Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark took the podium on Tuesday morning to kick off the Big 12 men’s basketball tournament with a press conference. And when the topic of anti-LDS chants at Big 12 games came up, Yormark took a strong stance on the issue.
The Big 12 commissioner began by saying, “Let me start off by saying we have zero tolerance for that. And I speak to you both as a commissioner of the Big 12, but also as someone who has high integrity… I’m embarrassed by it, and not happy about it. But we need to do something about it. We have to change behavior. And I think we are going to roll up our sleeves in our spring meetings and address it as a group. And I know and I’m very confident we are going to get to a better place.”
Here’s the full video from Mitch Harper at KSL Sports.
You can see the passion in Yormark’s eyes in how he’s clearly frustrated and, in his words, embarrassed by having to even address and deal with this within the conference.
The Big 12 has had two notable incidents during the 2025-26 sports season, one during an Oklahoma State basketball game, and another one at a Colorado football game.
Anti-LDS Chants at Big 12 Games
After alleged chants of ‘F the Mormons’ surfaced at the BYU vs. Oklahoma State game last month in Stillwater, the Big 12 issued a a $50,000 fine on Oklahoma State. During the most recent football season, the Big 12 also took action against Colorado. The Big 12 issued a public reprimand and $50,000 fine to the University of Colorado following offensive chants that took place in their September game against BYU at Folsom Field.
What’s the Answer?
It’s not easy, because while extreme measures like impacting one’s team on the field or the court might be a deterrent, it’s hard to justify allowing the athletes and the game to be impacted by a group of unruly fans. So what do you do to try and get the message across?
Is it an informational video or announcement prior to games when BYU is in town? Something that airs on the jumbotron following the National Anthem as a “reminder” of sorts? That may be one route to take, but it also would need to be explicit and not a situation where the vague reminder of “respecting our opponents” isn’t incredibly clear as to why the message is airing. Any message would need to directly point to anti-LDS chants and comments that will result in punishment for fans and students who participate.
There’s definitely a gray area there that in unattractive by its own nature, but that might be the obvious next step so that league, ideally, doesn’t need to deal with, or address this issue any time soon.
If there’s an obvious suggestion you have, we have a thread in the Heartland College Sports forums, and we’d love to have you sign up for free and share it there.
