Which does more?

Which does more for exposure that BYU seeks:



Going deep in the NCAA's and possibly winning it all or having the Davie's situation happen?



I'm not trying to be philosophical. But I talked to a collegue this morning who generally dispises BYU and most things about BYU but who said, "I'm a bigger fan this morning because of their values than I was yesterday because of their ranking."



He thinks the publicity which is already coming in full swing (pretty favorable remarks this morning by Cowherd on ESPN radio) do more to further the cause of the Gospel and the exposure BYU is seeking than their recent run in the rankings.



What think ye?



I generally think BYU's success brings out haters and BYU's self-imposed penalty for things most consider normal behavior brings out sympathizers and questioners. I hate to say it because I would rather see a final four appearance or a national championship banner hanging up in the Marriot Center. But I tend to believe this garners more national publicity in that 'peculiar people' sort of way than succes does.



Go Cougs!!!

J. Child

Ammon, ID

Both!

kitic77 wrote:
Both!

Cheater. Debate it. I agree in general terms. And honestly I think the potential for National exposure LONG TERM is greater with the deep run moreso than the scandal. But short term I think the intensity of the scrutiny will be some heavy exposure too.



Go Cougs!!!

J. Child

Ammon, ID

You know, it doesn't have to be one or the other... :evil:



But I would say the Davies' situation, if we don't go deep in the tourney. I mean, if you say "Chariots of Fire" to someone, people know exactly what you're talking about. They won't have a clue about any other winner at those Olympics, most likely, but they'll know that particular story. True character, be it in a person or an organization, is rare enough these days that when people see it, it makes a lasting impression on them.

What did Cowherd say?



Anyway, I think that the long-term exposure is much, much, much greater with a deep tourney run than this issue. Danny Ainge and BYU's Elite 8 run STILL gets talked about - do you think that people would still talk about that team if Greg Kite had been kicked off the team right before the tourney, resulting in an early BYU exit? Sure, it would have made the rounds nationally at the time, but the only people who would still remember would be long-time Cougar fans.



On the court (and field) heroics will almost universally stand out more in history than taking a moral stand like this.

We are talking about two different measures of "more" here. For the nation as a whole, and from a "history book" perspective there is no question that a deep tournament run will do more. However, BYU's Trustees want greater exposure for BYU Athletics for the missionary potential. Missionary work happens on an individual basis. Clearly for Boise's colleague, the Davies situation does more than a deep run. These are not mutually exclusive, and I think we would all say that there is even more potential for the individual missionary work to happen with the broader national exposure that a deep tournament run would give. That being said, if you have to choose one or the other, in the eternal sense and in the long term mortal sense, being consistent on principle will do much more good than an individual tournament run.

Y 4 Ever wrote:
What did Cowherd say?

I don't have exact quotes from Cowherd but it was very much along the lines of this:



http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=6174077" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;



Go Cougs!!!

J. Child

Ammon, ID

Initially I wasn't sure which side of this question to come down on, but the more I read from blogs and columnists around the country, the more I think Davies' situation does more than a deep tourney run. Check out these posts from CBS Sports:



http://www.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/6270202/27722014" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;



http://gregg-doyel.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/5881996/27718535" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;



Couple these with the other things being said on ESPN etc. and it seems like a lot of the media folks are intrigued by the concepts of honor, commitment, and faith that are espoused at BYU. Don't get me wrong, my heart has felt like it's been in my stomach since I found out about Davies last night, but I do have a perspective that there is more to life than sports (crazy I know) and the HC at BYU touches on those things of lasting import. That being said, I'm hoping for a miracle in the coming weeks and still have a belief that our team can work some magic in what's left of this special season.

I have a couple of thoughts. First, the Lord, the Church and BYU would NEVER trade someone's hurt, embarrasment and set back to advance thier "cause." I know you are not suggseting that, but I still feel it needs saying. That said, I think a school that is willing to sacrifice championships and wins and titles to uphold a standard are far more memorable than a deep run in the tournament. Every year someone wins it all. How often does a school give potentially everything up for the sake of upholding its standards? I had someone at work come up to me and say I am so impressed with your school that they would do that....He'd never say that if we made it to the elite eight....

Thanks for all the thoughtful comments - boy is this a better thread than the idiotic "rumors" thread.

BoiseBYU wrote:
First, the Lord, the Church and BYU would NEVER trade someone's hurt, embarrasment and set back to advance thier "cause." I know you are not suggseting that, but I still feel it needs saying.

Thanks for pointing that out. I didn't intend the implication that could have been construed. It is an important point to make.