, good for him. I think it is stupid. I guarantee if Tebow got injured on that play there would be an uproar. A recent study showed that more injuries take place during spring and fall camp than during the actual season. Look at UCLA - they lost 2 quarterbacks in 2 plays when they weren’t even in full pads. Bronco has made it very clear that he has had to learn that lesson the hard way in the past, so he chooses to minimize the risks as much as possible. That is smart coaching.
Your cougar legion drama has caused you to lose all ability to be rational. I hate to burst your bubble, but coaches don’t make decisions based on whether or not fans like you will be upset. Their job is to win ball games. There is a direct correlation between wins and sellouts - that is how you put fans in the seats. Not by putting on a good spring game. The spring game has almost zero bearing on the fan base. Give me a break, teams like Florida and Alabama don’t have strong fan bases because they put on dynamite spring games. They have strong fan bases because they win and they win championships. And in order to get those wins, a team needs to have its best players on the field during the season. BYU could cancel its spring game and I guarantee they will fill the seats if they win ball games during the season. This stuff is not rocket science.
Your argument for all those poor, suffering fans that can’t afford the TV package or tickets and who have been so victimized by an unsatisfactory spring game is ridiculous. That is life - we are not all in the same situation and it is not BYU’s job to be concerned about correcting these great injustices. According to your logic, I should complain because I didn’t get my fair shake at being able to see BYU play football since I don’t live in Provo and I can’t afford to fly to the spring game or regular season games. According to you, since I am just as dedicated as any other fan, they should be considering my needs.
I happen to be a poor BYU fan, but luckily there is this thing called internet where you can listen to every game online on KSL for free (assuming you have an internet connection which most people do now have). And if fans can’t afford the TV package, internet, or tickets, they’ll have to read about it in the paper. And if fans have to settle for the news paper or word-of-mouth, it is not Bronco Mendenhall’s job to sit around figuring out how to fix it. Unfortunately, socio-economic problems are not unique to BYU football - it just happens to be the way the world works.
I am going to give you the benefit of the doubt and attribute your non-sensical arguments to your skewed perspective & bias due to this whole cruiser drama. If I’m wrong, maybe Walt’s suggestion would be in order. Otherwise, Cougar Legion will continue to lose credibility and by the time you start posting again in August, you, Peter and reshusa will have to continue your love fest without the rest of us.
What is all this crap? You guys who are dumping on this site are STILL missing the point! This is about the fans and how they improve the program. IS there a program without the fans? Not really. None of you have the same kind of vision with how BYU is hurting their program as I see Josh having. This is probably because I am a student and you are not. What is the origin of the fan base, the Cougar Club, the boosters, etc.? Me. The student. If you turn your back on me, and Coach Mendenhall and those running this program seem to be doing so, you can ride the wave of income from the aging support you already have wrapped up but it will catch up to you. You are going to break the link in the chain or the cycle or whatever and then the well you have been dipping from is going to dry up. Now don’t come on here and say, “You students should be grateful for your Allsports Pass and go on your merry way–you have nothing to complain about.” I totally expect this because you lack vision. That is what this sight has always been based upon. Vision. We can’t impact the players or the coaches and the product they put on the field, but what are we doing on our end? For those fans who want to get involved by giving something other than cash (see mission statement of this sight), BYU says, “No no no, we don’t want your commitment and investment unless it is in U.S. currency.” Well, I don’t have much of that right now, I say, so I will watch the games and come to LES when I save up for the occasion and when I get a real jo–Wham! That was the door slammed in my face. They kick my student butt to the curb and then start sending the letters asking for cash when I graduate? Did they forget how they treated me earlier? I didn’t, and I’m not likely to. But if they showed that they cared, kept me involved, and treated me like part of the family until my financial situash allows the bestowal of monetary investment in an institution I deem worthy–Cha-ching! The money flows in from another satisfied fan and newest Cougar Club member. That is the big picture and BYU doesn’t have it.
BYU Student -
BYU football isn’t for everyone. You can transfer to the U. While you are in Salt Lake, you can work for the ACLU after you graduate and right these horrible wrongs.
The success of a program has never been built around pleasing every single fan. It is impossible. BYU is winning and Bronco has restored dignity to the program with players who are not perfect but who represent the school as well as any we have had. As long as those two things are happening there will be plenty of fans and financial contributors.
You are fighting a battle you will not win my friend. Somehow I think the cougs will manage to pull through things with or without you.
Sincerely,
The Visionless
(since I have not been a student at BYU for almost a whole year now)
Just wanted to clear up one last thing before moving on to bigger and better things, ie not this thread
Walt: We didn’t plant Cruiser as a mole. Neither Josh or I have ever met Cruiser or have plans to (though I wouldn’t be opposed, he’s a great guy.) As a backstory, Cruiser used to post these exact same stories on a board called Cougarblue. I was starting a blog (the precursor to Cougar Legion) and asked him to write guest articles for me. He started back in July of 2007 and did so until he stepped back just recently. He was posting these stories for several years, its was only a new venue.
Reshusa,
Fact: BYU is not a public entity, niether is their football program. They are private, which gives them every right to keep anything private they want to.
As far as mistreating fans goes, I hate to break it to you, but you don’t want satisfied fans. You want loyal fans. You get loyal fans by always leaving them wanting more.
If you want to win, then everybody in the world can’t have access to intimate information about how you plan to do it, or the parts you plan to use to do it.
That should be obvious. I guess it’s not.
While I agree that the spring game got cut back a little too much this year, I have never thought it was much more than an excuse to enjoy a beautiful spring day in Cougar stadium. UCLA’s loss of *two* quarterbacks is ample illustration of the wisdom of holding back in spring ball. And besides, we have much more to lose when a first stringer goes out.
The thing that caught my eye was “reshua’s” accusations about Anae. Somehow I don’t think rampant profanity and “brutality” _could_ be covered up. Given I’ve never heard a hint of this anywhere else in board-or-blogsville, methinks someone is lashing out because — I don’t know — maybe he or a relative didn’t make the team? Or maybe Anae cut in front of him in a lunch line? Whatever it is, that and phrases like “Mendenhall and his minions” smack of sour grapes. Maybe he should consider switching his allegiance to the SNOT.
I second everything that Jason has posted. Josh & Peter, I apologize for and retract my statement about Cruiser being a plant. It does not matter when he started and for how many other Blogs in which he participated. The bottom line is that he spoke about truthful things that were going on in the weight room and team meetings and that is like a board member leaking to the public what had gone on in a board meeting of a privately held company.
I ask Josh and Peter one more and for the last time; why didn’t you take or at least comment on my suggestion to invite local alumni to participate and why didn’t you extend an arm of friendship to Mr. Reynolds and others on the football staff?
Like Jason said and I second it, BYU football will continue to go onward and upward without the Cougar Legion. You could have easily taken a different course than the one you have chosen. No one will ever know, I guess, why you have drawn a line in the sand but you have alienated yourselves. I do not how many viewers you have but there are very few who post regularly and you’re in a lucha de palabras (an argument) with a few of those. I am sure this is what the Utes love…they tear us apart all the time but now we are destroying each other from within our wn ranks. Why have you chosen to go down swinging?
Again, reconsider what you are doing; invite former players to join you and extend an arm of friendship to Mr. Reynolds and anyone else at BYU so that you do a clean restart.
Thanks and good luck!
When I learned that Cruiser stepped down I was surprised and disappointed. My surprise centered around BYU’s interest in Cruiser’s articles. My disappointment was due to three things: 1. Not being able to read Cruiser’s writing; 2. BYU’s efforts to silence the flow of information that was non-beneficial to other teams, or injurious to BYU; and 3. The hypocricy of many readers of this blog.
Blogs and other social sites (i.e. myspace.com, facebook.com) are the new forum for individuals to communicate their thoughts, opinions, purported facts, etc. And like conversations in the public square, they should not be controlled unless they are damaging or posing an immediate threat to damage the object of the blog/conversation.
Prior to Cruiser’s withdrawal, I had read his (I assume Cruiser is a he, sorry if I’m mistaken) blog article faithfully. I dare say I had read all of his entries on Cougar Legion. At no point did I believe his writings were damaging or posing an immediate threat to the on and off the field success of BYU football. However, after reading about BYU’s concern about Cruiser’s content I reserved judgment and re-read all of Cruiser’s articles that were on Cougar Legion. After my second reading of Cruiser’s articles I did not identify any “inside information” that damages or poses an immediate threat to BYU, or BYU football.
To the contrary, after re-reading Cruiser’s articles I was reminded how much Cruiser bled blue, and was “fully invested” to promoting BYU football to the fans. At no point did I sense that Cruiser was attempting to win over readers with controversial information or stories. There was no self-aggrandizement. Furthermore, I think Cruiser received/knew a lot of negative facts about BYU football, but chose not to share that damaging information. It is clear to me that Cruiser’s intent was to use his writing talents to encourage and grow a blue fervor in a fan base that spans the United States, and that is searching for nuggets of information that will connect them to their beloved Cougars.
After determining for myself that Cruiser’s intent was not to damage or threaten BYU, I wanted to know if any of his information included were inadvertently damaging or threatening to damage BYU. My second reading didn’t provide me with any red flags, but I know a couple bits of information concerned some of the readers.
Based on the reader’s comments, the main source of concern for BYU was a statement about certain player’s having to purchase some equipment with their own money and about Max Hall being cocky. (Perhaps there are other statements written by Cruiser that were of concern to BYU that I’m unaware about). Regarding the equipment purchasing: I have confirmed with a former walk-on player that at least walk-on players do have to purchase certain equipment with their own money. So, Cruiser wasn’t inaccurate by much, if at all about certain players having to purchase some equipment. Regarding Max Hall’s Attitude: I think Josh was correct in writing a couple weeks ago that it was common knowledge about Hall’s cockiness. I had heard about it from friends who know Hall well, and I live in CA. Furthermore, its a logical step to know that if a person is cocky then they will, from time to time, go over the line and hurt the feelings of those around them. Note that Cruiser never illustrated who or specifically how Hall had verbally attacked or taunted his teamates. Additionally, Hall likely didn’t know about Cruiser’s article until Coach Mendenhall read the article’s entirety to the team. I do not know Coach Mendenhall personally, but based upon his desire to control the information spread about BYU football (i.e. having Jeff Reynolds ask Cruiser to stop writing) I feel secure in assuming that Coach Mendenhall knew exactly what he was doing when he read Cruiser’s article to the full team. I don’t know what his full intention was, but I know if he had wanted the team to stop speaking with Cruiser then he could have simply held the article up and said stop talking to Cruiser. It seems rational that Coach Mendenhall was attempting to communicate another message to the team, and I think he was attempting to communicate with his quarterback that his actions were dividing the team. A third piece of information that has apparently sparked controversy is the fact that Cruiser wrote that BYU football players were working out vigorously. In order for this information to be damaging to BYU football then they had to have been doing something revolutionary. Last time I checked the idea of a football team hitting the weights and running sprints is a not a new concept. Furthermore, the player’s lefting and sprinting stats become public knowledge anyway, so if Cruiser described a player’s workout with too much detail then it is a non-factor because we all can get that information anyway.
For argument’s sake, I will assume that Cruiser was completely inaccurate about players purchasing equipment, and that Hall isn’t cocky and crossing the line on occasion with his trash talk. My question then becomes ‘What damage has BYU football suffered or is threatened to suffer due to these inaccuracies?’ My answer, nothing. These bits of information will not give an edge to an opposing team, they will not cause new recruits to not play football for BYU, they will not divide the team (if they are false then the team knows they are false and won’t care what Cruiser wrote; if they are true, then the problem existed before Cruiser wrote about it and they have needed to deal with it for awhile).
My question then becomes, if BYU football isn’t damaged or is only very slightly damaged by an inaccuracy by Cruiser’s comments, then did BYU feel threatened that Cruiser will imminently damage them?
Understandably, BYU is concerned that there is a mole/moles that are close to the BYU football team providing Cruiser with information. However, BYU’s reaction is not rational for the following reasons: First, if BYU is concerned about the existence of a mole then they need to take care of their problem by communicating with the players and staff that they should not provide Cruiser with information; not attempt to shut down a blogger. Second, why should BYU football care what is written on a blog? Blogs are opinions, that purport to be facts, and naturally must be taken as such and not as truth. Blogs are just like a town square conversation between Person A and B. However, BYU felt since they couldn’t control their end of the stick (the mole) they needed to gain control over the other end of the stick (a blogger), which in my opinion, is likely always a mistake.
Perhaps BYU felt that although Cruiser has been overwhelmingly positive about BYU football’s on and off the field activities, that Cruiser might write something negative in the future. Based on Cruiser’s past articles, it is undeniably clear that Cruiser only wanted to promote BYU football and to help it ascend to heights never before seen by the Courgar faithful. As stated earlier, I think its a safe assumption that if Cruiser is getting all this positive inside information, that he also received negative inside information and elected not to include in his articles. Thus, I conclude it is not rational to believe that Cruiser would have intentionally wrote an article that would damage BYU, BYU football, or a BYU football player. Perhaps BYU would counter that they are more concerned about his unintentional damage caused by inaccurate statements. My response would be that after a year of writing articles for Cougar Legion, Cruiser is alleged to have written two minor inaccuracies. Most professional journalists/editors would love to have that amount of accuracy, and that when a journalist prints an inaccuracy then they are asked to correct the error in the same manner it was printed; not cause the journalist to stop writing. Also, I would respond by reminding BYU that its an unofficial blog. Not a Deseret or Tribune article, or a release from the SID.
So, as written above, I am very surprised and disappointed by BYU’s actions toward Cruiser because BYU football was not damaged or were not reasonably threatened with damage since the evidence shows Cruiser’s intent was to benefit BYU, Cruiser was overwhelming accurate, Cruiser writes for an unofficial blog, and Cruiser’s articles were clearly written through a blue lens is evidence to me that Cruiser did not damage BYU and that BYU should not feel reasonably threatened by Cruiser. I understand why they are concerned about the alleged mole/moles, but based on Cruiser’s positivity and optimistic articles, I don’t think BYU should be concerned about Cruiser, and instead should embrace his articles publicly, or at least privately. In my opinion all BYU has done is attempt to control the conversation of town square, and history demonstrates, that exercising that type of control only leads to apathy, and possibly resistence.
Additionally, I am frustrated with some of the Cougar Legion readers who are now commenting about how damaging Cruiser was to BYU. I am disappointed, not because you believe Cruiser damaged BYU, even though I completely disagree with you, I am disappointed because you have read Cruiser’s articles in the past and never submitted a comment encouraging him to stop posting inside information. Instead, you went along your merry way reading his insightful articles, grateful to have the knowledge. However, now your tune has changed, and like any flip-flopper (i.e. insert politician’s name) you are now animately opposed to Cruiser’s writings. Where were you when Cruiser originally posted the alarming articles? Why didn’t you pipe up then? I don’t know who you are, but I find your comments to be disingenuous, hypocritical, and naive.
Josh and Peter - I have read all your articles also. You are both very good writers. I hope you will continue writing about BYU football. Your articles provide BYU football fans with information they can’t get anywhere else.
I’ll write the foreword on that novel if you want
wow, that was something. by the way jason, is your last name reynolds, or are you just a byu employee?
Jerry,
Good to see you could come up with such an intelligent argument. Masterfully done.
I’ve got to believe that the anonymous nature with which Cruiser wrote was as big a deal as anything else. It would have to be at least a little discomforting to BYU have this guy writing with intimate knowledge of your program and citing absolutely NO sources and not even revealing his/her own identity.
Like most of you, I enjoyed Cruiser’s writing, but I don’t think it’s nearly as big a deal as it’s being made it to be at this point. Most importantly, Cruiser stopped writing on his own - if he truly felt justified, wouldn’t he just continue?
NorCal Bruin- I had to speed read to get through your brief. Just three things: 1) You, like all of us, do not know all the facts so you cannot/should not sit in judgement; 2) If Coach Mendenhall felt it was going too far, that’s good enough for me; and 3) I agree with Brian; if Cruiser stepped down on his own, I admire him for what he did. He was there, the defendent, anything else we all say is conjecture.
NorCal Bruin- go to http://www.dailynews.com/sports/ci_9079092, read and post a comment. By the way, how do you feel the Bruins will do in the PAC 10 and against BYU?
Jason, you obviously missed it. It’s not about me as a student, but all students. Do you think people around the country with no church affiliation are just going to jump on the BYU bandwagon because they start winning? I’m betting no. Maybe a few, but probably not. They will respect BYU, but that is about it. BYU fans come from the alumni and from their posterity. So if BYU spurns the students they are shooting themselves in the foot.
BYU Student,
I did obviously miss it, probably because I have no vision since I’m no longer a student like you.
Like I said, if you and your dorm buddies aren’t being catered to enough, you can transfer to the U. Urban Meyer used to visit the dorms, maybe Whittingham has continued the tradition. Together you can pass around a talking stick with Whittingham and talk about your needs. I’m sure that is what he and the coaches all sit around worrying about.
The Visionless
(Since I have been away from BYU for even longer since we last chatted)
Wow, is all I can say. This is such a joke. If you have a problem with the football team don’t come to the games anymore. Coach Mendenhall is one of the most honest guys I know. If your going to mock him for some of the things that he does go right ahead. Atleast he’s not afraid to stand up for his religion. Who cares if he uses stories from the Book of Mormon. Your an idiot if that bugs you… Half of the students that come to the game do not know anything about football… And college football is not about us the fans… It’s about the coaches and players. Your mad because he didn’t please our needs at the scrimage. Give me a break…. Fans like you give BYU a very bad name… The guy has gone 22-4 in the last 2 years. If you take a few plays away there’s a very good chance their undefeated. And for whatever reason that’s still not good enough for some people. If you have such a problem with the program go the U of U and be fair-weatherd fans like all of them… I love where the football program is headed. I love BYU football probably more than anyone. It doesn’t matter if we don’t know everything about the team. Just to break the news to you– WE ARE NOT PART OF THE TEAM!!!! I know this might sound crazy to some of you. BYU football is back and it’s headed for great things. You can either be against them or support them. Other big programs can afford to get guys hurt. They have so many blue chip all american guys it wont hurt them… If Max Hall or Harvey or Collie goes down we are screwed. Especially if Max goes down… Let Florida do whatever they want. They actually have good back-ups. Once again people it’s not about us the fans. By you saying what you did about Florida proves you really do not know much about BYU football. Josh get over yourself. You let this stupid little website go to your head. You felt like you were part of the team and they made it clear that the coaches and players are the one’s putting in the time and effort… NOT YOU!!!! I can’t get over your reasoning. Well if Florida and the other big programs did it, why cant we? That’s absurd…. The BYU football team does not want fans like you. Seriously just find another team. You really sound like a girl.. You can tell you love the drama. You’ve never participated in any serious sports and you finally felt part of a team in some absurd way. And they told you guys to cool it down a bit, and you got your feelings hurt… Let it Go man, or it’s going to make you miserable… WE GOING TO THE BCS BABY!!!!
NorCal Bruin- Did not get offended? I’m waiting for your opinion on the state of Bruin football & how you think the game may stack up in September.
After all is said and done, I hope you feel like, “No harm…no foul!”
I love the approach Coach Mendenhall is taking with almost every aspect of the football program.
But as we continue our discussions, can we all agree not to use temple analogies (like Holy of Holies) when talking about a football program? Seems to me an unwise mixing of the sacred and profane. Similar to using war analogies for sports, mixing the truly serious with simple entertainment.
I have to state my peace about this. My biggest problem with the entire Crusier silencing episode is not that he may have been giving away inside info, or that he is close to the team or whatever. I also have no problem with the administration asking him to stop sharing such information.
The inside information reasoning is bull though. Nearly the same day Cruiser wrote about Max Hall being Cocky on this blog, Jason Franchuck and that Potkey girl both wrote about the same thing. However, only Cruiser was silenced. If that’s not picking and choosing, I don’t know what is. We don’t know Cruisers relationship to the team, but he did not have any more info than any member of the media was already revealing.
Walt - you say you know the administration’s reasoning but that you wish not to share them on here. Although I truly doubt that you do, your reasoning for not sharing is probably that the administration doesn’t have a good reason, just as the history of rash, irrational decisions that the BYU administration have continually made throughout the years, just to cover their own asses. Does anybody remember the employee that was fired in 2005 because he simply questioned the student government elections? The university threw his family of seven out on the street because he encouraged everyone to look into the flawed election.
BYU is the Lord’s University. However, it is not run by the Lord, but for the most part by a bunch of politically motivated administrators who are more concerned about how they appear and maintaining complete control then many of the attributes Christ himself taught.
So I say again Walt - Even if you do know the real reasons behind the administrations decision, I doubt their legitimate reasons anyway.
Mark- Great idea & since I am the offender, please accept my apology.
I am going to make a suggestion on this post as well as the last post on 04/28. The players are on their own now from the spring scrimmage until around the opening of camp. I assume that they are lifting, participating in 7 on 7’s and perfecting their individual position assignments. I am interested in knowing the specifics of what they are doing as I assume most fans of this team and every team around the country would like to know also. The only way to get some feedback is from the players since the coaches, except Coach Omer, can have no contact.
I suggested before and will do it again; why not do focuses on a different player every week from now until the start of camp and you could even continue this during camp and throughout the season. The weekly focus could include team as well as personal information. I am not sure if Josh & Peter have the means/contacts or time to do this but with their permission, I could contact some former players to see if they are interested in helping Cougar Legion. I think that this would open up this three month dark hole when we know very little of what is going on, would be insightful in terms of the individual players and team and give us something to talk about. Am I way off track here and is anyone else interested in this?
Walt–I like your idea. As you could tell from my last post, I”m going stir crazy trying to find my cougar football fix.