Y
YzzazzAsk anyone in the state who reads sports writers and ask them if Gordon Monson is an unbiased voice one way or another on local college football, and they will tell you that he leans pro-Utah. Am I wrong about this?
He writes opinion columns about BYU and Utah football for a paper that primarily concerns itself with a Salt Lake valley readership. It makes sense then that he would focus his attention on the most local of the two schools, Utah. That he takes no small or hidden degree of satisfaction in relishing BYU troubles seems merely in character.
But this week his true nature has come to light. He is NOT a Utah fan at all, but merely a BYU hater--and a bitter old grumpy one at that. A true sports columnist, sympathetic to Utah, would be inclined to write at least a word or two about Utah's most stunning and disappointing home loss since Johnny Harline's epic catch. Surely something to console the fans, or call out blame, would be in order. But not a word.
In fact, during that week, Monson's only column was about ... you guessed it...BYU and their imperfection. Is grousing about BYU's success the only reason Utah has any fans? Is the MUSS merely a support group for BYU-haters? It would seem so.
Need any proof?
Instead of wasting the Tribune's money on why Utah still has a lot to hope for this season and exactly how Utah could stand toe to toe with UCLA and not flinch, instead he burns that paper's cash insisting that Utah State needs to play avenging angel for all his ilk. To wit:
"And they canât just win once in an Aggie blue moon, like they did at Romney in 2010.
They must step up. They must beat BYU in front of its fans, in front of its students, its administrators, its boosters, its donors, its vendors, its ushers, its band, its grounds crew. It must break their hearts and set an emotional hook.
This would be the perfect time to do it, too, with the Cougars â and everybody who roots for them â all undefeated and fired up and Heismanically hopeful."
Really.
Now I know this cat has a good handle on how to get people to read his column, but that's not really a measure of success now is it? I mean Kate Hudson and her handlers know how to get millions of men to look in her direction, but that doesn't mean she has done anything of serious value.
At some point you come to realize this guy is trying to sell eyeballs, and at some point advertisers will have to come to realize that those angry eyeballs won't associate anything good with the products that ultimately pay his bills. If he keeps writing like this, the longer BYU's win streak, the shorter his career.
I'd like to see Utah's fan base come to enjoy the PAC 12 so much that they leave BYU (and BYU-haters) behind as an afterthought. But that won't happen. Because so many Utah fans are like Monson. They probably missed the Utah game, but they tuned in to root for Virginia!
He writes opinion columns about BYU and Utah football for a paper that primarily concerns itself with a Salt Lake valley readership. It makes sense then that he would focus his attention on the most local of the two schools, Utah. That he takes no small or hidden degree of satisfaction in relishing BYU troubles seems merely in character.
But this week his true nature has come to light. He is NOT a Utah fan at all, but merely a BYU hater--and a bitter old grumpy one at that. A true sports columnist, sympathetic to Utah, would be inclined to write at least a word or two about Utah's most stunning and disappointing home loss since Johnny Harline's epic catch. Surely something to console the fans, or call out blame, would be in order. But not a word.
In fact, during that week, Monson's only column was about ... you guessed it...BYU and their imperfection. Is grousing about BYU's success the only reason Utah has any fans? Is the MUSS merely a support group for BYU-haters? It would seem so.
Need any proof?
Instead of wasting the Tribune's money on why Utah still has a lot to hope for this season and exactly how Utah could stand toe to toe with UCLA and not flinch, instead he burns that paper's cash insisting that Utah State needs to play avenging angel for all his ilk. To wit:
"And they canât just win once in an Aggie blue moon, like they did at Romney in 2010.
They must step up. They must beat BYU in front of its fans, in front of its students, its administrators, its boosters, its donors, its vendors, its ushers, its band, its grounds crew. It must break their hearts and set an emotional hook.
This would be the perfect time to do it, too, with the Cougars â and everybody who roots for them â all undefeated and fired up and Heismanically hopeful."
Really.
Now I know this cat has a good handle on how to get people to read his column, but that's not really a measure of success now is it? I mean Kate Hudson and her handlers know how to get millions of men to look in her direction, but that doesn't mean she has done anything of serious value.
At some point you come to realize this guy is trying to sell eyeballs, and at some point advertisers will have to come to realize that those angry eyeballs won't associate anything good with the products that ultimately pay his bills. If he keeps writing like this, the longer BYU's win streak, the shorter his career.
I'd like to see Utah's fan base come to enjoy the PAC 12 so much that they leave BYU (and BYU-haters) behind as an afterthought. But that won't happen. Because so many Utah fans are like Monson. They probably missed the Utah game, but they tuned in to root for Virginia!