A different kind of rivalry

UVU is bound to gain a major rival sooner or later as the institution grows and gains more talent in its athletic department. Competing against other Division 1 schools will, no doubt, bring thrills. However, does a rivalry have to be completely based in athletics? Or do the Wolverines already have a rival?

Thousands of Mormons attend UVU. It’s a common joke within the religion that UVU is where Mormon students go when they’re not accepted into BYU. However, it seems as though the majority of the Mormon students at UVU did not even bother applying to BYU. “It’s not my cup of tea,” one student said. “You can still be a good Mormon and not go to BYU.” Unfortunately, this seems to be an opinion that some BYU students would not to agree with.

Many BYU students attend BYU to surround themselves with people that share their standards. They get so caught up in this motive that they seem to think that “good” Mormons go only to BYU. It almost seems like an 11th Commandment for the religion: Thou shalt attend BYU. They seem to look at the differences UVU has as evil ones.

However, BYU is also spoken of in degrading terms by many UVU students. It’s almost more common to hear it referred to as “the school over the hill” or “the school down the road,” even though the Wolverines rarely meet the Cougars out on the field or court. If the basketball teams were to play each other in preseason play, it would certainly sell out and be the biggest preseason rivalry in the state.

Every day at UVU, disagreements arise about views and beliefs between non-Mormons and their Mormon classmates, but it’s often quickly settled and they reach a compromise. They work together to establish the tolerance and unity essential to the success of UVU. Amazingly enough, there are non-Mormons at BYU too. They also have struggles with their classmates, but seem to have a harder time reaching that compromise without giving into the Mormon standard.

The topics discussed in the above paragraphs could be classified as stereotypical. There are thousands of Mormons at BYU who do not think that “bad” Mormons attend UVU. However, there are enough who think otherwise, and the mud-slinging between the two institutions continues to grow larger every year. It has developed an immature rivalry between students rather than sport teams.